New-York tribune., 1908-01-09
SCHOOL OFFICIALS HIT.
,Su Deyintendent's Annual Report
Presented at Stormy Meeting.

IT., ,,o, renort Of the City Superintendent Of
Schools was informally presented to the Board Oh
Education yesterday afternoon In IL were reeo'ii
mendatons designed TO increase the ehclehcS "
tho rocaI schools Action them was postponed
Some of the members. however, declared that tne
public school system would be greatly lnproNeu Il
the suggestions were approved,
The question of devisng ways and means 10 III
crease the supply regular and substitute teachers
came I'D in the report of the elementary schooi
committee and argued for two hours duriis
which the board criticised the city superintendent
and principals for allowing the scarcity OF teachers
in the system to get in such state that II VIII
be impossible to fill al the vacancies Tor some
time.
1t was stated in the report of the elementary
committee that in many schools where the Vacdh-
cies occurred neither the assistant to princ1pa nor
the clerk was engaged in teaching, as the law
directs that they should do in such an emergency
I'VE feel constrained to condemn this negligence
of principals in strong terms, the report Feau'
and recommended that even the principal snou!d
teach as well as his assistant and clerk. when
needed.
Commissioner Somers took exception to this part
of the report reprmand to the principals OF
the school Commissioner Coudert vehemently in
sisted that nothing of the sort was intended that
only those principals who allowed a class TO go
without a teacher when the executive staff OF the
school did not do this work were TO blame An
other member of the board wanted the dlstflce
sunerintendent included in this condemnation out
the suggestion not carried out however,
Commissioner Partridge thought the school prob
len, would not be so difficult if the city supern-
tendent and the board of superntendents would
visit the schools and note the conditions IN the
Classroonns.
As means of relieving present conditions the
hoard decided to have two substitutes assigned to
each school of the first order instead of one; that
one substitute be assigned to each superintend-
ents office and be paid 80 cents TO cover expenses
II, case there is no class teach. 1t also rec
commended that all the schools in the district be
lant in close communication with the district
superinten Office.
The most important of the proposed steps reco'i-
rnended in Superintendent Maxwells report IS that
which asks for a department of hygiene Ihls'
saws DR. Maxwell should be established unuer the
control of the Board of Education, and not under
the Department of Health. 1t should consist OF d
CORPS of physicians and nurses. under the drect'h
of a medical expert skilled the diseases OF cflil
dren and should be clothed with power not only 70
make phvsical examinations but to prosecute par
ents who fail TO place their children in proper phys
zeal condition profit by the work or the schooi
The matter of equal pay also came in for some
consideration and while Superintendent Maxwell
does not favor the principle advocated by the
women teachers. he recommends that the minimum
salary of wonen teachers be increased from the
present $500 10 s72o year. and the maximum should
not ne less than 81 500 year. He declared that ali
principals should receive the same salaries.
Another improvement recommended is the estao-
ushDent of summer sessions in the high schools
The erection of five One-stOry buildings for the
teaching and care of crippled children in Manilat-
tan The Bronx and Queens is also recommended
as well as a rigorous enforcement OF the com
pulsory education law.