Year: 1859

section 81 directs that the money received from
h. State, nearly quarter Of million, shall Also
be placed TO It's credit. So the Board Will have all
Of this latter amount for extra purposes, bu.
whether as pin money for the female teachers or
E. erpenses'' of school officers the bill does not
specify.


OF course. it is entirely consistent with its gen.
ersl character. that the effect of the BILL if passed
q, reported, will be to remove from the annual es-
innate of the Board Of Education, the examina-
ton Of the Revsory Commissioners established by
the City Charter.


While money ia to be thus bOuntifully supplied,
so much may be appropriated to the local schools
is to be apportioned among the several Wards, as
msiority of the School Commissioners, one from
each Ward, in theft discretion" may determine.
To be sure, the bill provides t5at this shall be done
"by iust, equitable and uniform Standard" but
It ia well known that such phrases are of little
force to re estran the exercise of power. II cannot
be doubted that majority of the Wards would
combine and carry sn appointment TO suit them
| selves We should have nice scene Of scramblIng
and log-rOning.


| Nearly half century since, we believe, the
people of this city applied and obtained permission
70 tax themselves one twentieth Of one per cent Of
the assessed value Of their real and personal prop
erty, for the support Of public education. This
feature Of our school system has stood to the pres
ent time unaltered, and has Justly been regarded
as an heirooun of our City household, highly cred
table TO the foresight aud public spirit Of our an'
cestors. 1t falls, however, by the bill before us
being lost in the general and enormous allowance OF
! SIC for each registered scholsr. We part with a
cherished in.tituton without saving dollar to
recompense us therefor.


The features of the bill we have noticed all
oripinate with the Commission. There are other
changes from TIE eIisting law proposed by their
bill, but they are mostly those which had been
previously presented for public consideration. II
may be truly said of the bill that most that is good
is old, while the new is principally bad.


In two or three instances, however the Comis-
sion have suggested Improvements. The principal
one is in the following words; "Changes in the
salaries of teachers and jantors shall not be ret
respective, and they shall take effect only on the
" first day of January, or the first day of July;
:" and no teacher by reason Of change from one
school 10 another shall be entitled to any III
crease of salary This provision is designed to
restrain the competition among the schools to
secure the best teachers, which leads to the offer
ing of higher salaries to induce teachers to change
their situations; and it is pointed, comprehensive
and Efficient If there is no other school legisls-
ton the present session, we hope this restriction
may be made law


Taken as whole, however, the bill is devoid o
system, loose in its details, and very inaccurate 10
its provisions Its general character is that of 8
measure to remove most Of the existing restTic
tions upon the expenditures OF the School moneys 8
and to permit the Board of Education to draw al
additional million of money in each year. Aud
yet it is reported by an appointed Commission
some Of whose members enjoy largely and justly
the respect and confidence Of the people of thu
City. The result of their libors is but another
proof of the frequency with which, in public mat
tiers. the best intentions fail TO reach existing evil
and accomplish real improvements. We do moi
believe that the bill possibly be adopted BY the
Legislature.