Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-17
TEACHER ECONOMY
IS HOUSE BODY AIM
IN SCHOOL SCHEME
Appropriations Group Urges
kindergarten instructors
in Grades.
GRADED CLASSES GAIN
70 THROUGH TRANSFER
Legislative Protection to Be Given
Educators Who Get New
Assignments.

dergarten system which the subcom-
mittee of the House appropriations
committee has recommended to the
local school authorities.
The reorganization plan, as given to
the school people by Representative
Robert G. Simmons of Nebraska, chair
man of the subcommittee, calls for
three major changes in the present
kindergarten set-up. First, the daily
sessions for kindergarten classes will be
cut from three hours to two and a half
hours; second, each kindergarten
teacher will be given two classes, the
combined enrolment of which will
not exceed SIS; third, the five So
| called 'under-age" kindergartens, which
are those accommodating children be-
tween and years OF age, are to be
! discontinued entirely.
Teachers Protected.
Under its plan, the subcommittee
| made 1t plain that no teacher thus re-
| lieved from kindergarten assignments is
to be discharged from the system, de-
| spite the fact that under the present
qualification schedule they may not be
legally fitted for grade school work. To
assure them this protection the sub
committee inserted the following legis-
| lative provision in its report to the
House on the appropriation bill:
THAT teachers employed in kinder
gartenS are hereby made eligible for
transfer to teach in grades l to 4, in
elusive, of the elementary schools"
Mr.. Simmons and other members of
| the committee questioned the school
authorities closely on the number of
kindergarten te 1cherS, class rooms used
for kindergartens and kindergartens
| themselves. 1t was testified that there
| are 191 kindergarten teachers. Some of
the kindergartens, it was explained,
were one-teacher classes and others
were two-teacher groups. Twenty-six
| kindergartens were occupying rooms to-
gether, and these, quartered in Is class
rooms, were listed as part-time classes,
| the officials explained. In these in
stances the morning class is in session
| from am. until noon and the after
noon class uses the room from l to
pm.
When this data had been given in
testimony, Mr.. Simmons declared:
1.-THE thought had in mind is the
probability Of this committee taking
F, some action looking toward the adop-
ton Of shorter hours for kindergartens
and allowing the teacher to operate two
classes. If we did that, how many
kindergarten rooms could we pick up for
use of these other children?" This was
answered when Robert L. Haycock, as
sistant superintendent in charge of ele-
mentary schools, advised the subcom-
mittee that on February Z, this year,
there were 108 kindergarten rooms, l22
kindergarten classes, 19l kindergarten
F., teachers and 1928 kindergarten pupils.
He advised the committee also that its
proposals would save 2 rooms and 70
| teachers.
Stephen E. Kramer, first assistant SUI
perintendent, explained that only one OF
them is in building where part-time
work now is being done, adding that
| the other six might not be Immediately
| available, while the six rooms could be
used advantageously in the future.
| AS to the 70 teachers, Mr.. Kramer said
they should be available for transfer to
| graded classes Immediately from the
very day of authorization; that Is, as
| soon as the authorization is effective,
| we could begin to absorb the vacancies
| by not putting a teacher in to fill a
vacancy, thereby saving the salary"
(Which would mean, Mr.. Simmons
| carried on, that in the kindergarten
there would be no new teachers taken
, in. It would mean in the elementary
schools probably no new teachers would
be taken In"
On the basis of an $1,000 average
kindergarten teachers salary, Mr..
Kramer said the transferable salaries
would amount to about $4,000.
Distribution Mars Theory.
Representative William P. Holiday of
| Illinois wanted to know why, if SIS chill
| dren are to be assigned to one teacher
/ and there are 1928 pupils, rs teachers
| would not be enough for the kindergar-
| tens and why, on the same basis, 70
rooms would not be ample for the kind
| ergarten needs. Mr.. Kramer replied that
| If a theoretical school system were being
set up that could be done, but, because
of the distribution of the city's popula-
| ton, such a mathematical procedure is
| impossible.
After making this assertion Mr..
Kramer declared:
ST can cite a few instances. Here Is
! the Murch School. The Murch School
| is on Grant road There are 90 children
| in that kindergarten, that will take one
| teacher and one room.
Here is the Corcoran School, at
| Twenty-eighth street near Pennsylvania
| avenue. There are % children there.
There is one teacher, and one room.
| In other words, we are using two teach
| ers and two rooms for So pupils. They
are separated by about four miles OF
territory. 1t is purely question OF
| distribution"
Referring to this instance later in
| the hearing, Mr.. Simmons agreed CnaC
in such cases children should not be
shifted from one school to another
in order to effect q perfect organiza-
| ton.
He said, referring to the shifting,
Whether you could or not, I do not
think you should make the little TEL
lows go too far"
''Under Age" Kindergartens Hit.
| During the discussion of kindergar-
ten children's ages, it developed there
| are several under age" kindergartens.
Hearing from Mr.. Haycock that chill
dren in these range in age from TO D,
except IN one school, in the John
| Quincy Adams School, where there are
| four children today under years OF
age, Mr.. Simmons said: "You have
got everything for them there but q
nurse and a bottle and cradle. 1t
seems to me, with the need In Wash
ington schools for rooms and teachers,
that q child under 5 years of age
could be left at home with his mother,
and the school could better take care
OF the children that are of recognized
school age before anything Of that kind
Is attempted
Mr.. Haycock admitted that the school
authorities have entertained doubts as
to the wisdom of establishing the I'M
der-age kindergartens for some time.
1t is these under-age kindergartens
which are to be eliminated under the
subcommittee proposal.