Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-04-30
A BUTTE TEACHERS
FIRED BY BOARD As
DEPUTIES GUARD
Trustees Adopt Cuts While
Delegations Attempt to
Present Protests.

Suite April 29.-Guarded by several
deputy sheriffs. Butte school trustees
Friday evening by a vote of 4 to 3,
dismissed A teachers from the local
staffs, cut the school term from 10
to 8 months, abolished the kindergar-
ten departments, and adopted a num-
Der of other drastic cuts in the school
program. The action was taken by
the adoption Of the recommendations
economy measure.
Petitions, nearly a score of which
had been prepared to give the board
some idea of the feelings of parents
in the dismissal of teachers, were not
received by the board until after the
teachers had been discharged.
Would Voice Protests
Several hundred persons, nearly all
Of them parents of school children
and members of Parent-Teacher cir
cles, had gathered in the school ad-
m~inistration building to voice their
protests against the methods adopted
by the board.
Denied the privilege of presenting
their case until the instructors of their
children had been dismissed by formal
otSloA VI Liz DOdTu, lutuy pdIeuIS Ue-
came indignant and refused to leave
the ROOF even after the board. upon
motion of Trustee James Baldwin, had
declared its intention of going into ex-
ecutive session.
Crowd Driven Out
Herding them out the doorway, the
deputies stood guard at the entrance
to the auditorium while the board went
into executive session and took action
upon those whom they wished dis
missed.
OF those who acceded to the request
of the educational committee for res
ignations, nine were kindergarten
teachers. OF those who did not resign
but were dropped, five had been on
leave OF absence for some time, and no
tons. In the list also were three prin-
cipals, Bruce e. Millikin Of the high
school: Miss Lizzie Pettibone of the
Whittier, and Miss MoIlie Jackson of
the Greeley. Miss Teresa ODonnelI.
principal of the Harrison school, had
been listed as among those who were
to go. At the last minute, however.
the committee seems to have recon
sidered this, as her name does not ap-
pear In the list, and it is stated that
she will be given an opportunity to
teach in the grades.
This action of the board was virtual
~ fought out in executive session. al
though the report CO the educational
committee was formally adopted in
open session.
Recommendations Adopted
In addition to the dismissal of the
teachers and principals, the following
recommendations were adopted:
AS q necessary measure of econ |
omy because of the present financial
condition of the district, your educa-
tional committee recommends.
Il. That the schools be kept open
for nine school months for the ensu-
ing school year, instead of 10 months,
as has heretofore been the custom.
"2. That the kindergarten depart
ments be discontinued.
g. That the manual training de-
partments be reduced.
Il. That the music, manual train
ing, sewing and ~penmanship super
visors be released.
50. That the Cleveland industrial
school be closed and truants be housed
and cared for at a building east of
Webster school"
The decision of the board to pay the
teachers on a basis of nine months
instead of 10 months amounts to a
reduction of 10 per cent in their sal
aries.
The educational committee in its re-
ports declared in each instance the
teachers or principals to be dismissed
had been rated &c" or ID" by Super
intendent Douglass. This list includes
Prof. Bruce f. Millikin, principal of
the Butte high school, who is widely
known throughout the west.