EDUCATION BOARD

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 86, 11 April 1916, Page 6

EDUCATION BOARD

"Tiio uionLhly -meeting of the Marl-"liorou-h Ed'iealiou Boitrcl. hehl yesterday, was attended by Messrs J. J. White (chairman), J. 8. Storey, C. Ferguson. €. Nees, A. Mackiiy, J. Fulton, Mid E. E., Penny.

FINANCIAL

The .Ttatemont showed a credit balance of £769 Us sd, and accounts, amounting to £354 5s lOd were passed for payment.

RIY ERJ/ANDS SCKOOL

The llivorlands School Committee wrote protesting against the proposed removal of the 11-iverlands school to a . new site.-

The secretary reported having replied, pointing out that circumstances ■nc'cepsitatod the change, and that such change vordd bone-lit children living at the extreme end of the district. The -change was also necessitated by tlie provisions of the Education Act.

The choirnifui itfoved that tho secretary's at lion bo approved of, but there was no r-econcler. members wisiiiviy: to hcaivMr Fr.woett, who av.ib waiting to confer with the Board, before voting '.on the moi ion.

Mr Fawcett was then called in., He asked the 'Board to rescind its previous resolution regarding the removal of the school two miles south of the present site. Mr Faweett contended that the proposed site was not tlie most central; moreover, tiiero were four factories close to the present site, and tlie great imijoritv of the chil'lren resided cV/SO to the school. 'The contention that Rircrlands was ■ drawing children from the Borough schools -applied' also to the Springlands, Grovctovni, and Renwiektown -schools. Only seven children were oh •the roll in the district proposed as iho ne>Y site. Twenty-two children lived -close handy. The ground; was given to the Board on condition that a school ■• was erected, there, and if the school were removed without the. committee being consulted it would be a breach of faith on the part of 'the ißoard. For those reasons the committee "asked that the decision of the ißoard/be reconsidered. Only three •children wouldijeive'at by the proposed ■change.. The district round the present site was growinll:.

Mr Fawcett thanked the Board and withdrew. The motion to approve of 'the secretary's letter was then seconded by Mr Ferguson, and declared carried.

Mr Ferguson thought that as a practically" dying, board they 4 should leave things as tfioy are,. and allow the new authority to take action. He •nvjvftci' that the matter be held over till nextmeeting.

The- chairman .seconded. Action was deferred (pending the definite offer of a. site fro in a private gentleman of an" acre of ground, ana the motion proposed by Mr Ferguson would 1)0 at variance with the minute to that effect..' The matter necessarily must stand! over until tlie ■definite offer be received,.

Mr Ferguson .xlfffo gave, notice of motion to defer |<uoh .ior-a month, thus holding uv^ consideration untii ne^t meeting tßlßlie Board,, and also stopping all action, in^ the matter of ±h.3 removal for the same,period.

A-BLENHEIM PROTEST.

The. -protest from -two lady certificated teachers and the Blenheim School Committee against the appointment of aii. imcertifi'cated teacher in the Jioroiigh School was again considered. . '

The inspector, on being asked for Ma opinion, said that the .question -was a legal one, and not one for him. It should be understood by every mem'lber of the Board. He detailed the .■circumstances of the appointment. The Act stated that transfers heed not be advertised, and the appointment in question was a transfer. The tw> youne lady objectors could have sent in. an application for a transfer, but the young lady appointed.was the ■only applicant tor a transfer- and -fcheieforo the only one /to be considered, lie could not give the Board sax-/ direction m the matter, ,as it would bo against Departmental usage. The portion wns peculiar, and required careful handling. It. was a legal question and one :'or the' Board to consider itself. "When an appointment, was being made certificated teachers must be first considered, but when a transfer vas being made:; and ;jio certificated tenche'1 had applied .■the applicant best fitted should be appointed."' li Mr Mackay stressed the point, that

tlie teacher in question was transferred from Pieton to Blenheim. He quoted the sections of the Act bearing on the- matter, and contended that there was no vacancy in the school.

