Evening star., 1935-01-08
Keep Politics Out of the Schools.

Keep Politics Out of the Schools.
DR.. Hayden Johnson, president of
the Board of Education, is correct in
viewing with apprehension any move
which might lead to the injection of
politics and the accompanying evils of
political patronage into the public
school system. His temperate letter to
the Commissioners, in which he dis
cusses points in reference to the bill
prepared for the Commissioners study
by Corporation Counsel Prettyman, is
timely and effective. The bill will
doubtless be subjected to further criti-
cal analysis at the meeting of the
board tomorrow, and the Commission
ers have wisely announced an open
hearing for January 16, at which other
interested citizens will be invited to
express their views.
The fundamental idea in placing
school affairs in the hands of a
citizens board is to put the school
system beyond the influence OF
changing municipal administrations
and the political pressure which ira
ditionally accompanies such changes
Our public school system is already
under the power of the Com
missioners, as far as the important
matters of estimate and budget
are concerned. The principal change
to be expected by the Prettyman bill
aside from the appointive power over
the board-relates to the Commission
ers' control of personnel. And that is
where the danger of political pressure,
and resulting patronage considera-
tions, come into the picture.
The superintendent of schools Is
chosen by the Board of Education.
With veto and direchonal power over
the board lodged with the Commits
sioners, the position would in effect, be
one for them to fill. But, in addition
to the superintendent, and to the
many minor positions in the schools,
the original selection Of teachers is
now made by a board of examiners,
set up by the School Board within the
school system; recommendations for
appointment are made by the superin-
tendent and the actual appointments
are made by the Board of Education.
The merit system governs such
selections. Now, suppose we have a
superintendent selected by the Com
sioners-Wtth the Board of Education
acting as rubber stamp-and in
practical effect responsible to the
Commissioners. The Commissioners,
in turn, are often forced to dispense
local patronage for influential men,
bers of Congress. Under such an ar
rangement the teaching staff of the
public schools would offer rich field
for the cultivation of patronage seek
ers, and the protection of the merit
system against politics could easily be
destroyed.
That in itself is enough to arouse
grave doubts as to the wisdom of
placing the Board of Education COM
pletely under the control of the Com
missioners, as proposed in this bill.
The appointment of the board by the
Commissioners is another matter
which might be considered separately
If paragraph b of section 16, giving
the Commissioners power to appoint
the members of "any and all depart
mental boards within the District gov
ernment," applies to the Board of
Education. But if the appointment
Of the board by the Commissioners,
instead Of by the judges of the
District Supreme Court, is deemed
wise, that does not remove the mani
fest objections to making the Board of
Education and other boards of citizens
subject to the will Of the Commits
sioners, to the extent provided in the
Prettyman bill.
The Commissioners and the un-
represented taxpayers Of the District
will do well to study this bill thor
oughly before giving it their approval.
It contains many good, desirable
points. Whatever additional powers
of legislation by municipal regulations
Congress may transfer from itself to
the Commissioners, the effect of such
transfer promises to be beneficial to
the community in expediting minor
legislation and as time-saver to Con-
gress itself. But there are some pro-
posals of the bill which wisely should
be eliminated or radically modified,
and complete control over citizens
t,oo rde 10 oy,o ~ them,