New-York tribune., 1922-02-17
Commission of 4 Regents
and Mayor Suggested by
Meyer Committee toSave
City Educational System
3lO,384 Children
Suffer by MisruIc
EducationBody yCensured:
Failure 10 Erect Build.
ings and Fire Peril Barred

Inc Meyer Joint Legislative commit
tee. IN its third report. made publ,
yesterday, draws sweeping indict-
ment of the public school svstcm jr
New \ ork City and recommends amono
other things. the taking of the Board
OF Education out of politics by the
creation Of a commission, consisting OF
the Mayor and the four state regents
who reside in New York. which shall
nave power to appoint the members of
the Board Of Education.
The reorganization Of tho present
system is stated to be for the specific
purpose of granting tho Board of Edu-
cation complete independence from all
municipal control. Recommendations
arc made that the powers Of the nro-
posed new board be largely increased
to accomplish this end 1t is further
proposed that the new board be con
stltutcd the fiscal and policy dctcrmin-
ing head Of the scnooj system. with
power to delegate authority to the
Superintendent of Schools as it may
deem wise.
Plan to Eliminate Politics
THE problem of obtaining a Board
OF Iducatlon for the city which shall
stand for education free from political
sidcranons is the fundamental
one, says the report "As tho uni
vcrsity of the state is the state wide
instrument OF control in education. the
members Of the university of the state
trSidcnt IN the city. now four in num-
Der, can, with the Mayor. who should
be chairman Of the commission. hc
drafted into service as commission
10 appoint members Of the city Board
o. Education. This Will give local rec
ogntlon by requiring all members Of
the commission to reside in the citv.
by taking over as members Of the com
mlsslon RESIDENTS OF the city who are
members Of tho Board of Regents it
WI lnsule tho performance of the
tlon, how greatly .sn- a.scd by the
added burden Of cost which the state
assumes. But, more important than
al else. it will take politics out of the
schools'
The present Board of Education is
indicated as incapable and Inefficient
| he administration Of tho public
schools in this city is and for wears
has been weak and Inefficient. accord
ing to the report. Responsibility for
these dcplorabic conditions" may not
be easily apportioncd, the report
states, but st doubtless rests prl-
marily on the system Of making purely
political appointments to the Roard Of
Lducation; but. apart from this fact.
1t Is due to complicated and antiquatcd
nt I.l1t
statutory powers properly belonging to
the Board Of Education in it, subordi-
mates, 10 the frequent changes and in
of laws governing school
admlnlstrati and generally to the
/ allure to concentrate fun rcspon-
sibility for school administration in
either the Board Of Education, the city
or tho state"
The counts in the indictment found
by the committee follow:
That 1l5,l34 children in the Now
\ ork City public schools arc on part
time. and that another l95,75O are sub
]cctcd to the disadvantages of double
session.
Part Time Increase Barred
That part time in the day cemcn-
tary schools has increased from 34.153
in Deccmbcr 1917. to s1.242 in October,
1921; double session from 76.214 to
l94 ,23d. and that part time in the high
schools has increased in the same
period from LOG to 1882.
That, in spite Of the great need for
new schools. the Board Of Education
5elayed fifteen months in starting
building operations. only four months
Of which could be attributed to the
rulings of the War Industries Board.
and that when tho board finally let its
construction contracts in 1919 every
contract was for a school on the build
ng program of the preceding BOARD Of
Education and authorized BY the pre-
,cding Board Of Estimate.
That, from January |. 1915, to De
'cmbcr 6. 1921, only twenty-five new
Elementary school buildings or addi-
ions. with capacity of only 21.S77
'crc opened, as compared with forty
our during the preceding four wears,
With a capacity of 52,s47 or the TWEEN
y-two opened by the present Board Of
education sixteen were opened in 1921.
md Of these all but two were opened
lftor September |.
That in August. 1921. there were L.
'o3 violations Of the city's fire prcvcn- .
ion rules recorded against 496 Of the
80 public school buildings. represent
ng an accumulation of several years;
nat, in spite Of the fact that the board .
Continued page ..ven)