Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-08
An Unfair Procedure.

Waving for the present the question of
local preference. the search of the schpoi
board committee for an outside" super
intendent at this season Is calculated IN
the final analysis to give Washington a
questionable repute in the educational
world. If the legislation changing the
method of administration had been enacted
in the early spring and the court. realizing
the need of effecting organization be-
fore the end of the fiscal year. had
named the new board early in June 1t
might have been proper for a committee
to look abroad to find an available man
free after the close of the school year to
remove to Washington. Negotiations with
such possibilities could then have been con-
Quoted while the school authorities of their
cities were in position to meet any emer-
gency that might be caused by the change.
Indeed. practically all school organization
changes are effected before the close of the
educational year. Offers are made and ac-
cepted or rejected then. and provisions are
then made for filling vacancies and work
ing out readjustments.
AS 1t happened. the new school law was
not approved until June 20. and the court.
taking a reasonable length of time for de-
cison, did not announce its selections until
July 2. This fact of itself practically
barred. or should have barred. any at
tempt on the part of the new board to go
outside of Washington for a superintend-
ent when the incumbent retired. Had there
been large field of men whose coming
here would not upset the school plans of
their own cities 1t might have been possible
for the committee to seek in that direction.
But. with a single exception, the men con-
sidered have been in actual service else
where, and the coming of any one Of them,
in midsummer, would have involved a COM
plete Encouragement of the organization of
the city he left. In the excepted case the
man held in view declined to come
1t would seem as though the dictates of
inter-city educational comfy would have
dictated a different course. Washington
should treat all other cities as 1t would he
itself treated. 1t has suffered severely in
the past because of its inability to hold
valuable teachers and principals 1t has
never lost superintendent, but 1t Is not
unreasonable to expect that II 1t filched a
valuable man away from another city and
he proved a success 1t would be in danger
of losing him the moment some other. city,
approaching his worth and acting upon
the same questionable principle of grab,
felt need for his services.
If the case were one of desperate urgency.
with an absolute lack of superintendency
material here in the District. with the
schools suffering for head, with the COM
mittee absolutely unable to proceed save
by piratical methods, it might by the law
OF need be justified in going forth to find
and take the best man willing to throw
over his employing city and change to
Washington. But such an emergency does
not exist. Men available for the position
are here, willing to assume the new re-
sponsibility, and the sentiment of the COM
munity strongly demands the selection CT
one of them. Further search for a possible
gutter or contract breaker, therefore, Is
not only unfair but unnecessary.