The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-02-21
Tigert Advises Non-Paid
Lay Board of Edu-
cation. rs
CALLS CONDITIONS
. INEXCUSABLY BAD
Says District Parents
Ought to Have Con-
trolling Voice.

Improvement of the inexcusably
bad conditions now existing in the
District schools can be made only
through the appointment of a nom
paid lay Board of Education which
is directly Responsible to the peo-
PIE o., f,washington."
This Is the declaration made by
John ]. Tigert. United States COM
missioner of education, yesterday in
r communication to Senator Arthur
Capper OF Kansas, chairman Of the
joint District school committee.
The communication. which states
that the present system of control
in the District schools is ineXcus-
ably bad causing inefficiency and
waste. and is directly responsible
for the failure to keep the WASH
ington schools abreast of current
progress in other cities" sets forth
recomme ndations by which these
conditions can be- rectified.
Gives Specific sugsestfens.
Although the suggestion that the
residents of Washington shall have
voice in the management of the
SIhOOio VI lhc NIly SCl bdli
degree of suffrage. which has not
yet been determined satisfactorily
by Congress. the commissioner
pc ints out that in this matter edu-
cational suffrage might be made an
exception.
AS a means to assemble the vari-
Gus details OF the District educa :
tIonal system, which involves such
sttenuated lines and devious paths
of administrative Sunctioning that
even the greatest effort and highest
ability on the part OF those charged
with responsibility cannot bring
about efficient and economical man
agement," the commissioner of edu-
cation makes the following recon-
me ndatfons:
The appointment by the Presi-
| dent, subject to the confirmation OF
| the Senate. OF a non-paid lay Board
| of Education. consisting of nine
members. each holding Office for a
| period OF three years-three to be
| appointed each year.
Not Professional Edacaters.
The members of the hoard should
not be professional educators con-
nected with the school system, but
NC anu "oAiCh
with the needs of the city.
The chief functions Of this board
| should be deIiberative, legislative
and inspectorial. not administra-
tive. Hence. it should determine
| policies and rely on educational ex-
perts whom 1t employs to carry
them out.
The board should be given au-
thority and responsibility to main.
| tain and direct the schools. without
any Interference from any sourc.
in the details OF management, sub
ject only to legislative restrictions
Voice for District. .
Important proposals affecting the
schools should be submitted to the
people of fhe District, for the pur-
pose of securing definite expression
| Of popular approval before certain
kinds of action are taken.
The people. through their repre-
sentative-the Board OF Education
should nave the right to deter
mine the rate at which they shall
tax themselves for public educa.
| tion. within minimum and ma aximum
limits set by Congress
Joint responsibility between the
Federal government and the citI.
zens of the District for the general
| control and financial support of
| agencies for public education In
Washington is approved IN view OF
the fact that the system. is similar
to that used in the various States
where the legislatures share in the
| control and finance of educational
matters.
Following out the principle now
in vogue In the various States, II
isl recommended that Congress,
shall pass laws setting up in gen.
eral terms the objects to be gained
by public education in the Dis.
| trict. indicating general minimum
standards and conditions which
should prevail, and specifying the
minimum and maximum limits
within whic hthe Board of Ed,,ca-
tion should levy taxes for schoo
purposes. Congress should not ex,
ercise control over details OF
school management or procedure
1t is also recommended that Con-
gress shall appropriate funds di.
rectly to the support of public
education in the District These
the Commissioner states, should be
lump-sum appropriations, based or
an ascertained and agreed -upor
proportion of the per capita cos
of the schools, and Congress shoulC
not specify the objects Of such
appropriations in detail.
The communication further point.
| out that the children in the public
| schools of Washington are not In
any sense wards of the United
States, and that the theory thai
the parents of these children are
not entitled to a controlling voict
in the education of their children
subject to appropriate Legislative
restrictions, is inconsistent will