Evening star., 1933-05-19
PROGRAM TO SAVE
Jobs OF TEACHERS
DEVISED BY BOARD
Only Those Facing Dismissal
Anyway Would Be Let
Out Under Plan.
AGREEMENT is REACHED
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION
Problem Of Providing Adequate
Schooling for Children With
Smaller Staff Remains.

Confronted with the necessity of saw
ing 100000 worth of teachers and IL
brarians' salaries through cuts in the
1884 appropriations, the Board of Edu-
cation yesterday agreed upon a plan by
which only those employees who would
normally have been separated from the
service anyway" will be discharged.
In voicing its agreement to this plan,
however, board members admitted a
more grave responsibility-that of pro-
vlding adequate educational opportuni-
ties for Washington school children
with a reduced personnel-still con-
fronts them.
The boards agreement was reached
in long executive session late yester-
day. Prohibited by law from taking
formal action in closed meeting, the
eight board members present agreed to
report which will be formally pre-
sented to the next regular meeting of
the board which recommends the per-
sonnel-reducing plan. Agreement to the
plan by eight of the nine members of
the board, however, means its adoption.
One member was not present.
Methods of Reduction.
The plan calls for the reduction Of
the staff of teachers and librarians "bv
any or all of the following methods:
BY retirement of teachers and L.
brarians who reach their SEVENTEEN
birthday during the fiscal year 1888
and whose services were continued to
June 80 of said year or of teachers and
librarians when they reach their
year 1884.
by the termination of the services
OF temporary teachers by June 80, 1888.
by the termination of the services
OF teachers whose ratings are unsatis-
factory.
BY the closing out of any positions
that can be abandoned which NAV be-
come vacant through resignation. re-
tlrement or death between now and
June 80, 1884"
This plan, the boards committee re.
port asserts, shall be made effective he
fore June 80, 1888. unless otherwise
provided by law or by the rules of the
Board of, Education"
discussing the plan after the meet
ing, both school officials and board
members pointed out that 1t means no
teacner or librarian who was certain of
retention before the economizinp became
necessary need worry over the safety of
her position now. The difference is that
beforehand the vacancies created by
the several methods would have been
Iilled. Now no new appointments will
De made unless the separations from the
service through deaths, retirements
designations, discharges because of un-
satisfactory ratings and discharges of
temporary teachers create more vacan-
e1es than would be represented by the
total OF 100000 in salary.
OF course, that leaves us still with
the major neutrality-suspicious. the
teachers who remain among the School
chndren who have to be taught" DIR.
Frank w. Ballou, superintendent 81
schools, explained I'VE have net er.n
begun to undertake that problem, and
IL is going to be big one. It means
that with fewer teachers-we don't know
yet how many, 40, so, Cove will have
to teach at least the same number of
children. 1t will mean larger classes,
and certainly great deal more work
for the teachers"
1t was explained also that while YES
terday's deliberations involved only the
necessary reduction in the teacher and
norarlan personnel-and since there are
only IA librarians, the teaching staff was
most concerned. Reductions in the an
preparations for officers, clerks and Gus
todians also were made, and these still
are to be reduced to definite plans of
solution.