The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-18
SCHOOL ECONOMIES.

SCHOOL ECONOMIES.
Not Teachers Pay But E~xtravagant
Business Management the Drain.
To TIE EDITOR OF THE SUN-SE. so
rigid economy Is again the slogan OF
the Board OF Education, thrust pom
II by a Board of Estimate DESTROYS only
OF making a record for itself for lessen
ing the budget. This enormous cut in
the appropriation for educational pur-
poses certainly does necessitate econo-
mics Of no small sort. but why must
the economies always begin and end
with the class room?
Always when economies are mem
toned the boa Of Education nat
urally turns to the Board Of Superin-
tendents to ask where expenses can be
reduced. And always this Board Of
superintendent turns its attention and
all it's stored UP energy to discover how
much more su~stenance can he zed
out OF the schools. but never does II
turn Its stored mp energy on Its W
body. never on the expensive machinery
at 500 Park venue but always gets
tremendously busy trying to discover
whore 1t can consolidate. Consolidation
Is the great economical cure all. the only
medicine ever recommended by the
higher powers This means Atty or sixty
children under one teacher. possibly In q
room meant for forty.
The first hint that some, Just a tiny
bit or economy could he practiSed at
the top comes from the Board Of Esti-
mate in the form of a suggestion that
Glasses be given to the supervisors dur
Ing the storm and stress period.
Does the general public know Of the
enormous amount of duplication OF work
that Is being paid for. of the immense
amount OF money II takes to appoint
one officer to watch another?
Principals In our schools get $4,000
and their heads of departments $4,000
Almost every school has one head Of
department, some more than one. to
assist the principal in supervising
classes. These positions are given to
those who have been subjected to all
sorts OF severe tests, pedagogical n
otherwise. by our infallible Board of
Examiners. at an enormous expense to
the city. But after all this these officials
are not capable Of running their schools.
80 another officer, u district superin-
tendent at n salary Of $4,000. IL APP
pointed to take under his p%aternal wing
a dozen or more schools to see that
the principals and teachers are properly
exploiting his particular fad. Then, lest
he might be derelict. others at salaries
OF $500 are appointed. called associate
superintendents. to take care of n GER
tain number OF the district su~per!ntend-
ents. and these in turn are subject to
the City Superintendent. There are.
40 far AS l am informed. and | have
reason To believe I am right. twenty
six district superintendent. eight ASSOC
ciate superintendent. n the total or
their salaries is $4,000.
However. these officials cannot super
Wise the most important branches In the
system: cooking. sewing. music. draw
Ing. physical culture. For these there
80 n ts..N@s asA n~> -. $40 a-N
directors for each subject. And under
these again a horde of supervisors. and
yet In each OF these all important sub
jects requiring SO many heads and demi-
semi-heads the work II taught by the
class teacher, the general drudge. nut
with all this. has any one discovered
that We graduate musicians. artists.
cooks. dressmakers or athletes?
Then each and every one Of these
heads has a stenographer. There
must be, at the very least. forty of
these. probably more.
Why should not these numbers be cut
one-half and the supervision and re-
sponsibility put in the hands OF princi-
pals and heads OF department" Why. II
consolidation is the order 81 the day.
not consolidate some OF this expensive
machinery and glve tho teacher a fair
chance to teach?
The other enormous n s%uperfuous
expense to the city 10 the Board OF
Examiners. These men xamtne every
thing and everybody with all kinds of
archaic ~conundrums put in print. but
not one az them performs the arduous
and d,radenlng work of examining the
papers. These are put out.' and the
city has TO pay extra, whirh amounts to
"A very large output in addition to the
mere $4,000 given to the four examin-
ers. And these wonders. through whose
hands all must mass and hefpr. whoa
tribunal all must stand or fall. have
never to any ones know ledge made any
greater mark in the world than the
one they put On a candidates record
Many. ! might say hundreds. OF these
examinations are Implications and need
not be conducted AT all. while many
more of the necessary ones could be
conducted by the superirtendents. or by
the real experts In our city colleges and
training schools. From the manner in
which these examinations have been
conducted much injustice has been done,
and because OF this some of our best
teachers will not submit to the humilia-
ton of being turned Town when they
have done perfectly satisfactory work
along the same lines for well known
and expert university professors.
1t might indeed he an incentive now
and then for "A teacher of marked ability
to be rewarded with n higher position
for the work he or she has done. rather
than for the ability to answer a num-
Der Of irrelevant questions. At present
there In no reward of work done save in
the superintendents position. He or she
can get this position without going
through printed stunts.
Dive n little deeper into the regions
at 500 Park avenue and see how many
clerks. suh-cl.iks, sub-sub-clerks &c.
can he consolidated.
Would the public also like to know
that every school is supplied by the city
with beautifully bound books to equip
each class with its own circulating H.
brary when there are within walking
distance OF almost every school one.
sometimes two free public libraries?
NJ. X JOSEPH.
NEW York. November II.