The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-04
DEFECTS IN BILL
 ON EDUCATION

A bill Is about to be introduced l in the Connecticut Legislature which, if it becomes law, will violent l ly revolutonize the entire educational l structure of the state. This bill will 1 be founded upon a Detailed Plan for School Code for the State of Con necticut," of which Henry c. Morri- ! son is said to be the author.
 It includes among other things the following pernicious provisions:
 Status of Clerks, Engineers Janitors and Other EmplOyes Under the Pro- posed Code:
 l. Engineers shall be persons reg ularly certified for the care of such steam and electric appliances as their duties will require them to operate, and for this purpose the board of edu- cation is empowered to recognize suit able license for certif1cation and to provide by regulation suitable pro- cedure or licensure."
 2-No definite standard of "eerti- fication" is prescribed, and if an en- gineer does not conform to any theo- retic classification" that may be pre-. sCribed, although a very practica. man, he may be dismissed or his salary lowered. In that event he has no appeal to the local school board, which may be entirely satisfied with his services but the State Board of Education in Hartford, with no means of personal appraisal of his value, Is the sole judge, from whom no appeal lies.
 Engineers, including clerks of the school boards, janitors and other employees, hold.lg regular positions shall be classified for salary purposes in accordance with CD wages and salaries paid for similar work else where than In the school service; CD proved capacity; (3) character of service to be rendered."
 4.-Under this classification the salary of all these employees Is thrown into the whim of the labor market.
 5.-When labor becomes plentiful and work Is scarce, if the first classi- ifcation Is to be followed, their sal aries will be reduced to the minimum of what men can be hired for on the streets
 6.-As to the proved capacity" | qualification, this is not defined ana may depend upon the personal rela- tons which the employe may succeed | in forming with his superiors Moth | ing is said as to which of the three 1 divisions of classification is to be de- cisive. The local boards have ab- solutely no control, supervision or in | fluence in the employment or disnis- | sal of any of these employees. They 1 are given the sole function of "con- ] f1rming" an appointment made in the case of certified engineers by the superintendent, which means that | they cannot appoint; and as the sup | erintendent is responsible to the state
 Commissioner of Education" 1t may l be seen that they have no influence whatsoever. This applies also to all other employees, excepting clerks of
 the school boards, and extends to every laborer or subordinate who
 may be appointed.
 7.-The effect of this provision is 1 to transfer from the local school
 board to the Commissioner of Edu-
 cation" through the superintendent who is responsible to him, all author
 ity over janitors and other school em- ployes and to leave all of these em-
 ployes dependent upon the fanciful l classification of the state authorities for his live hood.
 8.-As in the case of school teach
 CTS, the faithful employees is thus
 subjected to reduction of wages, be- cause of ill-health or advancing age, | just at the period when he should be enabled to rely upon a decent re- l muneraion; but, unlike school teach CTS, is laden with the additional jeo- | pardy that even though satisfactory
 to the State authorities, his wages, if
 the Code is to be enforced, must be reduced every time that labor be- | comes plentiful.