Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1910-04-30
PRINCIPAL is TARGET
FOR TEACHERS SHOTS

The Board of Education's supervisor
Of schools; or, to give him his correct
title, the supervising principal of the
few pupils who happen to attend the
local public schools, Mr.. Marsteller, has
certainly stirred up -el. OF course there
is gossip-there always is in small
town where the people have too much
leisure, and the fountain heads blame
Mr.. Marstller with usurping his pow
ers and with being generally dictatorial
toward his subordinates, the teachers.
A few things are appearing OIL the sur
face which show that Mr. Marsteller is
not in thorough sympathy with his as
sistants, the teachers, but instead there
is every evidence that malice is not an
unknown element amongst the towns
large corp of employees. Cooperation is
it least expected between the supervisor
and the teachers, but it has come right
down to hard facts that there is no
more unanimity III the borough's work
ing forces than is believed to exist in
the regions ruled over by Mr.. Mephisto,
" ho is also to an extent something ef
supervising principal.
Mr. Alephisto is not much of a dis
ciplinarian, and discipline is lacking in
some of the grades of the schools, but it
is rightly argued that Mr.. Marsteller
should carry his kicks to his subordin-
ates, talk them over with them, and try
in reasonable ways to rectify the troules,
and not parade them before the public
gaze as he has done i'll the past.
The supervising principal has succeed
ed in having held up the reelection of
two of the teachers. His basis for action
was that the two ladies are just a little
short OH the matter of discipline This
Marsteller claim is one great surprise
to the teachers friends, Off they 1.-THE
teachers) have heretofore served the
borough. and those who are familiar
with conditions at the Smiths Landing
seat of learning claim that the grades
under the respective teachers have been
most eapably managed. The Press has
made il little investigation and it has
been determined that good work, general
improvement and greater efficiency make
up the total for the year at Smiths
Landing
Two OF the rooms at that school have
always given discipline has
never existed there, and now it is said
that the teachers have won the pupils
respect and general advancement is the
order Of the day. This satisfactory
condition makes certain teachers in that
school ask natural question, Why has
the supervisor selected the lower school
as his particular target.
At the last meeting Of the Board of
Education there was some threshing
of the question of re-electing teachers
who might stand under the paternal
tenure of office act. There was little
unanimity of opinion on the matter, but
on one thing the members were some
thing Of unit-the act will tend to
demoralize the teachers and that they
viii surely retrograde.
This being the case it is not to be
assumed that teachers may not be re-
moved for general inefliciency after
charges have been preferred and sub
stantiated Members of the Board and
any ordinary layman feel satisfied that
no other Interpretation of the law can 3e
made.
According to the powers that prevail
IL Trenton and who hand out slices OF
wisdom, teacher after three years ser
wee in one district, is virtually under
civil service laws, and becomes fixture
that cannot be removed until after
terribly serious charges have been set up
against the person and they have been
proved true.
While general school efficiency WAS
rot the sole object of the tenure of office
act, it must be admitted that if teach
er is proficient on almost every essential
noint 4I1ndar tho act the pprsOu cannot