Evening star., 1936-09-18
SCHOOL BOARD DUE
TO PICK PRINCIPAL
FOR CENTRAL HIGH
Choice Likely to Be Made at,
Special Meeting of
Group Today.
VOCATIONAL TEACHERS
PAY BOOST IS DEBATED
67 to Get Increase at Once With
Way Paved for Other II
to Qualify.

A new principal Of Central High
Theodore Roosevelt probably will be
selected today when special meeting
of the Personnel Committee of the
Board of Education will be followed
by a meeting of the board itself.
The special session, third to be held
this week, is expected to be brief, in
contrast to its two predecessors. Yes
terday the board and its Vocational
Education Committee we're in session
for more than three hours TO con-
slider the advancement of vocational
school teachers from elementary to
Junior high school status.
In the main. discussion Of the pro.
motion, authorized by the last Con.
gress, was an argument between the
four lawyer members of the board as
to the meaning of the act. The bill
had been pending before Congress for
the last seven years.
Dr. Frank w. Ballou, superintend-
ent, had prepared necessary orders to
dQNoA(C OIL buI VI lllC OF lCdSIlCl9
employed in the vocational schools.
Gilligan Cites Opinion. ',
Henry Gilligan, vice president, con-
tended that under the law he could
make no exception of the II and would
have to promote all of the teachers.
Henry I. Quinn, Robert A. Maurer
T@A N1aA Ntt latx
members of the board. disagreed with
Gilligan as to the laws meaning, but
they couldn't agree among themselves.
Wilson and Maurer eventually agreed
with DR.. Ballou, but Gilligan and
Quinn supported the idea that all the
presently employed teachers should be
blanketed into the higher ratings. The
change means an advancement of sl00
per year in salary for each of the
teachers.
Ballou's contention was that the
law permitted him, as administrative
officer of the school system, to set u9
rules and regulations governing the
requirements of teachers to receive
Junior high school ratings. AS such
he had instructed the boards of exann-
liners Of the white and colored schools
to exclude all teachers and instructors
without a high school education from
the eligible list for promotions.
so Per Cent Recommended.
Under questioning by Gilligan, It
was brought out that DR.. Ballou had
said that about so per cent" should
be eligible for the advancement. Mrs.
Mildred H. Crop, chief examiner for
the white schools, and DR.. Howard H.
Long, chief examiner for the colored
schools, told the board they had
worked with that proportion of eligi-
bleS in mind.
Gilligan was severe in his criticism
of Dr. Ballou, Mrs. Crop and DR..
Long for taxing such an attitude, and
in the sentiment was joined by several
other members of the board.
In Quinn's discussion of the mean
ing of the bill he agreed that DR..
Ballou had the right to set the stand
ards for advancement and also said
the board had a right to blanket in
all the presently employed teachers.
Each time I read this act" Quinn
said, 'it becomes more ambiguous"
Vote Equally Divided.
Gilligan moved to override Ballou's
recommendation to advance all those
except the IT and to promote all OF
the teachers automatically.
The vote was equally divided-Gilli-
gan. Quinn and Mrs. Mary H. Mcneil
supporting it and Maurer, Wilson and
DR.. j. Hayden Johnson voting
against it.
Mrs. Marion Wade Doyle. president
of the board, refused to vote. She
explained that she believed all the
teachers should be blanketed in, but
she also believed that the law itself
gave the superintendent the right to
select his teachers and create the
rules for their promotion and fix the
standards of education to be required.
Finally it was agreed to promote the
81 teachers whose qualifications were
not disputed and to leave the way
open for the remaining to qualify for
promotion when and If they can. The
II are men and women
who have not graduated from high
school, but who have been instructors
in trades, such as brick laying, car
pentry, welding and other practical
skilled trades.