Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-13
OFFICIALS READY
TO PAY TEACHERS
Checks Will Be Ready for Dis
tribution Next Week.
DECISION BY CONTROLLER
Distribution According to Rulings in
Separate Cases.
BY TENTH OR TWELFTH PARTS
Opinion Follows Literal Wording of
Law as Enacted by Congress
Await Payrolls.
DECISION BY CONTROLLER
Distribution According to Rulings in
Separate Cases.
BY TENTH OR TWELFTH PARTS

Awaiting only the receipt of the pay rolls
from the board of education. the District
auditor and disbursing officer today are
ready to carry out the intent of the decis-
ion of Controller Tracewell concerning the
status of the officers ana teachers whose
positions in the school service were in
doubt, and to pay them the first INSTALL
ments of their salaries for the new year.
8 Controller Iracewelrs decision reached the
District building late yesterday afternoon.
and it remains only for the District officials
to give the ruling effect by dis5ursing this
second payment of the first instailment of
salaries of the new school year. The
checks will he ready for distribution early
next week District officials today declared
that the controller holds that the new re-
organization Law legislated out of office
every officer and teacher in tie school sys-
TEN, and the pay checks VII be made out
for tenth or twelfth parts of the annual sal
AIRY of each individual: according to the rul-
ings in the separate cases. The decision it
is said. follows The literal wording of the
law as enacted by Congress.
That this decision came as somewhat of
surprise goes without saving. bccaus :
the earliest railing on the school reorSani
cation act seemed to imply that lit was
not the intent of Congress to disrupt the
entire school system" and that the school
Of every officer and teacher
Controller Tracewelrs early ruling was
upon the question of paying the salary of
VIM \. Conner. secretard to the board of
education. The District authorities were
in doubt as To the status of Mr.. Conner
under the new law, and when the time
came to pay his salary for July Aud tor
Garrison submitted the pcin,s in the case
10 the controller The latter hel,. that
Secretary Conn personally was not an
official of the rev school system until he
was reelected to the position by the rev
board of education.
Decision in Conner Case
In closing his decision in the Conner case.
Controller Tracewell used the following
words:
The general purpose of the act is evil
dent-to continue the school system as it
exists. except where it is otherwise pro-
Vided, such as the appointment of a new
board of education. a secretary to said
board. and certain other places created by
the act and the appointment to which are
therein provided for
This is regarded as a surplusage. vol
untary dictum by the controller which did
not bear Immediately upon the Conner
case. and did not, therefore. acquire the
force OF an Interpretation OF the statutes.
There was nothing then pend ng which
called for the additional comment but it
was nevertheless received with pleasure by
the great body of the teachers fore
SnaQOWinR q deClSlOn- whenever the QueS-
ton should be asked, to the effect that
their tenure of office had not been disturbed
by the new law. and that they would not
need to be reappointed.
That this expectation was unwarranted
is proven by the formal ruling upon the
salary ques ion raised by the claim of Mrs.
Cooper and others that they were illegally
removed from their positions. 1t cannot be
said that the controller has reversed HIM
self He has merely changed his mind.
nac;cior Of +ba Cor%,oIlar
The decision of the controller, dated Oc-
toher II and addressed to the president of
the board of Commissioners District of CO.
lumbia follows:
I'm my decision of the 9th instant certain
questions arising under your submission
OF the 4th instant relative to he pay of the
public school teachers in the District We're
disposed of. leaving for determination the
following further questions arising under
the remainder thereof:
Il. You submit that section . of the act
approved June % 1896 GA Stat. BID under
which the public school system of the Dis
trict has recently been reorganized desig-
mated the following named positions in the
schoo! system as officers, namely, superin-
tendent. assistant superintendent, directors
of intermediate instruction, supervisor of
manual training and supervising princip a Is:
that the District appropriation act approved
June -, 1895 GA Stat, al6), making pro-
vision for the pay of school officers and
teachers for the present fiscal year, how
ever, provides, under the head of teachers
for the pay of the director of informed "a te
instruction. the supervisor of manual train
ing and supervising principals.
You ask whether the salaries of the
Superintendent and the supervisor of man
ual training and the supervising principals
shall be paid as teachers or officers.
Legislated Out of Office.
% You further submit that it is as
serted by the secretary of the board of
education that under the provisions of the
act. supra, recognizing the schools Of the
District the following named persons ap-
pearing on the payrolls for September were
legis!ated out of office, 10 wit:
"A r. Stuart, former superintendent OF
schools, at a salary OF $1,000 per annum
Il. c. Myers. former assistant supern-
tendent of schools, at i salary of - 500
per annum.
Wv. 5. Montgomery. former assistant SUI
perntendent of schools, at a salary OF
S2.Jol ser annum.
''P NJ. Hughes former director of high
schools, at salary of 81 800 per annum,
and
j. A. Chamberlain. former director of
manual training. at a salary of 5000 per
annum.
You then ask under the above state OF
facts whether the persons above named
were legislated out of office. and whether
either of them has a lawful claim for
salary after July l. 1906.
Case of Mr.. Swartzell
%. You further submit that NJ. F. F.
SwartzeN, former principal of the Eastern
High School. at a salary of $500 per an
mum. has been dropped from the rolls, and
that he declined to accept the new position
to which he was transferred
1T is not stated that Mr. Swartzell is
on the September payroll nor that any one
else was appointed as principal of the
Eastern High School to fll his place, whose
name is on the payroll for September.
THAT j. r. keene. former supervising
principal at salary OF $1,000 per annum
has been dropped from the ROLL that Mr.
Keene was transferred from the position Of
supervising principal to the position of prin
cipalship of the Petworth School but tina
he declined 10 accept the latter position.
at is not stated that Mr.. Keene's nam,
appears upon the September pay roll OF
that any one else has been appointed L
All his place who is claiming salary there
for
Under the above statement of facts yot
now ask whether the action thus operated
TO remove either of them and whether
either of them has a lawful claim for pay
from and after July last
-. You state that Mrs. Anna j. Cooper
formerly principal Of the VI Street High
School at salary OF 81 800 psr annum. was
oy the board of education dismissed for the
a