Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1911-08-30
TO ABANDON HIGHER GRADES.
High School Scholars From Pleasantville
Will Hereafter Attend Atlantic
City School.

| portant and knotty problems were DIS
pensed with. The first related to the
opening Of the public schools, question
now held in an uncertain position by
reason of the suit between the borough
and former Principal Howard L. Mar
stellar.
The second question is current to most
of the shore boroughs, and relates to the
fact that high school pupils can be ed
ucated much cheaper in Atlantic City
than they can in the borough institu-
tions.
Both problems have puzzled the Board
of Education for some time. To be
sure of legal Interpretation suitable
to the State Board they sent represen-
tatives Champion, Connolly and Reed to
interview the State Commissioner of Ed
ucation. They asked him the following
questions:
What course shall be pursued in ref
erence to the opening of the public
schools by reason of the litigation now
in the Supreme Court, wherein Howard
7. Marstellar is prosecutor and this
Board is defendant, the decision of which
is not expected TO be rendered before
September 18th next.
Whether the Board of Education has
authority, in view of the exceedingly
low tuition rate offered by the High
School of Atlantic City to high school
scholars of outside school districts,
which is believed to be less expensive
per pupil to the Borough Of Pleasant
vile than the maintenance of a high
school system, to send our high school
pupils to Atlantic City.
The committee reported having made
the trip to Trenton on Tuesday, August
22nd, where they were met by Assist
ant Commissioner of Education Belts.
To Mr.. Belts they presented the ques-
tions above given. Mr.. Belts rendered
decision in the first case, that they
should arrange to open their schools on
September 5th, the original date an
nounced, provided they could come to a
written agreement with Mr.. Marstellar.
Mr.. Marstellar was discharged from
his position as principal of the Pleasant
vile schools last spring, but refused to
accept it. In fact he turned about and
sued the Board. Without his consent,
according to the ruling, the Pleasant
vile schools will not open on their usual
date. If Mr.. Marstellar fails to agree
in writing, mot to exercise or perform
IN any manner the functions of Super
yising Principal of the schools of Pleas
antville, or not to attempt to act or
officiate in any other capacity whatso-
ever in said schools unless the former
principal agrees to this, then the schools
OF Pleasantville will not open until after
the decision of the Supreme Court, which
will not be before September l4th.
In such a case Pleasantville will very
likely face the possibility of paying its
teaching force while the pupils still en-
JOY the green grass and the pleasant off
shore sport of killing mosquitoes Chas.
Babcock, as solicitor of the Board, will
confer with Bourgeois and Coulomb.
counsel for Marstellar, regarding the de-
sired agreement.
The second question propounded to the
State Commissioner was answered salts
factorily to the Board Hereafter the
high school scholars of Pleasantville will
receive their education at the Atlantic
City High School.
orders were issued that the continu-
ance of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh
grades be abandoned and the teachers
for those grades be notified that their
services will not be required. A com
mittee will Immediately confer with Su-
perintendent Boyer of the Atlantic Citv
schools, relative to accommodating the
borough pupils. As Somers Point mott
fled the Board at this meeting that thev
had taken similar action and would send
their pupils to the Atlantic CITY High
School, the school will have large ag-
gregation of shore scholars at the open
ing OF the fall term next week.
l.. b. Champion, w, Connolly and w.
Reed We're appointed to make the ar
rangements for accommodating the schol-
ars in Atlantic City. Atlantic CITY
charges but $25 tuition for a high school
pupil per year, and the State allows
tins S25 for each pupils tuition per year,
and therefore this expense would be en-
tlrely met by the State In addition
to this, the State allows three-fourths
OF the transportation charges for each
pupil, and even if the Board should not
be able to max arrangements for the
school rates on the trolley lines. the
total cost per pupil to the borough would
not exceed $40 per year, which would
mean an enormous saving on salaries
PAID high school teachers and other in
cldentals. The shore towns find that
they can better afford to pay the nee
essary carfare, than they can to keen
separate high school departments at
home, where the efficiency of the in
structlon cannot, even at its best. be com
parable to the standard now maintained
by the Atlantic City institution.
FOR many years pupils of the shore
schools have taken instruction at the
local Institution, but this is the first
instance of borough using the city
school as part of its own system Of
instruction.
heretofore many graduates of the
eleventh grade at Pleasantville have fri
ed to gain a city diploma, which gives
college entrance privileges, by entering
for the final year of the Atlantic City
course. The school systems have in most
instances proved SO vastly different. that
the pupils have been obliged to take an
extra year to secure all the necessary
work. Many other reasons entered into
lengthy discussion which ensued. and
at previous meetings when this question
has been before the board.
Some difficulty will be experienced in
dlscharging the high school teachers. at
least one of whom is entitlded to the
tenure service feature of the present tea
chers pension law.
Messrs. Helfrich, Reed, Leeds Connol-
ly, Long, Champion and Turner attended
the meeting.