The Washington herald., 1916-01-10
TEACHERS SAY NEWMAN
EXPLANATION FAULTY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

emanate from a board coming directly
from the field OF active politics. The
Commissioners insist that the teachers
will be protected from politics because
the present laws concerning eligibility.
merit etc. will obtain under the proposed
school plan. This would be more con-
yincing had they retained the powers
which the present superintendent and
board have over the teachers and en-
ployes in the new director of education
and the new Board OF Education. This
they do not do. They lift bodily out of
the provisions of the law the power of
appointing teachers, etc, and give this
power TO themselves.
"In all examinations, the oral examina-
ton Is the determining factor In which
the Director of Education would have
the controlling voice. Were the Direc-
tor of Education a political appointee and
not professional expert, he could. upon
the pressure of the Commissioners, de-
termine almost every appointment. pro-
motion, etc. This is the one outstand-
ing fact in the, Commissioners plan
plain.
1T is moreover to be noted that there
are four hundred employees who are not
protected by any eligibility requirements
and who might become the victims of
political control.
Theory vs.. Practice.
Third, perhaps the most conspicuous
omission on the part Of the Commission
ers is their failure to explain why they
did not consult the practice and expert
ence of other cities and the previous ex-
perience Of Washington in school admin
istration. In an investigation Of forty
eight cities, comparable to Washington
there is but one instance in which the
Commissioners appoint the school board;
only one instance in which the Commits
sioners appoint the superintendent; not
single instance in which the Commits
sioners appoint the teachers Equally sig
nfcant is the failure of the trainers of
the bill to explain their desire to return
to system repudiated ten years ago
as ineffective.
Fourth. The Commissioners attempt
to explain their plan upon a business
basis. They argue:
ut will be generally conceded by any
one who knows any thing about modern
business that the most efficient organ
izatlon Is corporation, the stockholders
OF which elect a board of directors. VIM,
in turn, elect a president or general man.
ager, whose authority is supreme in the
conduct of the business, and upon whom,
exclusively, is impressed the RESPONSE
bility for results. Our suggestion is moth
ing more nor less than this that the great
and important business of educating om
children be arranged In the form which
experience has demonstrated to be the
best form Of administrative organization
But this argument from analogy does
not apply, for the people of Washington,
corresponding to the stockholders in this
Illustration, have no voice in the admins
tration of the schools, and the director
of education. corresponding to the busi-
ness manager. has no power over his
subQrdinates.
Furthermore, they contend as follows
In many respects the Board of Edu-
cation is absolutely independent of the
Commissioners. The exact line dividing
the ways in which the Board of Educa-
is indistinct and uneven; in fact, there
is no such line and can be no such line
There can be such line and there
need be no vagueness about 1t. IL finsn-
cial as well as all other responsibility be
given to the Board of Education.
"'This is the method In vogue all over
the United States and practically wher-
ever the best results are obtained said
Representative Foster before the COM
mittee which reported the present school
law.
1.-THE Commissioners say that they will
substitute one head for two heads In the
control of the school system. But their
plan is inconsistent with their theory.
What they have done is to scatter power
by giving:
q. Advisory power to the new Board
OF Education.
''2 Supervisory power over instruction,
but not over instructors to the new d.
rector of education.
80 Power of appointment promotion
and removal of 200 employees to them
selves
THE Commissioners school plan is not
one headed. but hydra-feaded or no.