Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-04
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
COMMISSIONERS MCFARLAND
URGES PASSAGE OF Il. r. s472.

Representative Morreli chairman of the
subcommittee on schools of the House COM
uittee on the District OF Columbia, received
this morning the following letter from Com
missioner Macfarland, who has been close
~ following every development In the mat
ter of the school bills:
April 8. 1906
Dear Sir:
At the opening of the consideration of
the pending bills respecting the public
schools of the District of Columbia had
the honor to present to your subcommittee
at length the reason why the bill pre-
pared by the Commissioners for the in
crease of the salaries and the promotion
of the teachers tH r. SAID should be
enacted and the other bills should be ia
definitely postponed Now that the pub
tic hearings have been closed and your sub
committee is about to consider the bills
with a view to action. l avail myself of
the permission you were kind enough TO
give me on the first day of the hearings
of adding to what l then said. This / can
do very briefly because in the light of all
that has been said since / am more nrn1ly
convinced that the recommendation then
made to the committee on behalf of the
Commissioners to pass their bill and defer
the others was the only one to make. The
reasons then given have been emphasized
The statement then made that the conf
munity In general and especially those in
tereSted in the public schools, including tie
teachers generally, desired such action has
been confirmed by the expressions of pub
lie opinion especially by organizations OF
citizens. There Is practically universal
agreement upon the Commissioners bill,
which provides only for the increase of
salaries and automatic promotion.
a n "a q
ing to pay their share of the increased cost,
which is estimated at l. per cent of the
present appropriation for salaries, while the
other bills. providing for reorganization of
the public school system, would Increase the
expense by a larger percentage. While there
is general agreement among the people and
the teachers in favor OF the Commissioners
bill and against all the other propositions
which hamper its progress, there is appar-
emily no agreement among the compare
lively few people who advocate the reorgan-
ization propositions The community is es-
pecially united in opposition to all sugges-
tons of uprootng our public school system.
which was founded by the people and main
tanned by them exclusively for seventy
eight years, and taking it out of the DIS
trice government where the people nave
voice in its management, to place 1t unoef
the national government No reason Tor
such change has been given which seems
to the community to be valid.
In general the public sentiment evidently
supports the position that the present pup
lie school system is good that its fruits are
excellent. that If any changes are necessary
they should be made by the board of edu-
cation under its broad powers, or If legisia.
ton is required, at some future sess on or
Congress There is no public demand for
radical changes, as there was six years ago
when the present system was established.
In view of frequent statements that the
teachers salaries ought not to be increased
because the public school system is now
more expensive than similar systems else
krha
attention to the tables In census bulletin
No. 90 1903, which show that this is not the
case. Leaving out of account the unique
character of our public schools, with neces-
sarily double system of buildings and
teachers, larger number OF schools and
school rooms. because, first of this double
system; second. the commendable reduction
of the number of pupils in classes. and.
third, the necessity for providing for over
0C90 people living outside of the city of
Washington in large number of small set
Elements separated by hilly country. and
that the normal and high school provision is
unusually complete. it is shown in table Al of
that bulletin that the per capita expendi-
ture of the District in 1898 was only SIG,
and that this was exceeded by the per
capita expenditures of Boston (SS42}, New
York $3.50, Springfield, Mass. tST.o5l, Sc
attic (S749. Des Moines 1SI.15), Denver
$3.50, Cambridge, Mass. G$5.77), Los An
geles (S6.92), Yonkers t$7.25l, Newton, Mass. j
($o.67), Butte, Mont (s9.1D, Spokane (S913},
Pueblo, Colo. (S10.5S).
1t ought also to be stated that the reve-
nues of the District. estimated for the next
fiscal year at $5,5S7 ,5i9, ample to meet
all its requirements and to provide for the
increase of salaries proposed for the teach
ers, policemen and remen, far as the
Districts share of the cost is concerned.
Every reason suggests favorable. action
upon the Commissioners bill, and it is ear
nestly hoped that it may be enacted at this
session of Congress. Very respectfully
yours, HENRY B. f. MCFARLAND
Hon. Edward de V. Morrell, chairman sub
committee of the House committee on
the District of Columbia