Evening star., 1909-03-14
PROBLEM IN SCHOOLS
Substitute Teachers Not Sane
toned by Law.
LEGISLATION IS WANTED
Provision Stricken From District
Bill in Conference.
SEVERAL ITEMS DISALLOWED
Members of Board of Education,
SEVERAL ITEMS DISALL0WED
Members of Board Of Education
However, Expect Everything
to Come in Time.

Unless proper steps are taken by the
public school officials and the District
committees in Congress urge the neces-
sary legislation, there will be an embar-
RAISING situation at the close of the cur
rent year in regard to the employment of
substitute or temporary teachers IL
nothing is done by Congress to meet the
conditions which will then exist when a
teacher is absent because of illness the
school will close.
The foregoing information was received
from an official in the office of the con-
troller of the Treasury and was inter
jected between paragraphs of report OF
W. V. Cox. vice president of the board
of education, now in the hands Of Harry
O. Hine. secretary of the board.
Mr.. CoX's words were: I'VE were in
formed that as the organic act carried
no provision for either substitute tenn
porary teachers their employment was
not lawful and would not be recognized
after the current year. Unless Congress
incorporates in the appropriations act
adequate legislation on this matter the
results will be the closing of our schools
whenever the teachers absent from
any cause and the loss of the teacher S
entire pay during the absence. The
seriousness of the situation is apparent to
all
At present there is, an ARRANGEMENT
whereby d substitute teacher gets GER
tain percentage of the regular teacher s
pay.
Continuing. Mr.. Cox said: 1T is earnest
ly hoped that the controller OF the treas
ury, appreciating the position in which
the schools placed by the failure of
this legislation, will with his previous
generosity toward the schools his way
clear TO continue the present practice
until future legislation may correct the
condition Of affairs
Provision Stricken From Bill.
| When the representatives of the schools
were fighting for the desired appropriation
before the District committees in Con-
| gress they made an effort to secure leg
islation regarding the service of substitute
| teachers, but the provision was stricken
out by an objection made in conference.
| The schools lost several things which
they hoped for. but which the lawmakers
| felt necessary to leave out of the bill. The
! schools appropriate ton went through the
! battledore and shut.lecock stage at the
| Capitol. and the barometer of hope on the
| door of the board of education's head
quarters rose and fell more than once. The
estimates were hammered down by the
| House subcommittee appropriation
! and it looked as if the schools would be a
sorry affair with the little money allotted
| them. Then the Senate subcommittee had
its chance, and the members of the board
of education grew hopeful when some of
the items clipped off by the House were
! tackled on again; but certain of the sena-
| tors found 1t necessary to recede from
! their position when the bill was in con-
| ference
Some of the Things Wanted.
! Had the board received all it asked
Secretary Hine would be happy in the
possession of additional clerks The child
labor law. which is persona non grata to
the school officials. would have a more
smiling countenance and the school Off
GERS might pity and then embrace IL. AS
it is the officials are now forced to do a
tremendous lot Of work on the child la boz
enforcement business. and the best they
get from the lawmakers is $500 clerk
| who will start his duties in July. There
| would also be some additional attendance
officers The work of the present officers
keeps them hustling night and day. The
board members have evened up matters
with some of the teachers of old service
in Washington by increasing their pay SC
as to put them on the plane with some
imported teachers who ire getting higher
salaries They nearly had it. did the
board of education members. but the mat
ter was stricken out on a point of order
raised in the Senate.
They might he considering plans for the
proposed new normal school at 11th anG
| Harvard streets northwest. AS ii is the
normal school students are cramped into
the old Franklin building. They do not
have half enough room for their work
The board might be getting ready tc
| build a new Central High School
But all of these things will come ir