Evening star., 1954-07-08
Help Promised
On Temporary
teacher Status
But Permanent
Group Will Have
First Consideration
By jones G. Deone

THSt SVHSiu6IuttOn
By jones 6. Decne
School Supt. Hobart M. Corn
ing promised today to make
every effort to keep teachers
with temporary status in their
jobs.
He said at the same time,
however, that new applicants
eligible for permanent appoint
ments will have priority over
temporaries. and that he doesn't
know yet how many temporaries
can be rehired.
The future of the temporary
teacher roster mostly Whites
in question because of the drop
ping of race segregation in
teaching hiring for next fall.
The school system up to now
has customarily hired several
hundred temporary teachers
each year. Some teachers have
retained the year-to-year status
for many years. instead of taking
examinations to qualify for pc:
positions.
Most in White Division.
A majority of the temporaries
have been in the white division.
where there has been a shortage
of qauiffied teacher applicants.
In the colored division. by con-
traSt, there has been a surplus
of applicants for permanent jobs
because the school system hasn't
had enough money to hire all
those it needs.
The two separate divisions
have now been abolished. how
ever, and teachers for next fall
are to be hired without regard
to race. The Board of Education
last week merged all white and
colored lists of eligibles for per-
mant appointments into a single
list.
The new eligible list isn't yet
complete, since the results of
examinations given last month
for elementary teachers aren't
yet known. Most of those who
took the exams were colored,
however, so the new list is ex-
pected to have a majority Of
colored.
Some Displacements Expected.
This may mean that some
white temporary teachers will be
displaced by colored permanent
appointees. DR.. Corning pointed
out, however. that the greatest
need for teachers is In schools
which up to now have been
colored. Gas
DR.. Corning told reporters he
expects many, If not all, of the
city's schools will have racially
mixed faculties in the fall. This
is because vacancies are to be
filed without reference to race.
The superintendent said that
there will be no artificial place.
ment of teachers just to create
mixed faculties. however.
He said that in assigning
teachers. officials always have
considered such factors as where
a teacher lives, and that this
will continue to be the case.
200 to 800 Eligibles Seen.
OF 1875 who took junior high
permanent-teacher exams last
month, only SO passed. The ele-
mentary tests were taken by 248
persons. and results on these are
expected by DR.. Corning tomor-
row and will be sent to the
school board next week. Asso-
ciate Supt. Thomas j. Holmes
has predicted that the. total
number of eligibles on the new
list, when it is complete, will be
between 200 and 800.
Mr.. Holmes said today he
didn't know yet exactly how
many vacancies will need to be
filled.
DR.. Corning told reporters no
successor to Edwin B. Henderson,
who just retired as director Of
physical education in the old
colored division, will be ap-
pointed now. Such vacancies
on the department-head level
will not be filled until a survey
of functions of school officials is
completed and reorganization
plan worked out, the superin-
tendent said.
Asked whether seniority will
be respected in the reorganiza-
ton of the school administra-
ton. Or. Corning refused to say.
DR.. Corning disclosed that
officials now are reconsideiing
plans to continue two separate
health schools for crippled chill
dren. He previously had opposed
a request from parents to build
a single new school, but three
school board members now are
backing the single building.
The superintendent also said
he hopes to complete plans for
integration Of sports and the
High School Cadet Corps within
the next week or two.