New-York tribune., 1918-01-10
Complete Regarding Is Pro-
posed by President Ar
thur S. Somers
Women Are Active
Take Part in Discussions and
Vote on All Subjects Up
for Consideration

The public school system of New
York City will undergo a complete re-
organization if tentative plans pre-
sented to the new Board of Education
at Yesterdays meeting by President Ar
thur S. Somers are carried out. These
call for a regarding Of the schools INTO
three groups-siX years in elementary
schools, three in intermediate grades
and three in high school-and the
adoption of standard types of buildings
to house the elementary and inter
mediate classes The building pro-
grammc to fit this plan calls for more
than S12O.0O0,O00.
How the seven new members OF the
Board will do the work of the forty-slx
thew replaced received working test
at Yesterdays meeting. 1t was the frst
gathering of the new members since the
organization meeting last week, week; ama ana
they waded into a. mass OF detail ana
disposed of it in way that made the
oldtimers among the spectators gasp
for breath. :,
The secre: session, which preceded
the open meeting, must have served to
grease the wheels of the new machine,
f,, sjxty-fvc different matters were
settled in just one hour and quarter
Of these not more than half dozen
were referred to committees. twice
during the session committees reported
on matters whicn had been referred to
them earlier in the meeting, SO tnat
immediate action was possible
Visitors Benches Crowded
The visitors be1fehes in the rear of
the hall were crowded, and many per-
sons occupied standing room. while
there was a fair sprinkling of hearers
in the gallery.
Most of them, who had followed the
actions of other boards, were frankly
puzzled. At times it seemed as though
re olutions were accepted or approved
before the secretary had finished read
ing them. Apparently every one knew
what he wanted to do, and there was
cy.tence of team work. There was an
u,.c1 absence of debate, and no one
asked questions that could have been
answered beforehand.
The two women members of the
board, Mrs Isaac Franklin Russell and
Mrs. Emma Murray, appeared to be not
at all dismayed by the rapidity with
which the new body finished its bust
ness. Both women acted on commit
tees; neither made a speech during the
session. They voted on all questions,
whenever there was an opportunity be-
tween one question and the next to
squeeze in a hasty Eyes" or'"no."
Arthur S. Somers, president of the
board, opened the meeting by reading
an address, IN which he defined the or
ganization as policy-making body,
which would not undertake to run the
schools, but would see that they were
run properly.
Would Cut Down Expenses
He said that the new board would
work as a committee of the whole and
would hold the paid officers to strict
accountability for carrying out the
policies dete rmined by the board. He
advocated q reorganization of the staff
with view to cutting down overhead
expense and said that the board would
not, create a single new position that
it could get along without.
With view to relieving congestion
in the schools, three resolutions were
passed requesting the Board of Super,
intendents to report at the next meet
ing on the standard types of building
and equipment necessary for various
grades and the number of buildings al
ready planned which could be used fol
intermediate, full grade and 6 I
schools.
1t was announced that secret sessions
of the new board will be held on the
first and third Wednesdays of the
month, and public meetings will bt
held on the second and fourth Wednes
days,