New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-14

coming year are decided upon It would be
most unfortunate if prevailing conditions
were allowed to persist through failure to
evaluate promptly the plans proposed, or
through lack Of initiative in taking a forward
step if such plans were found to be feasible
At the same time it would seem profitable
TO consider whether the advantages Of the
Gary plan as developed by Mr.. Writ himself
are superior to those secured under the modl-
fed Gary plan evolved by Associate Super
intendent Ettinger. In a comparison OF the
registration and attendance figures of Public
School 45, The Bronx, a Writ school, and
Public School Ga, Manhattan, an Etinger
school, each having register of about S,lOO,
it was found that in Public School "a, in
May, 1915, the length of the school day was
exactly the same for all children as in the
preceding May, before the plan was put into
operation, except for some POI pupils attend
ing pre-vocational courses in the seventh and
eighth grades. The pupils in the first grade
were still attending four hours day, and
the children in the rest of the school five
with the exception of those in pre-vocational
classes, who were attending between six and
seven. In Public School As, on the other
hand, most pressing part-time situation, IN
which the pupils in twenty-four out of sixty
three classes were attending less than five
hours daily in May, 1914, had been COM
pletely eliminated. In May, 1915, all the chill
dren up to the Alb grade in that school were
attending five hours daily, or from three
quarters to whole hour more than in the
previous May, and those from the ga through
the rest of the school were attending six and
one-third hours, or from one and one-third
to two hours more than in the previous May.
This would seem to be distinctly favorable to
the Writ plan Of organization
A comparison of the cost of instruction re-
vealed the fact that whereas the per capita
cost for teachers salaries, based on register,
was $500 in Public School Ga for the month
Of May, 1915, in Public School as for the
same month it was $2.73 or 3S cents less.
As this difference in favor of the Writ school
was partly due to the fact that because Of
longer service the teachers in Public School
81 received larger salaries than those in
Public School 45, correction was made by
assuming that the average salary in Public
School Ga was paid in both schools. 1t was
then found that the per capita cost in the
Ettinger school was still II cents more for
that month than in the Writ school. This
would mean that if the average salary were
identical in the two schools it would cost
approximately $500 a month, or $4,000 year,
more for teachers salaries in a school Of
that size under the Ettinger plan than it
would under the Writ plan, even though
under the Writ plan all children were af-
forded far longer day and wider opportu-
mites for work, study and play.
II 1t were a question of selecting one OF
these two plans a basis for recognizing
all the schools of the city, therefore, it would
mean, according to these figures, that Mr.
Wrt's plan would cost from 50 100000 TO
100000 a year less for teachers salaries
than would DR.. Ettinger's This vast differ
ence is evidently due to the fact that under
the Writ plan the burden of teaching is more
evenly distributed over the entire teaching
staff, thus avoiding the necessity for increas
ing the number of teachers in order TO care
for the work activities, or prevocational
training, afforded all the children In all the
grades, whereas under the Ettinger plan of
combining such prevocational work TO a small
group of children in the seventh and eighth
grades it is apparently necessary 70 increase
the size Of the staff 10 care for such activi-
ties. Thus, in Public School 81, Manhattan,
there were six academic and eleven voca-
tional teachers, a total of seventeen, in
charge of the POI pupils in prevocational
classes in May, 1915, making an average or
eighteen pupils to teacher
| From the foregoing facts IL would appear
that not only does the Writ plan offer far
wider opportunities for all children through
out the school than does any other plan thus
far advanced, but that it is also less costly
and more within the city's financial ability.
1t would therefore seem that no more i'm
portant action could be taken by the Board
Of Education at its meeting on Wednesday
next than to initiate a programme provid-
ing for the consideration Of this matter.