Evening star., 1935-01-12
Commissioners Should Appoint Board
Of Education, but Not School Teachers

inf1icting upon the District of Columbia
a Board of Commissioners who would
be guilty of such misfeasance in Office.
In case the Commissioners should be-
tray their trust by prostituting the
school system to political ends the
citizens would have affective recourse
in appealing to the President for
new set Of Commissioners.
1t is aside from the point to imply
that the Commissioners are political
appointees. The President must in
deed exercise political discretion in
filling all important positions which
carry with them discretion in carry
ing out his policies. Otherwise party
government could not be made effec-
tive. But this affords no valid rea-
son for suspecting such appointees of
sinister political design in the per-
formance OF their duty. The Presi-
dent, who appoints the Commission
ers, also appoints the judges, who in
turn select the School Board. The
Chief Executive undoubtedly exercises
his political prerogative in the case
of one as of the other. Therefore,
the Board Of Commissioners might
well be supposed to be as free from
political bias in this regard as the
bench Of judges.
Replacing the appointment Of the
School Board in the hands of the
Commissioners would not only be log
ical but would tend in the direction
of efficient government. The Com
miSsionerS are responsible for the con-
duct of every teacher of our local
government except that Of the judi
ciary. They are in finger touch with
the qualifications of citizens for the
various tasks of the government. un-
der their control. There Is no more
good and sufficient reason why the
schools should be exempt from their
authority than the Street Department,
Police Department, Health Depart
ment, or any other division of the
local government. All these depart
ments should be concentrated under
one central control, otherwise good
and efficient government will be made
difficult.
The act Of Congress in taking the
appointment Of the School Board
from the Commissioners involves the
system in another anomaly. The
business and financial management
of the schools is left In the hands of
the Commissioners, while the ap-
pointment Of the Board of Education
was transferred to the judges. Inde-
pendently Of the judges, the board was
given power to manage and control
the educational side of the system.
The creature was made independent
of the creator. The government Of
the schools was left under the d.
vided jurisdiction between the Com
m1ssioners and the Board Of Educa-
tion, the one being responsible for
the pedagogical and technical fea-
ture while the other controlled its
financial and practical side. This
division Of authority, in the past, has
led to discord and unseemly wrang-
ling between the two. All good gov
ernment requires unity Of ultimate
authority. It Is inconceivable that
such authority within the District of
Columbia should be lodged elsewhere
than with the Commissioners.
The proposal in the new legislation
to vest in the Commissioners. by spe-
cific enactment, the control in de-
tail Of intimate school affairs is un-
wise and unwarranted. The Board Of
Education. appointed by the Commis-
sioners, should have the widest dis
cretion consistent with their reserved
control and ultimate authority.
KELLY MILLER.