New-York tribune., 1921-06-28
llyerwork and Increase i'm
Hours, Caused by Par
ing Educational Funds,
Break Teachers Morale
Classes Too Big
And Studies Suffer
Nudd Says Conditions
Barred Months Ago Wer
Denied by Mayors Aids

sha morale of the high school teach
I - force in this city is at the lowest
i IN N the history of the Department of
sss.ation. This situation, the investi-
..,;su shows, has been brought about
ss,ough overlooking classes, overwork
.sa Increased hours necessitated by the
4 ut Of s27,ooo,ooo in this years budget
4 vbich Mayor Hylan and the Board of
I gs.Iunate inflicted upon the Department.
ss Education so that sn increase could
h granted TO every other city depart
nsa..
Conditions in the elementary and kin
;rgsrten schools are equally bad be-
.suss Of the crowding of pupils due to
die failure of the Hylan administration
10 proyide new schools or repair old
eass,
| Investigation shows that teachers IN
sae high schools are now compelled to
ssndle minimum classes of thirty
eight, as against thirty-fve, the former
Standard, but the actual fact is that
many classes run as high as fifty. In
1 addition the teacher is now compelled
| b conduct twenty-five periods a week,
! Is compared to twenty, which was for
| nerly the allotment.
Increase in School Day
The result has been complete break
4 Gown in the efficiency of the teaching
4 staff, with resultant loss in the edu-
,stion of pupils. The normal school
Jay is aow from six to seven hours,
/ yhile in 1913 it was FIVE hours, with
maximum OF six and one-half hours.
Ia fourteen of the high schools the
teachers have an average total of 500
. SJepnpils per week, as compared with
tie former average pupil total of 72o.
b four nigh schools investigation
aows hey have totals ranging from
- tQ 500, and in seven other high
/ sehools the totals range from 75o TO
so In a few individual cases the loads
laed upon the high school teacher run
nsre than 1000 per week.
Howard w. Nudd, secretary of the
Public Education Association, yester-
.sg replied to the attack made upon
I'm 5g Commissioner of Accounts
tavid Hirshfield. He said:
ar. Hlrshfield wishes to know why
laere is sudden expose of old school
ealidings Just before election. AS the
j sses OF the Mayor, the Commissioner
q Accounts should know that the Pub
lle Education Association has been as
sldaously exposing these conditions for
i4e last two and half years through
; weekly bulletins and the public
press. Our findings were presented to
sas Beard of Educat' on at a public
ssaflng on May 7, 1919, and were then
l4fly and abusively denied, but now
'afg have been fully confirmed in the
eeeat survey by several civic organiza-
saas and by the columns of the press,
aAelgdlng the Hearst publications. 1t
s thls continuation which hurts his
l9aof, and, of course, some eleventh.
aOef maneuver must be invented to
'gaae the responsibility which his ad-
lAMstration shares with those that
nave gone before.
Hirsh6eld Hunt Fails
Now why didn't Mr.. Hirshfeld. as
ae eyes Of the Mayor discover these
suaaltlons for himself? We recall the
ssset Juror two years ago, when the
ssaoaptabie David announced that he
sas gong to investigate the schools and
sls@ tnem up. What has become of
M ms much heralded Hirshfeld hunt :?
Hs seeaH how auspiciouslY it began, at
ns mayors direction, with the family
sas ID the supply department of the
ssaio OF education, which, for some un-
sssountabie reason, was drinking too
I sasa mlik at public expense. Since
ss memorable discovery we have
ssato ! nothing from Mr.. Hirshfield about
M schools. What golden oppor-
py spsAliy mas been lost to beat the alleged
rockefeller crowd to it and at the
s ss,as TIME do something tangible for
sas children!
me sad part Of this business is
aas u the Public Education Associa-
- aVa acne had made the recent survey
tas. hs mayor and his cohorts might have
ny more assurance in discreditiHg it
i we weil-known method of clouding
s.s e ISSUE with cries of 'Rockefeller,'
-. But, unfortunately, the Mayor
t.. speak In such terms regarding
-esgue OF Catholic Women, the
s.ne - q Jewish Women, the Fedora
rsn. VI Women's Clubs and the other
di;s..apie organizations that made this
scrs.sst sted study, which more than
ii saa'.nlmed urn what we had already point
H. e@. hence the Hearst papers praise
Gan. report, while the Mayor and his
~ ss'saahts attack the Public Educa-
ash Association.
Is to the contributions of Mr..
,slsshse4eiler to this association the
eoaai', saeiae is at liberty at any time to
ggs.s g@sais our records and determine to
II is. extent we have been free agent
'4ear ag activities.
au,sas are glad, however. that the
on fs'iues fsa are waxing 5 p TO the needs
arr s'e schools. We welcome the assur-
us y; ;;ssae the schools wiis be cleaned
eanrn.s es summer, although we know it
anS ~. oe done adequately in that time
mer ss ne can't understand why the sum-
pral, ssstion is the only period, as Mr..
Be son naS SAID, III which such work can
ir,baytne. yne. Work of such fundamental
tLe ,.ce ssshce should be done throughout
nsari,, e NeVertheleSS, even though
aaln;s,i iour years of Mr.. Hylan's adj
lats thsion have elapsed, it is better
swsksnan never, and we hope that an
The Reo Rec public indignation will deter
rasns 0aid ~ OF Estimate and Apportion-
otkss tor campaign reasons, If for no
The doI,.om rom sacrificing the children to
year aar this year, as they did last
- Passing the school budget
---
sssk. snnabuSGALos-~For rent, day.
ssn.wassis e Complete equipped camp
cs-ano any automosss. 1tsns aan par.ec,ty as,ts