Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-28
Teachers Not Authorized by
Law to Hire Substitutes.
OPINION OF THE AUDITOR
Opportunity for Shiftlessness Fore.
seen by Tweedale.
RULE ONLY THING TO PREVENT
Point Raised in Case Of Two EN-
ployes Whose Places Are Va
Gated After Sixty Days.

Questioning the legality of the methods
in effect in the schools regarding the pay
ing and employing of substitute teach
ers, Alonzo Tweedale. auditor for the
District, today submitted to the controller
of the Treasury a question which may be
answered in such manner as to entirely
upset tine schools system of substitute
teachers, make their tenure of Office alb
solutely worthless and require quick,
clear and strong legislation to have the
necessary corps of substitutes retained in
the schools.
The cases of two we'll known teachers
are cited to the controller as the tests
for the whole school system. Miss Kath-
crime Reed, who has been ill since the
opening of school. has had employed in
her place Miss Louise Kingsley. Miss
Florence Jenkins has been absent also
since the opening Of school, and in her
place has employed Miss Ruth Gonzen-
bach.
Substitutes for Absentees.
1t is the rule of the board of educa-
ton that when a teacher is absent she
must provide a substitute for her place
In the cases mentioned the substitutes
were to be paid by the regular teachers
in accordance with custom, and following
an order of the board of education.
For sixty days the arrangement ran on.
At the end Of the sixty days the absent
teachers names dropped from the pay
roll automatically. according to law.
Then it became necessary to employ
teachers" for the places men
toned.
A technicality Of great difficulty then
presented itself. having to do with the
groups and classes and basic salaries, the
knowledge Of which scarcely any man
has in its full completeness. This DIM
cult technicality as to what salary to pay
to these two temporary teachers was too
much for the school officials and was
sent along to the auditor OF the District.
must be sent to the controller for settle
ment.
The auditor does not question the heed
for substitutes. He makes that plain In
his letter to the controller.
Auditor Tweedale's Opinion.
$50 far as I can discover" he says,
however. there Is no legal authority for
the employment Of this class Of teachers
in the public schools Of the District of
Columbia, except it be authorized under
the rules of the board Of education. and
for this purpose Congress has not at any
time made a specific appropriation"
A teacher gets her pay from tho Dis
trict disbursing ofiicer after a check has
been drawn by the auditor. who sees the
pay roll with the certification Of the
teachers presence thereon. The pay roll
certifies that the teacher has performed
the service required by law. and that no
person on the roll is paid for any period
of absence in excess Of that allowed by
the law.
Under the rules of the board of edu-
cation, however," continues Mr.. Twee-
dale's letter to the controller, 1T appears
possible and is probable that teachers
who have been certified as having rem
dered service have employed substitute
teachers and have paid the substitute
teacher at a rate and in manner pre-
scribed by the rules of the board of edu-
cation. said payments being made In each
case in ansum materially less than the
salary provided for the position OF
teacher"
Paw and No Work Possible.
By the orders which placed the two
Miss Kingsley and Miss
in the places made by the
absences Of the two regular teachers, the
H..