Evening star., 1955-10-21
Bad Marx for Educators

y
During the past six weeks,
people Of the District have
witnessed the complete mis-
handing Of what appears TO
be . very serious shortage Of
teachers In the public school
system. AT the first meeting Of
the Board Of Education, on
September %. q considerable
number Of parents complained
about diversified classes: classes
organized with pupils Of more
than one grade: and last
minute shifts Of teaching as
signments that upset existing
plans and caused disturbance
among . considerable number
of children who were uprooted
without warning. For two
hours, the board listened to
representatives Of aroused
parents who insisted that some
remedial action be taken at
once. As o result. It Instructed
superintendent Of Schools
Hobart M. Corning to study
the situation and take any
steps he could to provide the
necessary teaching services. II
It became evident that avail
able funds were inadequate to
provide the needed salaries. he
was 70 approach the Board
Of Commissioners to zee II
emergency funds could be sup
piled BY that agency. II funds
could not be secured from that
source, the superintendent
was TO prepare Q request for q
supplemental 1855 appropria-
tion for submission TO the
Congress as soon as II con-
yened In January. 1866.
On October Is. before the
Board Of Education commit
tees held their monthly meet
ines In preparation for the
October session Of the full
board. the press reported that
no action had yet been taken
BY Superintendent Corning on
the boards directive Of Sep
tember 20.
During the meeting. when
personnel committee business
was under discussion, the
superintendent offered q report
on the teacher shortage that
had not been scheduled on the
agenda. The reason for this
last-minute addition was the
publicity given Board Mem
Der Walter N. Tobriner's COM
mepts In the press on the lack
Of any administrative action
with respect to the teacher
shortage.
The report submitted by the
superintendent was not In the
usual duplicated form, with
copies In the possession Of
each member. Superintendent
Corning read to the board
from the only copy In evidence.
And II was the most slirpris-
ing document Of its kind that
has been presented to the
Board Of Education In my
experience. covering the last
five years.
The superintendent said that
he and his staff had studied
information regarding class
sizes at each school "diligent-
ly' and had discovered that
the pupil-teachef ratio. In the
elementary schools rs 3 whole.
was 36.17 pupils per teacher
on October 8. 1855, as COM
pared with the board standard
Of $50 to /. In some schools.
the ratios were too high: In
others they were too low. OF
the l25 elementary schools In
the system, 90 had overall
ratios Of $50 or fewer pupils
per teacher: 10 had ratios
from 36.1 to 37.0; II had ratios
from 37.1 to $50: II had ratios
from 3e.l to 800; and Is had
ratios Of 39.1 or more pupils
per teacher. He stated that,
at the senior and Junior high
school levels. pupil-teacher
ratios were below the points
fixed by the board. but no
specific figures were presented.
The superintendent declared
that the apparent surpluses
were only on paper" but he
did not elaborate. When o
board member asked Super
intendent Corning to name the
Is elementary schools with the
highest pupil-teacher ratios.
he was unable to do so. Since
he stated that organizationsl
studies for each Of the schools
would have to be searched to
secure this information. !
think It IL proper to assume
that no summary tabulation
identifying the schools was
then available. How could
this be 90. when, It would
seem. the first question bound
10 be asked by the board and
the public was regarding the
name Of each school at each
Of the sizes fixed by the super
intendent7 Furthermore, how