Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-06
q TEACHERS LOST
BY K|NDERGARTENS
Effort to Meet Wishes of
Congress Revealed by
Education Board.

1WGnby -oGNcL1 IEdCn6TS--
approximately one-fourth of the entire
kindergarten staff--together with their
salaries aggregating $38, 800, have been
lost by the District of Columbia public
school system during the last eight
months according to information pre-
! scented to the Board of Education by
Miss Catharine Watkins, kindergarten
director, late yesterday.
In giving these facts to the school
board Miss watkins declared that
charges of an "overstaffed" kinder
garten system no longer are justified,
and she urged the board to decide
against further transfers of kinder
garten teachers to elementary grade
positions.
After prolonged discussion which kept
1t in session until o'clock, however
the board again postponed definite &C.
ton on the kindergarten policy, agree
ing at the same time that it would re-
ceive no more public" testimony on
the question.
DR.. BaIIOu States View.
In the course of the discussion, in
which it appeared that formerly appar-
ent insistence that the kindergarten
staff be reduced to a minimum was
weakening, Dr. Frank w. Ballou, super
intendent, asserted that while the pub
lie schools, with larger kindergarten
education for every dollar it spent and
while it expects to get 100 cents worth
for every dollar spent this year" on the
shortened staff, 1t simply will be buying
less. DR.. Ballou admitted frankly that
the shorter staff means less eficient
education.
In her address to the school board
Miss Watkins declared she believed the
school administration and the board al
ready has faithfully and fully COM
piled with the desires of Congress" In
reducing the kindergarten staff. On the
basis Of that conviction she asked the
board to vote against" the transfer of
any more of her teachers and the fur
Their molestation OF the classes in her
department.
Miss Watson gave as her first reason
Tor her appeal on behalf of the kin
dergartens the fact that 81 kinder
garten teachers of the white schools
had been lost during the past eight
months. This number, she said, rep
resents one-fourth Of the total number
OF teachers on her Stan and were lost
by designations, retirements or trans
3ers to elementary grade schools.
'On the basis of the minimum SAL
aries of these teachers" Miss Watkins
said. 1888 900 has been turned over to
the public school system by the kinder
gartens."
Number in Each Class.
Continuing, Miss Watkins pointed
out that while the Bureau of Efficiency
report, which charged the kindergar-
tens with being ''overstaffed," placed
the number of pupils per kindergarten
teacher at 1913, the present ratio is
327 pupils for every teacher in the
white schools. Continuing, the kinder
garten director told the board there
I'D - 1in
thirds Of the total, with only one
teacher. OF these, she added, only
eight have a lower average daily at
tendance than rs pupils, and then she
quoted Representative Simmons most
recent letter to DR., Ballou. in which he
said he did not seek the elimination OF
every class that falls below the IS
average.
The two-teacher kindergartens, Miss
Watkins continued, have classes rang
ing from 40 to 80 pupils, with only six
having an average daily attendance be-
low rs. Each of the latter classes. she
said, actually have enrollments of from
so to So children. With the average
daily attendance of 2,882.3 pupils in
the white kindergartens, Miss Watkins
told the board. the average daily at
tendance per teacher now it 2e.3, the
average daily attendance per kinder
tendance per building is 44.3.
In conclusion, Miss Watkins declared
the proposed changes in the kindergar-
tens and the alterations which already
have been ordered are responsible TO-
day for feeling Of unrest and discom-
fort among the teachers in her depart
ment, which produces Ill effects upon
the morale Of the STAFF.
Tribute to HaycOck.
She paid tribute to Robert L. Hay
cock, assistant superintendent in charge
of elementary schools. for his SYM
pathy In dealing with the kindergarten
reorganization and expressed the hope
that with q return to normally the
kindergarten teachers who have been
placed in elementary positions viii be
returned to then own department,
BY way of explaining the boards po-
sition in what he has contended Is its
obligation to reduce the kindergarten
STAFF, DR.. Ballou read figures tending
to show that the school system must
save q total Of $i69, 200 on teacher SAL
airy turnover. The total salary cost
without deduction for retirements or
designations Of higher-scaled personnel
would be replaced by lower-salaried
teachers was estimated at 1921, 400,
Ballou said. Out of this, the board esti-
mated it could save $58,968 in salary
turnover, but this figure was raised by
the Commissioners, the Bureau of the
Budget and finally by Congress until the
total to be saved was placed at Sl69, 200.
On the other hand, the board asked
for 81 new positions only to have the
total cut to 10. including the professors
a. 49, -