Evening star., 1952-08-28
Teacher
ShortageStudied
In Board Par|ey
ReshuffIing Of Stoffs
Seen Districts Answer
To Crisis in Schools
By jones G. Deone


Teachers may be Shuffled in the
Districts white public schools in a |
move to meet the Negro teacher
shortage. 1t was learned today.
School officials are proposing to
cut the white teacher force to re-
lease money to hire more Negro
teachers. One step may involve
pushing some white high school
teachers down to lower grades.
Another may be cut in the num-
ber of temporary white elementary
teachers.
The Board Of Education's Per-
sonnel Committee was to consider
the matter at SPECIAL meeting
this afternoon. A full board meet
ing is likely later.
Negro schools will have a short
age of 1T teachers this fall. A
School Board member has said
the white schools will have a
teacher surplus of over $50, al
though Supt. Hobart M. Corning
said the figure isn't that big.
Proposed Teacher Shutting.
The teacher shuf1ing, If ap-
proved, would work this way:
Most of the white teacher alr-
plus is in the junior and senior
highs. But most Of these teachers
have permanent tenure-they
can't be fired.
There aren't many surplus
teachers in the white grade
schools. But many grade school
teachers are temporary. They can
be f1red-or. as school officials
prefer to put it, not rehired.
The proposal. then. is to move
junior and senior high teachers
down to the elementary level,
replacing temporary grade teach
ers and releasing their salaries.
The money then can be used to
hire more Negro teachers.
Some temporary elementary
teachers might be relieved with
out replacements. In some whitel
grade schools pupils are fewer
than the standard pupil-teacher
ratio.
In most Negro schools, pupils
exceed the ratio.
Unprecedented PROPOSAL.
The proposal to drop secondaryl
school teachers to grade schools Isl
edented. School Board mem
berS have their fingers crossed, be-
cause it could stir a storm Of pro-
test from the teachers.
No reduction in pay would be
involved. Teachers are paid onI
the basis Of experience and train
ing. not assignment.
But teachers accustomed to jun
ior and senior high school work
aren't likely to relish o return toI
elementary instruction.
Supt. Corning wouldn't discuss
the proposal before today's meet
ing. He admitted it was "a very
hot ISSUE" however.
Board members, however, indi-
Gated they felt some such move
must be made.
Albert E.. Steinem, personnel
committee chairman. said some
thing has to be done.
Congress said we had to reduce
the white teachers" he said.
Sees No Alternative.
Mrs. Velma G. Williams, a COL
ored member. said there is no al
tentative.
We have never had a crisis
ike this in the school system, "I
she declared.
Actual enrollmentS when schools
open September Is could increase
the problem. DR.. Corning hasI
predicted more than 1000 new
Negro pupils will enroll. Negro
pupils are expected to exceed
white by more than 8,000-nearly
twice last years margin.
Meanwhile, School Board mem
bers indicated they won't reopen
the controversial Eliot Junior
High School transfer to Negroes
despite q new request by q citi-
zens' committee.
Board President c. Melvin
Sharpe this week wrote board
members asking whether they
would favor reconsideration. All
but two told reporters they would
not.