Evening Star Newspaper, January 7, 1935, Page 4

EDUCATION BOARD REVOLTS ON Blll Five Members Refuse to Be’ Subjected to D. C. Com- missioners. (Continued From First Page.) formally on the bill at iis sch¥duled | meeting Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Johnson's Letter, The text of Dr. Johnson's letter follows: “Mr. Daniel E. Garges, secretary, oard of Commissioners. ar Mr. Garges: “I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 2nd in- closing copy of draft of a bill ‘To clarify and enlarge the powers and authority of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia’ with the request that I submit to the Com- missioners before Monday, January 7th, such comments and suggestions { as I desire to make respecting the proposed legislation. “As the Board of Education does not meet until next Wednesday, at which time it will give consideration to the bill, I am taking the liberty in the meantime of submitting ‘my individual comments upon those paragraphs of the bill which affect the public school system of the Dis- trict of Columbia. “There appear to be two in number: First, paragraph (a) of section 9, titled: Institutions, and second, para- graph (a) of section 16, titled: Offi- cers, board and other agencies. Authority to Commissioners. “Paragraph (a) of section 9 au- thorizes the Commissioners of the Dis- trict of Columbia ‘to issue, deny, suspend or revoke permits to any in- stitutions not incorporated by act of Congress claiming the authority to confer any professional or academic degree.’ This authority is now vest- ed in the Board of Education by the provisions of the act of March 2, 1929. It is not apparent why jurisdiction over & purely educational matter should be transferred from the school authorities to the Board of Commis- sioners. The school authorities have the training and machinery with which to deal with such a specialized subject, where the Commissions have not. “Paragraph (a) of Section 16, authorizes the Commissioners of the District of Columbia ‘to direct or pro- hibit action by any official, employee, agency, committee, commission or board financed in whole or in part from revenues of the District of Co- Jumbia (except the judges, officials and employes of the courts, and those of the Public Utilities Commission), whenever in the judgment of the said Commissioners such direction or pro- hibition is advisable in the public in- terest. Such resolution of direc- tion or prohibition when received by any such official, employe, or agency, committee, commission or board, shall be treated and have the same effect as if it were the official act of such recipient.’ Examination of Teachers. “This paragraph would seem to give the Commissioners the power to di- rect or prohibit action by the Board of Education or any of its officials whenever the judgment of the Com- missioners such direction or prohi- bition is advisable in the public in- terest. The Commissioners determine finally whether such action is in the public interest. The appointment of the superintendent, the assistant su- perintendents, supervising principals, principals, clerks, janitors, matrons and also the appointment of all teach- ers is the result of action by the Board of Education. The efficlency of any school system, of course, is dependent primarily upon the qualifications of the teaching staff. Under the organic act of 1906 one to qualify as a teacher must have passed the examination provided by the Board of Examiners. She must also possess certain edu- cational qualifications before she will be admitted to the examination. She must then be recommended to the board by the superintendent for ap- pointment and the board must ap- point. It will be seen, therefore, that three agencies have to act in the ap- pointment of a teacher. The purpose of the act is to restrict the appoint- ment of teachers to those possessing the best qualifications, Dictatorial Power Seen, “Is it the purpose of the language of section 16 (a) of the proposed bill to authorize the Commissioners to direct the appointment of teachers in the public schools, with the one re- striction, that “in the judgment of said Commissioners such direction * * * is advisable in the public in- terest? In other words, are the Commissioners to be empowered to direct the appointment of teachers without regard to the results of the examinations required by the act ol, 1906, or the recommendation of the superintendent, or the judgment of the members of the Board of Educa- tion? If this is true, and as the act extends to every action of the Board of Education, it would give to the Commissioners dictatorial power over the whole school system. Should the Commissioners desire to exercise their power, it would remove a highly spe- cialized subject from the hands of those qualified by education and training to deal with it and place it in the hands of an administrative body professing no such qualifications. “It is my view that the public school system and the Public Library, also a highly specialized department, should be included among the excep- tions specified in paragraph (a) of section 16. “Yours, very truly, “HAYDEN JOHNSON, President.” Could Suspend Meetings. “If this bill is passed, there would be very little for the Board of Educa- tion to do except receive and obey orders from the Commissioners,” Pres- ident Johnson told The Star today. “It not only would give the Com- missioners appointive power over the school system, but would even permit them to suspend all board meetings. “I would not resign, because I feel it my duty as a lawyer to serve out the term to which I was appointed by the court, but I certainly would not accept reappointment if it were of- fered to me under the new set-up.” The expression from Quinn was equally strong. He said: “If the deliberate purpose of the bill is not to turn the District public schools into a field for the spoils sys- tem, that certainly would be the result. It is absurd to.think that this power can be given and then not used. “They can have my resignation the day this bill is passed. I'm sure the other members of the board feel as 1 do about it, and so does the general public. I am unalterably opposed to the bill” Dr. J. Hayden Johnson, dean of the board in point of service and a mem- ber for some 20 years, said he was entirely willing to terminate that service if the board is made sub- | Tallulah Bankhead, Visiting Father, Expects His Recovery THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGT | | Tallulah Bankhead (right) boarding a plane at Washington Airport to return to New York, after a visit to the bedside