Evening star., 1955-09-15
Teacher Shuttle
To Cover Some
School Losses
Corning Promises
Shifts at Lower
Grade Level
By JAMES G. DEANE

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School Supt. Hobart M. Corn
ing promised today that some
elementary schools which lost
teachers this week will soon get
them back.
He said he will not know be-
fore next week, however, just
how much relief can be provided
for the elementary teacher
shortage.
DR.. Corning disclosed that two
delegations Of parents have Wis
tied him to complain about the
loss of teachers.
He told reporters there are
quite a number" of schools
where classes are oversize be-
cause of the shortage of some
$50 teachers. first reported by
The Star last Friday.
Shifts Studied
There are also number OF
schools where enrolment is
light, however, and these may
be able to spare some teachers,
he said.
Officials already are reviewing
new secondary enrolment fig
|ures, he added, with an eye to
cutting back the secondary
teacher force somewhat in order
to release salaries for elementary
use. He predicted that some such
cutback will take place sometime
during the school year. even If
not Immediately.
Forty elementary schools were
informed last week that they
would be shorthanded one or two
teachers apiece because fof lack
of funds. Officials had hoped to
transfer funds from the secon-
diary level, but secondary admin
istrators have so far opposed this.
claiming shortages in their own
schools
New enrolment figures COM
piled yesterday showed junior
high schools were trailing en-
rollment a year ago by almost
! 900 pupils. DR.. Corning said he
did not know whether this would
permit a teacher cutback.
Move Didn't Work
Two years ago the school sys-
tenn reassigned a number of
secondary teachers to the ele-
mentary schools to meet a
similar shortage. DIR. Corning
said this will not be done again
because the move did not work
out well. Many secondary
teachers opposed the shifts.
Transferring secondary salaries
therefore, would presumably re-
quire ending the jobs Of some
temporary teachers.
Secondary administrators have
warned that a teacher cutback
would jeopardize special classes
set up this fall for backward
children. DR.. Corning said he
did not believe this would be the
case in junior highs, although
he agreed that some high school
remedial classes might have to
be discontinued. However. he
said efforts will be made to avoid
this.
The superintendent called the
current shortage "the best areu-
ment we could have for more
teachers" The Board of Edu-
cation has asked the Commits
sioners for funds to hire $50
more teachers in the next three
years, mostly to reduce average
class sizes in the elementary
schools from SO to 30 pupils.
Average So to Class
DR.. Corning said classes at
present average SO, but he
stressed that many are oversize.
Some principals have reported
classes averaging 40 or above.
No final decision has been
made on whether any part-time
classes will be organized. In some
schools double shifts might prove
preferable to crowding, the SUI
perintendent said.
Yesterdays enrolment count
the second this week-showed
a total Of 10000 pupils. q gain
Of 1882 over q year ago.
Junior high school enrolment
is tagging 981 students behind
last year. however. and voca-
tional high totals also are
slightly short Of q year ago.
The increase has been regis
tered chiefly In elementary and
senior high schools. Elementary
pupils are UP 2,092 and senior
high students 610.
officials have predicted en-
rollment will total 106,358 by
next month. The gain so far i
somewhat greater than that
predicted.
Teacher college enrolment
also is up from q year ago. Yes
terday 1.066 students had reg
istered, compared to 989 q year
earlier.
These totals for the major
school divisions were reported
yesterday:
Senior highs, 12,746.
Junior highs, 21,210.
Vocational schools. 2,275.
Elementary schools, $3.50.
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