New-York tribune., 1921-03-19
Public Control
OF City School
Boards Urged
Education Commissioner
W ants Legislation to
Eliminate Rule Through
Other Organizations $
Cites Buffalo Decision
Principle of Court Opinion
Would Limit Estimate
Bureaus Salary Powers
FROM a stoS correspondent

ALBANY, March is. Legislation
which would take city boards of edu-
cation out of the jurisdiction of local
authorities and make them response
Die solely to the public is urged by
Frank B. Gilbert, Acting Commissioner
OF Education, who believes this step
necessary in view of the recent de-
cision by the Court of Appeals in the
Buffalo school case.
In this decision the court held taht
the City OF Buffalo had power to de-
sermine the number of teachers to be
employed and the amount of money to
be expended for salaries. The Buffalo
decision affects New York and num-
ber Of other cities in the state.
in The City of New York teachers
salaries are controlled by Section 96
of the Greater New York charter,
which gives to the Board of Estimate
the power to determine the salaries of
all officers and emp.o ees except men,
bers of the teaching and supervising
staff" The Board OF Estimate has
control over the school budget if the
amount required to be raised by tax
on account of such budget exceeds 40
mills on each dollar of assessed valu-
alton of the taxable property of the
city.
Powers of Board
The board, under the principle of
the Buffalo decision, may continue in
the exercise of the power to reduce
items in the annual school estimate,
including the amount to be appropri-
ated for teachers salaries, but would
not have the power to reduce individual
salaries. The minimum requirements
of the teachers salary law as applica-
Bile to teachers in the City of New
York must be met, but if a sufficient
amount is not appropriated to pay the
salaries of teachers in the service at
the time the estimate is submitted,
the Board of Education may be COM
pelled to decrease the number of teach
ers employed.
eve are confronted" says Commits
sioner Gilbert, Gin the cities directly
affected by an unfortunate dual control
of school administration. In such
cities the Boards of Education, which
are presumably responsible for the ed
ucational results to be obtained from
the school systems, no longer have the
power finally to determine as to the
number of teachers to be employed and
given by way of increases in salaries
Would Determine Salaries
at is generally recognized by all
educational authorities that effective
school administration may only be had
by placing in boards especially selected
for the purpose the determination as
to the number of teachers to be en-
ployed and the salaries which are to
be paid to them.
'sThe situation demands remedial
legislation. Boards of Education
should be directly responsible to the
people whom they serve. There should
be a separate school tax in every city
in the state so that the people may
know the cost of school administration.
dependent. @ dent having entire control Of
school expenditures, subject to such
reasonable checks through limitations
and review as may properly be i'm
posed. Legislation along these lines
should be enacted at the earliest pos
sible time"