Evening star., 1955-02-06
Ex-Menta| Cases Board Studies
Are Called Good Major Overhaul
Behavior Risks I'm School Jobs
l949 Stroyer Report
Is Revived; Proposals
Go Beyond Corninq's

U
Go Beyond Cornine's
The Board of Education may
consider more drastic reorgan-
ization of the Districts public
schools than that proposed so
far by School Supt. Hobart M.
Corning.
Several school board members
have told The Star they want
to take a thorough look at the
school organization with an eye
to improvements.
Set for revival, among other
past proposals, is a set of rec
concentrations in the 1949
Strayer Report. That report. pre-
pared by staff headed by DR..
George D. Strayer of Columbia
University, urged some far
reaching revamping. including
abandonment of several present
top administrative posts.
DR.. Corning is scheduled to
present to board members Thurs
day plan for reshuf11ing q
number of administrative posts.
The promised reshuffling. by the
superintendent in part last Fri
day, is intended to end dupli-
cate posts which existed under
race segregation.
Corning Plan Due First.
The superintendent's plan is
due first before the personnel
committee, and theoretically
could come up for board ap-
proval week from Wednesday.
1t involves, besides the top school
staff, number of directors and
department heads with jurisdic-
ton throughout the city.
Some board members indicated
they doubt whether board action
will come as early as next week,
however. More time may be
needed, they said, to consider the
Corning proposals, as well as
possible alternatives.
Board members also indicated
they felt time ought to be al
lowed for public discussion be-
fore final decision is made.
DR.. Strayer's report resulted
from a lengthy survey of the
school system financed by an
appropriation from Congress.
The report was highly critical
of the school systems top adj
miniStrative setup, terming it il
logical and nonfunctional, and
calling for complete reorgani-
Zation.
Asks New Department.
It's major recommendation was
for complete abandonment OF
the present assignment of asso-
ciate or assistant superintendentS
to control each school level
senior highs. Junior highs and
elementary schools.
In place of this, DR.. Strayer
proposed setting up a new de-
partment of instruction and cur
riculum, covering all levels, and
headed by an associate superin-
tendent. He also proposed hav-
ing four other associate super
intendents. for personnel, busi-
ness, buildings and research.
Besides these, the report rec
ommended having two deputy
superintendents, who would not
be assigned to specific duties,
those being left to the discretion
of the superintendent.
DR.. Strayer also suggested
having the teacher colleges, as
well as all associate superintend-
ents. responsible directly to the
superintendent.
Raps System.
The report raped the school
system for what DR.. Strayer
called too much emhasis on ad-
ministrative machinery and fall
ure to delegate enough respon-
sibility.
DR.. Corning's plan retains sep
arate administrators for various
levels. He has proposed three
deputy superintendents, and be-
low them a group of associate
Superintendents, as follows:
Norman j. Nelson, now first
assistant superintendent, to be
deputy superintendent in charge
of educational administration.
Under him, Association Super
intendents Lawson j. Cantrell in
charge Of junior highs; Francis
A. Gregory. vocational highs:
Carl F. Hansen, high schools and
Edith A. Lyons. elementary
schools.
DR.. Harold A. Haynes, now
first assistant superintendent, to
be deputy superintendent super
vising Associate Superintendents
Thomas j. Holmes, personnel:
DR.. Richard Foster, research and
statistics, and DR.. Irene Hypps,
individual pupil study and at
tendance.
Charles N. Zellers, deputy sup
erintendent for business, work.
ing with Associate Supt. John
M. Riecks for buildings and
grounds.
Combination Urged.
The Strayer Report recon-
mended combining research and
statistics under one head, as
proposed by DR.. Corning. DR..
Corning's plan has the teacher
colleges subordinate to Mr.. Nell
son rather than following the
Strayer recommendation. how
ever.
Walter N. Tobriner. personnel
committee chairman, said he
considered the Corning pro-
posals reasonable. He also ques-
toned whether the board should
go very deeply into the reorgani-
cation question, asserting that it
seemed to be primarily the
s,lnerintendent's responsibility.