S.C. BOARD OF EDUCATION

Temuka Leader, Issue 2198, 9 May 1891, Page 2

S.C. BOARD OF EDUCATION

The monthly meeting of the Board of Education was held yesterday. Present Messrs S W Goldsmith (chairman), W B Howell, M Gray, R H Pearpoint, J Talbot, W Storey, G H Rhodes, and J Jackson, and the Rer. T J Smyth. chairman’s statement. The chairman, in bis usual statement, said Mr T. Kelly, lately appointed to Upper Waitohi, had resigned and left for England. The Milford committee recommended Wm. Mackay as pupil teacher, and the appointment has bbeh sanctioned by the board. The Winchester Committee would have some recommendations to make at next meeting re their female teacher. Mr W. Crow was recommended for the vacany at Hook, Mr J. Menzies, of Pleasant Yalley, for Waituna, and Miss Alice Balfour for Orari South, A mass of correspondence had been received from Geraldine respecting disputes between the committee and headmaster. He recommended that the correspondeace be referred to a committee for consideration and report. The appointment of Mr Menzies, Mr Crow, and Miss Balfour, were sanctioned, the chairman’s suggestion in Mr Menzies* case to be carried out. •ERALDINE. Mr Jackson presented a petition from 106 householders of Geraldine, expressing satisfaction with the headmaster, and asking that the disputes with the committee be allowed to drop, Mr Pearpoint said that was not the opinion of the committee. Two J o£ the signatures, he had been told, bad been obtained under a false impression, and many of those who signed had no children going to school. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Gray and Mr Smyth—“ That Messrs Talbot, Howell, Jackson, and Smyth be a committee to report on the matters in dispute between the Geraldine, committee and headmaster,” PROPOSED BONUS TO TEACHERS, .Mr Howell moved (as an alternative to Mr Talbot’s motion passed at a previous meeting, to divide £SOO of the £ISOO saved on the maintenance fund,in bonuses among the teachers) — “ That Mr Talbot’s motion be rescinded, and that the teachers who were in the employ of the board at the time the reduced scale was adopted, receive the amount which would be due to them by the old scale for the three months covered by the notice of dismissal, failing their accepting such reduced scale; and that the amount borrowed for the building fund be permanently credited to that fund; any balance remaining to be distributed amongst the whole present body of teachers on such a scale as suggested by Mr Talbot.” Mr Smyth proposed another plan, to .give the teachers 3£ per cent on their salaries for the year the reduction was made ; this would absorb about £429. He defended the action of the board, in reply to complaints of the teachers. The. board was driven into a corner by the Government reducing the vote, other boards reduced their staffs, making the few suffer for the many ; this board made all suffer a little, and the only ground of complaint of injustice was. that they compelled the teachers to accept .reduced salaries’at a moment’snotiee.

After a good deal of discussion on the two points in question Mr Sowell’s motion was put and lost.

COMMIET-EES’ CeEEESPONBEN'CE. Belfield asked for a poreh to master’s house but sent no estimate. Geraldine asked for a bell for turret; —No funds for a large bell; £1 to be given for hand bell. A similar grant was made to Temua.a at the request of Mr Storey, Kakahu Bush asked for a second closet and a shelter shed ; they would pay half the cost of the latter*—To be supplied on the terms named. Timaru forwarded resolution passed at meeting of householders in favor of uniformity of school books; also drawing attention to the state of fences at the Side school.—Mr Talbot said there was a resolution on the books which had been sent to the Government. Ha had no sympathy whatever with the movement to injure a particular firm of publishers. The board should not countenance any thing of that sort. It was stated that the board in 1890 fixed the school books for three years. As to fence estimate to be. asked for.

Gapes’ Valley asked to have tlur school painted.—Already on list •£ works to be done. Tenders to bt called for next meeting. The teacher of Waitdna school had complained that the Inspector’s report bad been altered by the chairman bt commitee, so that the prize schedule was affected. Mr Talbot moved and it was carried—• “ That Mr Buckingham's refusal to return / the Inspectors report to the office as requested is eirohg pressmptive evidence tn«i Hie charg made against bim of bit having altered the report for wrongfu purposes is correct," Upper Waitohi reoemneoded Mr 0. Golds one as master—Selection approved, Temuka asked for an' increase of gr«nt of £5 for giading flour of infant room, the committee being unable to afferd ’ the additional £2-10a of-the estimated cast.— An additional £1 granted. Mr Storey pointed out that the Temuka Committed has helped themselves very mnoh by raising money outs de the grants; and tbie galleiy was a permanent work, that oeghb to h ive bsen done when the school was built, and a real necessity. In reply to a remark that the larger schools were always asking for something or other that oonntry.commitleee supplied for themselves, Mr Smyth quoted figures showing that the larger schools reveeive very much smaller incidental allowances than the lesser schools in proportion to attendance, Timarn receiving 2s 5d- pat" Waimate 2s Bd, Temuka 3s 4d, Waimataitui 8s Iffd, Geraldine and Pleasant Point 4s ; while the smaller class of schools such as Orari Bridge reeeivs Te lid per bead. : The board then rose.