Evening star., 1937-09-12
BOARD
PLAN FACESF|G
Miss Samue|s' Group Plans
Battle on Control by
Commissioners.

Plans for concerted action against
proposals to place the Board Of Edu-
cation under control of the Commits
sioners for greater efficiency will be
undertaken soon, Miss Helen z.
Samuels, chairman of the Legislative
Committee of the District Education
Association, said yesterday.
A spark plug in the interests OF the
present system Of appointment of
board members by the justices of the
District Court, Miss Samuels tndi-
Gated her group would be ready to
fight the proposals of Commissioned
Melvin C. Hazen and Representative
Collins, Democrat, of Mississippi. in
favor of control by the Commissioners.
Representative Kennedy. Democrat, of
Maryland also is working on a bill to
reorganize the educational set-up here,
it is understood
Thoroughly conversant with the ef-
fects of political control of education
through research and personal ex-
perience, the Gordon Junior High
School teacher described the difficult
ties of her father 20 years ago when
he was elected to fill an unexpired
term on the School Board of a small
Pennsylvania town.
Subject to Pressure.
The members were all subject to
pressure from big realty and building
concerns trying all the time to sell
condemned property for school sites
and eat up the construction contracts"
she explained. While the board mem
bers themselves were fine people, they
were in many cases under obligation
to these interests"
The present system, Miss Samuels
said, keeps the schools from becoming
a political foot BALI of Congress and
other agencies.
Salaries here are much higher for
teachers than they are in lots of States
and the administrative jobs particu-
larly are bound to make good political
plums If available" she said. Il have
been informed of cases where Con-
gressmen made campaign promises Of
teaching jobs in the District"
Miss Samuels told OF another men,
Der Of Congress who always voted
against any measure to the interest
of schools here because his secretarv's
daughter was not given a teaching
post.
Had Less Experience.
She passed slightly higher ex-
animation than the woman who got
the job Miss, Samuels explained,
but had had much less experience
and was worse on the oral examina-
ton which teachers must pass"
These little incidents" she point
ed out, can easily develop into pow
erful opposition to school projects and
| progress.
But you would think they'd be
too interested in big national prcb-
lens and events TO be so interested
in our Schools she said addrg.
flatly, that schools and politics Just
| don't mix"
Two years ago efforts were made
to put the school system completely
under the Commissioners under a
Dill, drafted by E. Barrett Prettyman,
then corporation counsel. Extensive
hearings were held, during which
testimony of prominent citizens and
representatives of various civic groups
was heard. Miss Samuels made a
plea to educators to come out Of
their class rooms and fight the ef-
forts Of politicians to gain control
of school systems.
Argument was offered at that time
by former District Attorney Leo A.
Rover, who called attention TO the
national and almost international
scandal" Of the former dipl,ma mill
here, from which quacks and conf
dence men armed with certificates
from Washington's former fy-5y-
night colleges went out into the coun-
try TO seek new victims.
Hold Purse Strings.
Particular emphasis has always
been made on the fact that the Com
missioners already control the purse
strings of the schools, through their
tsee BOARD. Page -