of her father, Rep- resentative William B. Bankhead, majority leader. farewell to Mrs. Bankhead. OUSE DEMOCRATIC LEAD- ER WILLIAM B. BANK- I | HEAD, who has been {1l since January 1, is “going to be all right,” according to his actress daughter, Tallulah. Miss Bankhead flew down from New York yesterday for a long visit at her father’s bedside. Concern had been felt that the Congress leader might have suffered a recurrence of the severe heart ail- ment with which he was stricken two years ago. Members of his family, however, described Bankhead's illness as a cold and indigestion. At Naval Hospital yesterday Tallu- lah cheered her father with stories, of younger years down ih Alabama. “I talked a blue streak, and it may not have helped him any,” she said, leaving the hospital. ddy just won't take care of himself. He works too heard. But he will be all right.” She is shown bidding —A. P. Photo. Miss Bankhead recalled that the House leader was her first dramatic teacher, “He played Romeo and I played Juliet.” Even after she had launched her stage career, the actress said, her father would help her with the parts. Bankhead was known to have had an urge, as & young man, for the footlights himself. “He never tells me anything about what he’s accomplishing in a political way,” Miss Bankhead lamented. “He's perhaps more proud of having played fullback on the University of Ala- bama’s first foot ball team than any- thing in politics.” She said her father sent her “with gyeat pride” a photo- graph of himself and Vice President Garner “running” a foot ball in ex- ercises preceding an all-star game here in which former Alabama Rose Bowl player participated. She boarded a plane for the return to New York, where today she begins rehersals for a play. ers having veto and directional power over the board,” he deglared. “All the bill would do would to throw the schools open to political appointments. I think the whole board would resign. I know I would. a clerk for some one else, and that's what it would amount to.” “There might just as well not be a Board of Education if this bill goes through,” said Whitwell. “I don't see how any self-respecting citizens of the District of Columbia could serve on the board under such conditions. I certainly could not continue to serve and preserve my self respect. “I do not wish to accuse the Com- missioners of deliberately attempting to create a patronage field, but every one knows what pressure is brought on them to dispense jobs. This bill would enable them to dictate the ap- pointment of every one in the school system from the superintendent on down.” Houston, who is dean of the Howard University Law School, said: “The bill almost reduces the board to a rubber stamp. It really puts ulti- mate control in the hands of the District Commissioners. I don’t think any self-respecting citizen would serve on it under such a bill. I would re- sign.” Menace to Standards Seen. Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, vice president of the board, saw the bill as breaking down the teacher stand- ards. She was not willing to go as far as the four who said they would not continue to serve. “My objection is to anything which would break down standards we have set up over a long period of years for teachers and school officers,” she as- serted. “The bill certainly would give the Commissioners power over the appointment and dismissal of officers, and probably over teachers as well. We have built up a real merit sys- tem in the schools over a long period of years and I don't think the people of the District want this discarded “The principal consideration, of course, should be the welfare of the child and we should do all in our power to safeguard that. In order to be sure of competent teachers we would have to have power to pass in an unbiased manner on their qualifi- cations. A poor teacher can mean that a child loses an entire year out of his life, or in the case of high schools, that he fails to receive some of the preparation for his life's work that is due him.” “I am thoroughly opposed to any legislation which would make the Board of Education subject to the Board of Commissioners,” sald Henry Gilligan, attorney, and active board member. “The Board of Education was made an independent board de- liberately and because it had to deal with education problems. I believe that Congress wanted it to be entirely independent. This is further indi- I wouldn't be just | good job and running the schools effi- clently and fairly. “This bill, as I see it, would make the board subject to the whims of the District Commissioners—a dependent rather than an independent body. It must be borne in mind that the Com- missioners already have power to reg- ulated the financial affairs of the schools so far as budget estimates are concerned. I think the Board of Edu- cation is far better qualified by ex- | perience and knowledge of the schools to select a proper candidate than would be the Commissioners.” Mrs. Philip Sidney Smith said “it would be a great mistake to open the schools to politics in any way.” “If we are to have a Board of Edu- cation, it should have absolute power in the appointment of teachers,” said Mrs. Mary A. McNeill, another board member. “I don't think the school system should be thrown open to polit- ical patronage.” BOY KILLER EXAMINED Youth Convicted of Slaying Mother Gets Sanity Test. LOS ANGELES, January 7 (®).— Louis Rude Payne, 19, is scheduled to go on trial here today to determine his sanity. The youth was convicted several months ago of first degree murder in the killing of his mother and smaller brother. If found sane, he will face sentence of death as the former jury made no recom- mendation of leniency. ___EDUCATIONAL ~ BEGIN TODAY IIPORI IT lS TOO LA'l'l CARD PUNCH MACHINE SPECIAL STATISTICAL FILE and G ERAL CLERICAL, Tha Cill Servos P The Tmple School SECRETAR]AL TRAINING eview, Pflnclplu, Gregg Manual January 7, 5:15 P.M. Beginner's Gregg Shorthand Class January 16, 7 PM. Reviews, Principles, Pitman Shorthand Januaary 28 ]420 K St. N.W., NATIONAL 3258 SPECIAL $5 COURSES CALCULATING MACHINE SPECIAL COURSE IN COMPTOMETER, MONROE AND BURROUGHS. BEGIN TODAY a spe- glal course. 5 complete SPECIAL'FOR cated by the provisions that its mem- | COMING bers shall be appointed by the Su- preme Court justices. No Politics in System. “The board is functioning well. So far as I know there is no politics in the school system. Teachers are ap- pointed according to ability and qual- ifications. The person at the head of the list is given the appointment. 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