Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-31

single persona professional educator
and to give him entire. authority and hold
him entirely responsible.
The bill, as reported, substitutes for
the board Of education, the superintend-
ent. the assistant superintendent OF white
schools, the assistant superintendent OF
coiored schools and secretary iof the
board director Of public schools to be
appointed by the commissioner Of educa-
ton OF the United States. and accordingly,
in the law as 1t now stands, this ofhcer
would be substituted for those officers as
named in the law.
Your committee has considered to great
extent the question OF who should .ap-
point this director. 1t was thought that
it would be an improper burden to i'm
pose upon the President OF the United
States. We have also doubted the wis.
DOM in the face Of existing conditions. OF
leaving the appointment to the Commits.
| sioners of the District of Columbia. for
they would at once have precipitated upon
them all the factional strife and local po-
litical prejudices that has heretofore been
so detrimental to school interests. Then,
too as with the President. they are not
in that close touch and contact with the
educators. of the country to be most able
to choose wisely. Your committee has
therefore believed that the appointment
OF this director should be placed In the
hands of the commissioner OF, education
OF the United States. man entirely out
side Of, and In no wise amenable. to any
| OF the local conditions or traditions and
a man who must always be very eminent
In school work and acquainted with all
the best school men throughout the coun-
try. Your committee therefore favors
plac cling the appointment In his hands.
Eat the. time of the passage OF the
school law heretofore referred to in 1905
there was considerable question as to the
advisability Of continuing the supervising
principals Of which there are thirteen In
the District OF Columbia. However. there
were other portions OF the bill that were
so important that 1t was thought not best
to go further in the bill than was abso-
lutely necessary, although the hope was
expressed at the time and the belief cher
ished that those supervising principals.
for which there seems to be no very SUI
ficient excuse. should eventually De elm
at this time to abolish the office of super
yising principal. The result OF this will
be to. do In a further degree what the
original bill attempted to do, to couple
more directly. At the time Of the enact
ment OF that law 1t was found THAT the
local teaching force was SO far removed
from the head Of the schools that there
ageuent Of the schools and the teaching
force. The law Of 1905 eliminated some
or these 'toggle JOINTS SO to speak.
The adjustment Of the thirteen super
vising principals sttll further tghtens up
the system and brings the principal OF
the grade schools directly up to the d.
rector Of education.
1.-THE original bill brought the high
schools into, this relation by. putting the
principal OF such school in. entire control
OF his school, both executive and educa
tional. subject only to the superintendent
OF schools. Your committee believes that
r. ia better to bring the grade schools Into
the same relation and to put no one be-
tween the head once and the principal Of
the school. Thus we recommend the
adjustment Of the supervising principals.
each OF whom heretofore has had a group
Of grade schools directly under his SUI
pervislon, and thus stood between the
principal Of the Individual school and
the superintendent.
THE bill provides that the director OF
education shall be given seven assistant
directors two Of whom shall be colOred.
Il is believed that with proper care In the
appointment OF these assistants very
effective organization of the school sys-
tenn can be effected. One, Perhaps. can be
APPOINTED because OF his particular merits
as a business organizer.
,."EIeretofore there has been much COM
nIaint Of lack in the business end Of the
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. This bill In no wise
affects the teaching force, and In no wise
afYects the requirements OF examination
wise affects the salary schedules which
have heretofore been adopted for the
teaching force.
..rhe committee so far has heard prac-
ticaily no opposition to the adjustment
Of the board OF education. except from
those persons expecting to be direct
beneficiaries by continuing the present
system. There has been some. objection
raised to having the appointment made