Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-12
MEMBERS
MAKE STATEMENT
TAKES THE PUBLIC INTO ITS
CONFIDENCE
GIVES REASONS FOR OFFICIAL
ACTS
Management of Schools Described In
Detail by Educators and His
tory of Troubles is Given
Taxpayers


sued a statement telling in detail the
management of the Los Angeles schools
and giving reasons for official acts.
Taxpayers and the general public are
given the entire story of the situation
in the following report;
1.-The school year has been marked by
one great endeavor on the part OF the
board, t. e., to pay the teachers on
tWelVe-month basis.
Extraordinary efforts have been
made to secure one-ttth more money
fcn. them than hitherto. Justice die
tated it, and in response to general
demand on the part of the people, III
place of fixing their pay for ten months,
as heretofore, for the first time III the
history of the city it was fixed on the
basis of twelve payments, ana at the
same rate per month as formerly.
"Rut before fixing the schedule OF
salaries for the year, on or before june
| 30 as the charter requires, the menu
| bers of the board of education mace
| thorough canvass of the situation win
the tax levying and apportionlng pou-
| les, the county board of supervisors anu
the members of the cit council
.The proposal met with the heartlest
co-operation of these bodies, and upon
their assurance that the funds needed
would be forthcoming the board OF eau
cation on June 10, in accordance Win
law, adopted a schedule OF salaries on
twelve-payment basis.
Estimates Cost
1.-THE board of supervisors was able 10
provide its proportion of the necessary
| funds: but when, on July 10, the board
of education submitted its estimate to
the CITY council, they called for $426OOO,
in addition TO the $4,000 carried over
from the previous year in the city fund,
and when the apportionment was mace
the council was able to allow the board
but 1855, 600, or $4,000 less than the estl-
mates required.
rate which may be allowed for school
purposes at 20 cents on the Sloo' Inc
rate for the last three years vas been
fixed as follows: 1904-5, al 10 S2-1O0
cents; 1866, at 10 6S-100 cents; 1867,
at IA 2S67-10000 cents; for the present
year, 1908, at IA cents.
| 1T will be seen at once that although
the immense growth of the city tttects
its school department more immediate
lv than any other department. the
school department has suffered pro-
eressive lowering of its proportion OF
city funds for some years past ana
that last summer, when with the COOP
Grafton of the members of the council
the hoard of education undertook the
gigantic task of paying the teachers
what they are earning, the council fixed
A lower school rate than ever betoe'
Large Sum Needed
; ct will not do to say that a few more
dollars were given than ever before.
: The city is growing, more dollars were
needed and the proportional amount
more was not given. When 1t IS con-
sfdered that the estimate which was
cut SCI 900 called for $1112,100 for teach
ers' salaries, and that owing to the UNI
nrccedented growth Of the city, espe-
cially in the high schools, the amount
needed for teachers salaries VIII be
nearly S1,150000, it will readily be seen
what the cut in the estimate really
meant. While it is greatly TO be re-
pretted that the teachers will not re-
ceivc ouite as much money as we set
ont 10 secure for them, IT must not ne
forgotten that they are vastly better on
this year than ever before. as they VIII
receive nearly eleven ana one-hali
months pay. in place u leu Hloiitii"'
AS i'm the past.
"Furthermore the pupils will he sub
iectod to no inconvenience on account
of shortening the school term as the
number Of days actually taught VIII
be no fewer than during the last two
years Days taught, 1906, $50; l9oo-H
1S2: 1908, will be 1S2.
1.-THE board is required by the city
) charter to fix salaries for the ensuing
wear before the thirtieth day of June
whereas the council dies not make its
apportionment until July or August
And inasmuch as the assessment roll Is
not completed until the first Monday
of July. and the work of the Board of
Education still has to be done, the
board has to max cup it's budget for
the year without either the school rate
or the total valuation of property to
guide it.
;. Teachers Not Dropped
ITO the charge that has been men
toned i'm the City Council, that a num-
her of school rooms have been closed,
and q number of teachers dropped, we
beg to report that no teacher on our
regular list has been dropped. At the
beginning of the last term certain re-
adjustments of classes We're made,
| owing to the falling off in numbers of
several classes. but these readjust-
ments take place regularly at the be-
ginning of each term, and as substl-
tute teachers only were involved, who
are employed on the understanding
that they are to have work when there
ia work. aud to run the risk of not be-
ing regularly assigned, no harm has
been done any one.
mo oyercroNNing has anywhere been
caused by consA lidation Of classes; on