Evening star., 1935-01-07
EDUCATION BOARD
REVOLTS ON BILL
Five Members Refuse to Be
Subjected to D. c. Com
missioners.
Continued From First Page.)
formally on the bill at is scheduled
meeting Wednesday afternoon.

4OlIOWo'
Mr.. Daniel E. Garges, secretary.
BOARD of Commissioners.
Dear Mr.. Garges:
II beg to acknowledge the receipt
Of your letter of January End in
closing copy of draft of a bill To
clarity and enlarge the powers and
authority of the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia with the
request that I submit to the Com
missioners before Monday. January
7th, such comments and suggestions
as I desire to make respecting the
proposed legislation.
Gas the Board Of Education does
not meet until next Wednesday, at
which time it will give consideration
to the bill, I am taking the liberty
in the meantime of submitting my
individual comments upon those
paragraphs of the bill which affect
the public school system of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
There appear to be two in number:
First, paragraph (a) of section 8,
titled: Institutions, and second. para
graph (a) of section 16, titled: OFF,
GERS, board and other agencies.
Authority to Commissioners.
Paragraph (a) of section 9 au-
thoriZes the Commissioners of the Dis
trict of Columbia to issue, deny,
suspend or revoke permits to any in
stltutionS not incorporated by act of
Congress claiming the authority to
confer any professional or academic
degree This authority Is now vest
ed in the Board of Education by the
provisions of the act of March 2, 1929.
It is not apparent why jurisdiction
over a purely educational matter
should be transferred from the school
authorities to the Board of Commis-
sioners. The school authorities have
the training and machinery with
which to deal with such a specialized
subject, where the Commissions have
not
Paragraph (a) of Section 16,
authorizes the Commissioners Of the
District of Columbia to direct or pro-
hibit action by any official, employee,
agency, committee. commission or
board financed in whole or in part
from revenues of the District of Co
lumbia Except the judges, officials
and employees of the courts, and those
of the Public Utilities Commission),
whenever in the judgment of the said
Commissioners such direction or pro-
hibition is advisable in the public in
terest. Such resolution of direc-
tion or prohibition when received by
committee, commission or board, shall
be treated and have the same effect
as If it were the official act of such
recipient"
Examination of Teachers.
This paragraph would seem to give
the Commissioners the power to di-
rect or prohibit action by the Board
of Education or any of its officials
whenever the judgment of the Com
missioners such direction or prohi-
bition Is advisable in the public in
terest. The Commissioners determine
finally whether such action is in the
public interest. The appointment of
the superintendent, the assistant su-
perintendents, supervising principals,
principals, clerks, janitors, matrons
and also the appointment of all teach
srs is the result of action by the Board
of Education. The efficiency of any
school system, of course, is dependent
upon the qualifications of
the teaching staff. Under the organic
act of 1906 one to qualify as teacher
must have passed the examination
provided by the Board of Examiners.
She must also possess certain edu-
cational qualifications before she will
be admitted to the examination. She
must then be recommended to the
board by the superintendent for ap-
pointment and the board must ap-
point. 1t will be seen, therefore, that
three agencies have to act in the ap-
pointment of teacher. The purpose
Of the act is to restrict the appoint
ment of teachers to those possessing
the best qualifications.
Dictatorial Power Seen.
"Is it the purpose of the language
Of section 16 (a) of the proposed bill
to authorize the Commissioners to
direct the appointment of teachers
in the public schools, with the one re-
striction, that lin the judgment of
said Commissioners such direction
is advisable in the public in
terest? In other words, are the
Commissioners to be empowered to
direct the appointment of teachers
without regard to the results of the
examinations required by the act OF
1906, or the recommendation of the
superintendent, or the judgment of
the members of the Board of Educa-
ton? If this is true, and as the act
extends to every action of the Board
of Education, it would give to the
Commissioners dictatorial power over
the whole school system. Should the
Commissioners desire to exercise their
power, 1t would remove highly spe-
cialized subject from the hands Of
those qualified by education and
training to deal with 1t and place
1t in the hands of an administrative
body protesting no such qualifications.
"It is my view that the public
school system and the Public Library,
also highly specialized department,
SllOulO Ut lllCluucQ dlllUll6 tIlC ChCCp-
tions specified in paragraph (a) Of
section is.
yours, very truly,
HAYDEN JOHNSON. President"
Could Suspend Meetings.
"If this bill is passed, there would
be very little for the Board of Educa-
ton to do except receive and obey
orders from the Commissioners" Pres
ident johnson told The Star today.
"It not only would give the Com
appointive power over the
school system, but would even permit
them to suspend all board meetings.
II would not resign, because feel
1t my duty as lawyer to serve out
the term to which was appointed by
the court, but I certainly would not
accept reappointment If it were Of
fered to me under the new set-up."
The expression from Quinn was
equally strong. He said:
"If the deliberate purpose OF the
bill is not to turn the District public
schools into field for the spoils sys-
tenn, that certainly would be the
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