Evening star., 1955-10-14
Corning Seeks
Funds 10 Hire
70 teachers
Emergency Action
Will Help Districts S
Elementary Schools
By JAMES 9. DEANE

Elementary Scno0iS
BY JAMES q. DEANE
The District school system Is
asking the Commissioners for
emergency funds to hire 20 addi-
tional elementary teachers.
school Supt. Hobart nj. Corr
ming announced the number
expected to cost around SIS. .00O---
to Board Of Education members
yesterday. He said he planned to
see Schuyler Lowe, District gem
|eral administration director.
today on the request and to seek
a conference with Commissioner
Samuel Spencer early next week.
a special Commissioners meet
ing caused cancellation Of q
meeting between DR.. Corning
and Mr.. Lowe this morning. but
an aide said DR.. Corning hoped
Ito set another date today or
Monday.
Tobriner Critical
Walter N. Tobriner, school
board member, strongly criticized
the handling Of the teacher
shortage. He said he felt DR..
ICorning's emergency recommen-
Idation should have been made
the week after school opened,
rather than yesterday. Assert
ling that the situation '.has the
community on It's ear and has
torn the school system into
|sl1reds," he said 1t could have
been ayerted BY better planning
last summer.
care we going to be faced with
|a situation as chaotic as this
every year because we lack the
means or the staff or the willing
mess to plan ahead?" he asked.
The school board decided two
weeks ago TO make the emer-
|gency request in order to help
meet . current shortage. which
has caused doubling up Of
grades and made many classes
oversize in q number Of schools.
DR.. Corning said elementary
Glasses on Q city-wide basis ay-
|erage only slightly above the
present 36-pupil standard. But In
Is schools the average Is 80 or
above. and II other schools have
averages between So and 80.
The superintend ent said
teacher stunning which already
has brought many parent COM
lplaints -still Is going ON In an
leffort to balance all the schools
las much as possible. But only
hiring additional teachers WIN
relieve some Of the most serious
situations, he said.
Or. Corning disclosed tliAt he
has abandoned an effort to md
places where junior and senior
high teachers might be spared
lin order TO make some extra
salaries available 70 grade
schools. Secondary schools have
some excess teachers on paper,
but the superintendent said re-
organizing them IN order to cut
this down would cause Q new
series Of protests" and he has
decided It cannot be done.
| Plans Cut Next Year
Next year. however, he plans
on cutting back the secondary
force to make up for the 20
extra elementary salaries he is
now seeking from the Commits
lsioners, he added.
Several board members ques-
ltioned whether the 40 extra
teachers would be enough. DR..
Margaret y. Butcher, asking for
more detailed information about
oversize classes. said the board
Ought to ask what Is really
needed.
Mrs. Manson b. Petit. new
Southeast member. said she had
received complaints from two
schools about losing more teach
Iers this week because Of new
|shuffling. She asked whether the
board could not try to get so
teachers instead Of 20. DR.. Corr
ning's decision was allowed to
stand. however.
Several members also criti-
cized the failure Of the school
system to pay some Is teachers
On time this month. The Star
disclosed last week that these
teachers were missing the reg
ular pay day, partly because Of
administrative mixups.
Most Of the unpaid teachers
are In the elementary schools.
Or. Corning and Mr.. Nelson
both blamed the necessity Of
making out complicated formal
Board Of Education orders for