The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-25

The committee on schooas, which Norm lated the report favoTdng lining "a teacher $50 if she does not attain a, certain mark. stood back of fthelF rec lo4nznendatior, and succeeded in having Ehe report accepted.
 Those in favor Of the drlnovation.. However. carefully avoided the. use of lthe term merit system, that once 1t marking system, last night
 Why has there been so much secrecy about tfis9 Why has 1t been sprung so suddenly? Who invented 1t and nyhen2 Why didn't all the mem bers of the board know about it before the k4erenst the teachers notified of the existence of marking system and it's acconnpanying penaltfes2 Why were some Of the brightest teachers in the schools penalized? 1? Why were the names Of two teachers suddenly re- stored to the favored list after the penalizations were made? And why Hwas nothing said about it2 These and Aother questions were asked
 {. A marking system has been in vogue 4ave years, said MT. Havens. F1d1cu- Hously inaccurate. say teachers today He has known of 1t two years, Dr. Deane said. But most of the mern=5 Ebers had never heard of it.
 Those who opposed the merit sys- Hen were: John A. Hurley. Dr. Wil-
  sseorge Osborn and A. w. Bell
 No teachers appeared at the meet ling last night. They were frightened lat the reception they received from 9 board Of education member yesterday Afternoon.
 One teacher had lawyer present. Several others had been retained but they will not appear before the board.
 Two teachers, Elizabeth J. Bentley and 4LHcy A Murphy were dropped Ma IL H, -~T,~. one Of the warmest of the many warm sessions that board has held in several years. Another teacher, Miss Bessie v. Bergin marked to be drop bed WAS reinstated by unanimous vote of the board The board by a voting. voted to accept the salary list recommended by the committee on schools under which many teachers are denied the customary $50 yearly increase of salary because it is assert led their work is not up to the stand lard set by Superintendent C. ". IDeane and the supervisors of the schools It was the adoption of this report that preciDitated warm de- bate and severe criticism by some members Of the board of the methods of the supervisors and the system by which teachers have been marked
 Although President Ravens and Superintendent Deane claim the pres Eent system of marking the work of teachers has been in vogue for the Hast five years no attempt has been made before to penalize the teachers for failure to make good Intima- ton of what was coming reached the teachers several days ago. And 8 few days ago the names of those W11e were not to receive the increase and these who were to be dropped were made public. A committee was ap-
 
 to wait upon members of the board o1 education. It had been the inten- ton of the committee to be at thf meeting last night and several teach lers Ht9lo were not members of th< c0naEaittee were at the city hall tc learn what transpired. The com 1laittee in the meantime changed its mind and saw President Ravens o1 the board at his place of business du ring the afternoon instead Presi dent Ravens gave them little encour, ageHnAnty aeeofdings to- the teachers. TnS the meantime some members o1 the board who are not in sympathy with the marking system under Whicf the teachers were pena1ized, got busy and before the board met last nigh Eeven had agreed they would vote no to accept the report of the committee on schools. When the vote was tat ken. however, two of those who were expected to vote against the report oi the committee voted for it.
 The question was first taken up bl a motion Of Commissioner Hurley That the report of the committee ol seheels regarding the salary list b. not accepted and that all teachers en titled to the $50 salary increase re ceixe 1t without regard to thei markings. This motion was second sd by DP. Ryan. The motion wa put and lost by a vote of to 5.