Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-07
.MR. M0RRELL'S
SCHOOL BILL
Now Published and Ready for
Distribution. 4
Nine SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Each With q Local Board for Its
Government.
OPPOSED TO GENERALIZATION
Mr.. Morrell Fully Explains His Meas.
ure in a Talk With a Star
Reporter.

Representative Morrelrs school bill. In.
| troduced on January Is. but held up to
await the courts decision as to the legality
OF the appointment Of the board OF educa-
ton, has been published, and local interest
In 1t Is evidenced by the number OF calls
at the House document room for the meas
ure. As heretofore stated in The Star. tho
bill divides the District into nine school dis
tricts, and establishes a series of local
school boards. Otherwise 1t is practical
ly the opposite Of the measure introduced
by Representative Smith OF Indiana which
has Capitalization as its main idea.
Discussing his bill with a Star reporter 10.
day. Representative Morrell said:
Mr.. Morrel's Explanation.
The present school laws OF the District
OF Columbia are n system OF patchwork
scattered through many appropriation bills,
exceedingly difficult to find, and when
! found silent upon the very things which
every good charter law should contain.
1.-The more one examines these laws tho
more one Is convinced that something is
necessary in order to unity and make eff
| fective the laws governing the educational
| system Of the District of Columbia To
| the very best Of my ability have studied
! the laws now in force, and with a view to
| their betterment have examined the char
l tSf SySteIIiS Vi all the dQnlllteuly great
| schools of the United States. / have found
| that in every case a charter-a most COM
prehensive instrument, embracing to the
minutest detail each and every thing done
| or to be done by subordinate agencies-has
| been granted by the supreme legislative
| authority to the town or city in which the
| charters OF the great city systems OF Phila-
| delphia- New York, Boston, Cleveland,
| indianapolis, Brookline, Mass, and others.
and have drawn this bill, which taken In
| conjunction with the law passed by this
| body last winter. will in my opinion form
| a compact body of educational law, out OF
| which will come a thoroughness. effective
ness and the greatest educational advance
ment for the schools of the District of CO.
iu .nna ,,.os ,.s ,,o. ,,,o. :.
| essential to the very life of any school
| system-a central school beard. Without
| this no system has proven efficient, and Its
| abolition would simply overthrow and sub
| vert the entire educational scheme of the
| District of Columbia. The central school
| board made up of many minds Is the su-
preme authority under the charter con-
! tanned in the bill which l have the honor
| to introduce.
II find, however that division of labor
has been deemed advisable by the great
| systems of New York and Philadelphia,
! which have evolved the creation of local
| school districts and local school boards.
These subordinate local school boards do
not diminish the authority Of the central
school board, and they have had abundant
| trial in schools enrolling the greatest num-
| Der of children, and have proved to be an
unqualified success
Do What Central Board Cannot Do.
Experience has shown that they do
what the central board cannot do-manage.
! control and direct in localities, and, being
| manned by the people of the neighborhood.
destroy friction, lessen the need OF super
| vision and make the schools far more ef-
fective. But what is of more value than
all else, in the opinion of educators who
| have worked under both systems, is that
! they develop local school pride and
prepare men and women. not only for pro-
| motion to the central school board, but
| for the higher and more general duties i'm
posed upon them in the maintenance OF
| public schools. Another important item
| in their favor is that they will cost the sys-
| tenn nothing whatever, the pride of locality
| being sufficient to enlist the best thought
and the best talent of each neighborhood in
| their service
1.-The present general board as to men,
bership and appointment is retained In the
| bill, except that future appointments are
| to be made, one member from each of the
| nine local school districts created by the
| bill.
Zone superintendent of schools and four
assistant superintendent are provided for,
who, generally speaking. act as a board OF
| superintendents. The general power OF the
| superintendent is not affected, but certain
duties Of superintendents, best performed
| by the united action and authority of super
| intendent and assistant superintendents.
are cast upon this board. This is In accord
with the practice at New York, Boston.
Philadelphia and other large cities and Is
| said to be an advance in educational
| thought.
IAN supervising principals are abolished.
| and the supervising power placed where It
should be, In the hands of the assistant
| superintendents and the principals OF the
schools
provision is made for the consolidation
of the present eight-room buildings into
central grammar schools. with these build
| ings remaining for the first our grades OF
primary instruction, and as feeders to the
central grammar school. By this method
] other cities have developed their central
grammar schools. and experience has
proven that it is the best way out Of our
dilemma.
Duties in Detail Defined.
1.-THE bill defines as other successful char
| tiers have done. the duties in detail Of every
| teacher or supervising official. together with
those of every board Nothing 10 left to
chance nor the perils of construction. More
systems have fioundered upon this rock
than upon any other. And to my mind. all
the troubles which have come to the WASH
ington schools during the last rear are but
exemplifcations of this truth. The laws
governing the Washington schools have
| been loosely drawn, are loose in their con-
struction and very loose in their application.
/ Everybody seems to be in authority and
there is no standard by which the subordi-
nation of duty Is to be measured and con-
troIled. The petty conflicts growing out Of
the construction Of the law of last winter
demand a more certain rule of law. The
aim of this bill has been to simplify the
whole matter by defining clearly and ac-
curately In detail the duties and responsi-
biiities of every one connected with the sys-
tenn and 10 SO divide these duties as to
.nevs the demands of wisdom and good
man. cement. as worked out by the expert
ence of other and larger schools. under the
contrl, and direction OF the most thought
full, the wS~. able. the most efficient of the
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