Evening star., 1952-11-30
District PTAs
May Oppose
Teacher Shifts
3 Groups Consider
Campaign to Halt
Mid-Term Changes
By james 6. Deone

Parent Teacher Associations
may launch a campaign to head
off mid-term veacher shuff1ing in
the Districts schools.
One association and the execu-
tive boards of two others will con-
slider the idea this week Other
associations also are being invited
to join in.
Leading the move is the PTA
of the Janney Elementary School.
one of eight white grade schools
which will lose a teacher apiece
this week. The Janney PTA will
meet at 8 pm. Tuesday.
Two classes are being merged
in Janney and each of seven
other schools in order to provide
teacher salaries for understaffed
colored schools. Parents appear
to have given up hope of avert
ing this. shift. but they hope to
prevent repetitions.
The parents regard midterm
teacher shifts as harmful to the
school progress of their young
sters and to teacher morale.
Janney PTA members on Tues
day will be asked to consider a
resolution urging long-range
program designed to avoid such
crises.
Major Points Urged.
Urged in the proposed resolu-
ton are:
l. Reduction of the grade school
class-size standard from SO to
30 pupils.
2. A change in school system
budgeting, which now is based
on the current years enrolment
rather than that anticipated for
the next year.
3. More adequate teacher SAL
,ary appropriations, and abandon
Iment of the current requirement
that periodic salary raises be alb
Isorbed within the present school
budget.
School officials generally are in
agreement with these objectives.
Supt. Hobart M. Corning last
Friday said more flexible school
budget will be sought next year
and he also is on record in favor
of smaller class-size standards.
A reduction in the standard
pupil-teacher ratio would make
the hiring of additional Negro
teachers even more urgent than
at present. More white teachers
also would be needed.
Six Layoffs Anticipated.
Besides the elementary shifts.
school officials this week plan to
assign some high school counselors
in both white and colored schools
to classroom teaching. In this
connection, six temporary white
junior high teachers are expected
to be laid off.
These shifts. which follow As
Others plus two layoffs in Sep
tember, last week caused the white
Elementary Principals Association
to consider resolution which de-
lplored the effect on teacher mo-
rale. The resolution also urged
a lower class size and a more flex-
ible budget
The principals didn't act on the
resolution, but may do so later.
Colored principals are consider
ing similar action.
The Janney PTA, if it approves
the resolution to be considered
Tuesday, will seek the support of
the District Congress of Parents
and Teachers as we'll as other
organizations. Executive boards
of the PTAs at Burroughs and
Buchanan Schools will consider
the subject tomorrow night.
Janney's proposed resolution
oAoS Ao DSAAAS oCAlt W IllS Olll6I
PTAs affected in the new shifts.
They are Powell. Bryan, Tyler.
Bancroft and Kimball
Partial Text of Resolution.
The suggested resolution de-
clares, in part:
The Janney Parent Teacher
Association decries the action of
the District Board of Education in
ordering the midterm closing out
OF one of our school rooms as dis
ruptive to the education of our
children and to the morale of the
teaching staff.
There is urgent need for the
immediate planning and presenta-
tion of long-range program de-
signed to avoid recurrence of
similar crises and to improve the
administration of, and teaching
standards in, our elementary
schools"
The resolution proposes the at
talnment of a 30-to-1 pupil
teacher ratio within the next five
years. through appropriation Of
adequate teacher salary funds.