The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-05-29
TEACHERS STIRRED
OVER MEETING Of
STATE ASSOCIATION
Many Stay Away from Gather
ing Called to Discuss Alleged
Breaking of Contracts.
NEWARK PRINCIPALS
CALL MOVE IMPRUDENT
Declare Discharged Instructors,
if Uniustly Dismissed, Have
Legal Redress.

public school teachers and principals
has been aroused by the meeting Of the
State Teachers Association, held in
Elks Hall. Jersey City, today to dis
cuss the problem presented by the all
legged breaking of teachers contracts
by boards of education throughout the
State In order to evade the provisions
of the new teachers tenure of office
lew, which goes into effect September
l. Newark members take little inter-
est In the meeting, as they feel that
they are well protected and believe
that agitation such as the meeting will
provoke Is not the proper way to go
about rectifying conditions. even II
such conditions exist. Most of them
are in favor of leaving the association
and the boards come to q peaceable
settlement of the question and on that
ground few teachers from this city
decided to attend the meeting.
The notices Of the meeting sent to the
members stated that "the association
Is receiving reports Of the breaking Of
contracts and the dismissal and
threatened dismissal of competent
teachers for. the openly avowed pur-
pose Of evading the tenure OF service
act. Some of these teachers have
nearly completed the period Of SER
vice necessary to entitle them to re-
tirement on pension; they have served
acceptably for years, and are morally.
if not legally, entitled to the protec-
tion of the fair and reasonable pro-
cedure prescribed by the new law"
"Few Dismissals Unjust.
n~I~~ -
Central Avenue School. in speaking of
the. meeting and the proposed occur
| rences that caused 1t, said:
II think that throughout the State
there may be some discharging OF COM
petent teachers as the notice states.
There are more discharged for incom-
| potency, however. ana think that few
Of these dismissals will be found to be
unjust OF course, I am against the
discharge of a good teacher and
think that where that threatens to
happen the community should prevent
such action on the part of the educa-
tional authorities, but do not believe
there will be much occasion to worry
s. e. Manness, principal of the Eigh-
teenth Avenue School, also doubted the
advisability Of the meeting.
Agitation of this kind can do no
good" he declared. THE teachers and
the board should get together on the
proposition. If the teachers are up-
justly discharged, they have legal re-
dress. Our own board is to be trusted
to look after us, think. and I do not
intend to go to the meeting"
The speakers invited to attend the
meeting are: Governor Fort, former
Governor Stokes. Senator'S Harry D.
Leavitt, Edmund w. Wakelee, James
F. Fielder, William C. Gebhardt and
John Hinchliffe. who spoke for the bill
in the Senate; Assemblyman Amos H.
Radcliffe, who introduced the bill,
and Assemblymen William p. Martin,
Mark A. Sullivan and Edward T.
Moore. Principal Albert F. Chadwick.
of Paterson, and Thomas A. Davis, OF
Orange.
The moving spirit in today's agitation
is Miss Elizabeth A. Allen, principal of
the Hoboken Training School, who is
secretary of the association. Her ad-
dress at the meeting was in part as
follows:
In the last session of the Legislature this
association, after years Of arduous effort,
procured the passage of a bill giving the
teachers of the State the same protection
as is now enjoyed by the teachers of Jersey
ernor s Forts signature on April Il. but does
not take effect until September 1, next.
Soon after the tenure OF service act was
signed, notices began to appear in the news
papers to the effect that teachers were be-
Ing dismissed or were failing Of reappoint-
ment, and that contracts were being broken
and designations demanded, with the openly
teachers teachers before the tenure Of service act
should become effective.
Several Of the teachers dismissed or
Threatened with dismissal, or whose resig-
lated, have nearly reached the period OF
service making them eligible to annuity
from the retirement fund, or pension under
Of education have frankly declared that
their reason for not reappointing such
teachers was to avoid the obligation to
pension them.
The Teachers Position.
The position of this association must not
be msunaerstood tna century Of the
measure of tenure Of service protection
Many states ss Nsw have
ter of the city of New York guarantees
its teachers tenure during good behavior
o erseS spsT cy Eoson
important centres, while the spirit of such
restricted tenure for teachers as Is pro-
every direction.
The demand that teachers be made se-
cure in their positions during efficiency
and good behavior rests on the same con-
siderations of justice and public policy
which have prompted similar measures in
other departments of the civil service.
The right to teach in the public schools
only to those who, after pursuing certain
courses of study for years and after pass
ing certain prescribed tests, are shown
to POSSESS the necessary qualifications and
have received. under the school laws Of
the State. licenses which make them
would seem that after the State has satis-
fled itself by suitable tests that the
teacher possesses the necessary qualifica-
tions, and has Issued its certificate Of
competency, and after competency has
been proved by a protracted trm Of ac-
ceptable service, there ought to arise in
said teachers favor presumption OF Mt
ness. sufficient at least to protect him
AGAINST arbitrary removal.