Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-15
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Teachers Ask That Schools Close
 Two Days Before Christmas.

If the board of education goes into the whoIesaIe Ie business of chalk, mops, brushes, ink, ink wells, buck cts and brooms and the hundred things that heretofore have gone un- der the head of school supplies" 1t will not be surprising, for at the meeting of hat body last evening Commissioner GallOnd asked why should it not be all right for the board to get these things in large quantities as it does pencils and pa per, books and kerosene oil, Introduce tiOn to Caesar lumber, erasers, Rid paths History of the United States" and 50 on.
 Superintendent Tinker was called in for no one but Mr Tinker could answer this question. So in came MT Tinker and he gave the board a thor ough insight into the matter. He brought in big book and read from it such a list of supplies" that the size of it simply staggered the board. It was explained that the city could save $l 50 on 900 feet of lumber if the lumber were bought by the car
 load, and so on down the list until chalk was reached. Mr Tinker said that it made little difference nova days whether many of the things mentioned as supplies were adver- tised for or not as they are controlled by the trust of this kind or the trust of that kind. Chalk, he kind that leaves no dust except what falls to the floor when it is used, is made by only one concern in this country the chalk trust and as for the price, why a box containing 100 pencils of chalk sells for three cents. After Consid- erable discussion the matter was re- ferred to the committee on sup plies.
 A petition asking that the schools be closed on the noon of December 23 was received from the following teachers: James E. Grafton, Caroline l.. Ernesty, E. H. Carret, J. A. Wal lace, M F. McNamara, H. G. Allen, E. A. Mills, J. E. NorthrOp and Ed mee Pretat. The above stated in their petition that to close the schools later for the term would considerably in convenience them in getting to their homes for Christmas The board voted to close the schools as peti- tiOned.
 It was voted to give the superin- tendent authority to appoint an as sistant supervisor of drawing. Also, it was voted to advertise as soon as possible for the usual annual sup plies.
 Applications for appointments were received from the following: Miss K. II KirjasOff, grades; Jane DOre, kin dergarten; Minnie Vivian, conner cial; Mary F. McVay, gymnastics, and the resignation of Frances J. Donnel- ly was accepted.
 Commissioner Laun resurrected the old story of dismissing incompetent teachers in the suburban school dis tricts and Superintendent Tinker stated that the trouble was not in dismissing inefficient teachers but in trying to keep those that are compe- tent. In some districts he said teach CTS are changed with every change of the school committee for no earthly reason in the world. He told of the case of one teacher who was discharg- ed from one district and instantly taken up by another district and in either case there was no reason for dismissng the teacher. Commission CT Kelley stated that since this proposition to change the city charter came up so that the outside schools can be managed by the board of edu- cation he had not heard a dissenting voice from the teachers in the outside schools. It was voted to advertise as soon as possible the changes that are proposed in this respect. The legislature will meet on January 6, the first Wednesday in the New Year, i so that it will be necessary to adver- tise the proposed changes very soon. The bills and payrOlls were then ap- : proved and the board adjourned.