Mr Ferguson moved that the secretary write to tho objectors that the Board regretted that then- claims cannot be upheld as t!u\v did not apply for a transfer at xhv, time Miss Storey ■vas appointed to her present position, a-nd that die. Board now offered them promotion to sole-teacherships awrying salaries of £140 per annum. The mover thought that the matter could s:i!ely be. left in th^ secretary's hands. He could write a kindly and courteous letter pointing out tho circumstances to those young ladies. ]V!r Penny, in seconding, said that the young ladies did not object in the very least to the young lady appointed. They complained against the automatic action of t'ne Act in stopping their promotion. These young ladies Wire excellent teachers and had particular ability, and it would be against the interests of the side school to have them leave it: but he was afraid that tiirvt was tlie only solution of the problem, in order to allow these young ladies to seek promotion .in another school.

The motion was then put and carried, without dissent.

APPOINTMENTS

The following anointments wore nvvie or -approved.—Miss O'Sullivan to Deep Creek, Miss M. Brown to Leeiield aided school. Mr J. H. Sargison to Ocean I>ay, Miss Annie Healy to Omaka. JMiss Jean Hamilton to Waikawn Bay, Miss Drake to Waireka.

RESIGNATIONS

Resignations -vere received from iliss M. C Mirnr-) from tlie Endeavor Julet school, and from Mr'J. C. Logan from the Kekerangu school. Both resignations were accepted.

bli^nkkim: school res.tdence

The following letter was received from Mr B. H. Low. head-teacher of the Blenheim Borough School: "The school residence in, 1 find on measuring it up, considerably smaller than my present residence, winch is scarcely commodious enough as it is. Mrs Low and 1 have weighed the matter very carefully and attempted to solve the pro Mem of fitting our family and l.imituro into the smaller compass, but-can >>rrivo at no satisfactory solution. I-therefore ask for the Board's approval of my letting the house to a suitable tenant In order to make the house more -satisfactory to myself or tea. suitable tenant I have been compelled to have .gas.installed in all but throe rooms (bedrooms). 1 consider the gas service a necessity, and hereby ask the Board to approve of my action and to pay the cost—£ll to £12." Mr N.ees moved that permission, be granted to let the residence, but that tho Board could not depart from itsusual custom —not to pay for lighting.

Mr Fulton seconded

Mr Mackay said that the Board hud spent over £ol> in order to make, the plao? habitable tor the teacher. He v.Tiild move an amendment that the Board agree to Mr Low's request to lot the dwelling provided that lie paid the cost of the- renovations recently carried out. Why did not Mr Low teii the "Board before the alterations were carried oat that the place was too small for him?

Mr Storey seconded the amendment for the reason that Mr Low had agreed to Hvo in the dwelling if it \v:'re renovated.

Mr Penny said that what Mr Low asked for \vus perfectly reasonable. Whatever Mr Mtvekay might say. the house was not suitable, for a mediumsized family. If Mr Mackay's amendment were carried they would be placing on Mr Low's head what they had not placed on n head-teacher for' years., Permission had been granted to let the house for about 20 years.

Mr Noes said that it was not possible to .put. a 0-chikl family into si 5-;cirild house. He thought "that Mr Low should pay ror the gas-lighting. ' The amendment was lost, and on tho motion being put it was declared carried.

GENERAL

Miss Hilda M. ,-Sparks (Branch Creek) was granted two weeks' holi-day-at Easter, in place of the midwinter holidays.

The Seddon'School Committee-noti-fied'chat it nyis going to close the school for a fortnight on a date specified.—lt was decided that? the committee be asked for its reason for closing the school. *,| I'he secretary ■stated that he believed that the Picton head-teacher

whs away at camp, nut he had j?eceived no notification from the eoinmittee.—The secretary was instructed to write notifying the committee t!i;rt the Board had received no application foi- leave from Mr Robinson, and asJting tor the reason why the school had; been, closed receniiy. The usual applications for minor works wore received and ordered

upon, and the Board rose