Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-02
D. c. KINDERGARTEN
PLAN HELD MESSY
H. [. GiIIigan Makes State
ment at Meeting of Board
of Education.

Although at no time up for formal
consideration at the meeting of the
Board Of Education late yesterday, the
pending reorganization of the kinder
gartens projected itself into the pro-
ceedings long enough to be characterized
''the messiest thing I ever saw in my
life" by Henry L. Gilligan.
Officially, the board postponed serious
consideration CT the problem until its
meeting October IS, agreeing, in the
interim, TO study the plan of the
superintendent Of schools as outlined
in the report DR.. Frank w Ballou pre-
sented to it yesterday.
The second meeting of the school
board of the year witnessed the reversal
of Miss E. A. Hummer, supervising
principal of the seventh division and her
associates, in the rating she had given
a young teacher for her last years
work Miss Alice Morgan, the teacher
who last year instructed pre-primer
class in the GRANDCHILDREN School. was
rated as unsatisfactory by Miss Hum
mer This would have prevented her
from receiving q permanent appoint
ment this year. Following her appeal
to the board, however, an executive
hearing of the case was conducted by
the board in which it developed that
supervision to which she was entitled
and that the unsatisfactory rating was
given her despite the testimony OF Miss
H NJ Knighton, her principal, that her
work had become entirely satisfactory
near the close of the last school year.
| The boards reversal gives Miss Morgan
| a satisfactory rating and assures her Of
| permanent appointment in the school
system.
Urges kindergarten Close.
The kindergarten problem was first
/ Congress conferess he recommended the
/ DR.. Ballou recommended for the
second time this year the discontinue
ance of the underage kindergarten N
( the Webster AmeTicaniZatiOn School on
/ the ground that mora complete data
! than ne gave the board at its first
meeting had come TO him, indicating
an eyer-increaSing proportion Of under
| age" children on the rolls Of the class.
| Ballou explained that at the earlier
meeting when, in accordance with what
| he believed were the desires Of the
| Congress conferees he recommended the
! abandonment of all underage kinder
| gartens, he advised the board that rel
| atively few children under five years
] Of age attended the Webster class.
/ Learing since, that while last Fail
I
/ Q umderage pupils, this year there are
/ o regular-age children and % under
age pupils. Since he thought the
boards continuance in service OF the
! Webster kindergarten may have been
/ due to his testimony Ballou said he
! "felt constrained TO repeat his recon-
! mendation for its closing.
! Cilhgan became aroused Immediately.
! He said he wanted it known that the
1 TJrye hae
| settled" and that he resented the re-
! opening of the case. Ballou explained
! that ne brought it up merely because
! he had given wrong data at the last
meeting. The question was Shelyed
when ii was agreed TO postpone further
| action until the next regular meeting,
/ october Is.
| Disagreement Over Teachers.
| The kindergartens cropped out again
/ when Dr. Baliou formally presented the
| report on his actions concerning these
| classes since the first board meeting at
/ which time he was authorized to pro-
coed as he saw fit after consultation
| with the corporation counsel. The con-
| tents Of this report, including the prl-
! ority schedule Of the various teacher
candidates, the superintendent con-
( ference with Frank II, Stevens, assistant
corporation counsel, and the general
shifting of teachers in tine service TO
fit only those professionally eligible TO
| teach first-grade work into those vacan-
cies, already have been made public.
The board accepted the report for study
until the October 10 meeting.
At this point, however, Mr.. Gilligan
uueried Ballou on the transfer Of first
second, third and fourth grade teachers
to vacancies in the fifth and six grades
pointing out that normal school gradu-
ates. even those first on the eligible list
were receiving no appointments. He
developed the fact that this was part
Of the general shifting OF teachers
necessitated by the transfer of kinder
garten teachers TO grade work.
Honestly, I think this is the messiesi
thing ever saw in my life" Gilligar
retorted with evident bitterness. ."Ane
{ it's all because some of our wonderful
legislators up on Capitol Hill think they
know more about kinoergartens thar
our own educational experts dol''
: Continuing, Gilligan asserted his be
: lief that normal school graduates, WIKI
: completed their work when the law af'
J forded them priority over outside can
; didates for teaching positions, shoulc
be given first consideration over every