THE HIGH SCHOOL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2326, 20 October 1908, Page 5

THE HIGH SCHOOL.

PRESENT ARRANGEMENT. TERMINATED.

A SEPARATE feGriUOL TO Hit ■M AiiN TA UN ED.

The Gisborne High iSchool Hoard of Governors yesterduy afternoon decided to .withdraw its recent offer to the Education Board to /subsidise the salary of a teacher in the secondary department of tho'Gisborne District High ./School, and to inaugurate a High School under its own control. Tins decision will terminate '.in arrangement' which lias, with certain modifications, been in ip red since shortly after tho passing of the Gisborne High School Act, in 1885. This Act established the High. School Boa'rd, which. was put in receipt of certain revenues for the purpose of providing secondary education for the district. Gisborne then was not large enough to maintain a High School, and tliereforo the District-School was raised to the position of a District High ‘School, and the High School Governors subsidised thp salary of a imaster to teach secondary subjects. That- system, modified as circumstances required, has since been carried on under successive arrangements bob tween the Governors and the Hawke’s Bay Education Board. The lust arrangement, made for a term of two years, will expire on December 81, and tlpe Board of Governors, in August last, submitted, a proposal to the Education 'Board. This proposition provided for the - appointment of h first assistant teacher, to be capable •of teaching the principal clas-s subjects now taught in the secondary department of the District High School, and, in addition, the -principal class subjects now in the optional course for training in agriculture and commerce, as outlined bv the InspectorGeneral,as being suitable for the circumstances of this district, the salary to be from £250 to £3OO <a year. It was stipulated'that so soon as the Education Board should become entitled to draw the salaries of three teachers for the secondary classes, the Board of Governors was to bo credited with the palary drawn for the first assistant, in reduction of its grant for such salary. The arrangement was to continue in force for five years, to commence on the opening of the school in 1909.

The Board of Education, on receipt of the Governors’ communication, sent a letter asknowledging it, and stating that it had been forwarded for the consideration of the Gisborne School Committee. The Board of Governors decided to hold a meeting io consider the position and notified The School Committee of its willingness to meet members of the latter body thereat,® and also to consider any proposition .which the Committee might make. MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS. The Gisborne High School Board ot Governors met yesterday afternoon in the rooms of the Sheepfarmers’ Frozen Meat Company f -present: Messrs C. A. DeLautour (chairman'), -J. AV. Bright, A. F.-Matthews, R, Johnston, J. AV. Nolan, and AV. Morgan (secretary). The -Rev. AA'. Grant and Air. F. AV- ißiach, members of the Gisborno (School Committee, also attended. The secretary having read the letter from the -Board giving notification of the meeting of the -School Committee, tho Rev. AV. Grant said that a meeting of the Committee had been called for last week, in the hope that some members of the Board of Gov-* ernors would attend to discuss the proposals, but a quorum of the Committee did not attend; and so they had been unable to discuss them even as a Committee. Since then Air. Delnutour had sent a letter to the Committee 'stating that he would be gratified if any members of the Committee would attend the present meeting. ' The ■Chairman said that the Governors had hoped that if the members of tho School Committee had any suggestions they would favor the Board with them. The Board’s scheme was well known; it had been public for two months. The Rov. AV. Grant replied that ho had not taken much interest in the-scheme when first published, not realising that- the. Committee had any particular interest in it. So far as hp was concerned, lie- would like to know how the proposal affected the status of the present school staff. The .'Chairman said that that was the crux of the whole matter. The •Education Board appeared to hive a difficulty in reorganising the staff, and the* foundation of the Governors’ proposal was that the staff should be reorganised, and that there should he ft capable and competent head of the department, subject to the principal, competent to tako not only the courses of instruction now followed, but. the alternative courses, commerce and agriculture, which tho Board wished to establish. The Board of Education would allow them to pay any three teachers who were approved, but the third teacher, the one to be appointed, would have no more status in the school than a visiting teacher of French, grammar, or drawing. That would not justify the Board of Governors in going to the expense of the salary which would be required for a gentleman such as they -wished to appoint.. This specialist; wpuld, under these circumstances, have no status in the -school and would be quite unable to carry out his views as to reorganisation and other matters, and the result would be failure. The Governors, therefore, find to consider whether they would not-, in order to protect higher education in the district/ have to maintain a high school themselves. The ReV. AV. Grant safd that that was what he would like to see. A town like Gisborne should -be in a position to doil with the [problem of higher education in that manner. If tho proposals of the -Governors were carried out, would it mean that Mr. Hinder would havo to take second placo ? ; 1 The Chairman, said that there could 'not he two heads, -and tlie very foundation of their proposal was that the mail he obtained should be of such a class dr station that no one in Air. KinderV position would have the least difficulty in taking a second position to him. If Mr. Kinder was advised to stand on -any rights he might have under the Board of Education that would not concern the Board of Governors. The Rev. AV."Grant.said that the. Board of Governors was a body quite distinct from tho School Committee, and it seemed tlwtf tho members ot

the latter had not right to criticise the Board’s proposals. The Chairman said that the Board ' had not considered the question of that right. They had been charged, with discourtesy for not being able - v to see that position, but their blindness in that respect was legal blindness, not moral blindness. 1 They were anxious to havo the advice of tho Committee, especially as it happened to be-one of the most- able ever elected in the district, but as to responsibility they could not share that with 'anybody. The Chairman then a ked Air. Grant if be thought that the School Committee would prefer a .separate High School.. .- ' The Rev. AV. Grant said That ho was only expressing his own opinion. Mr. Bright remarked that if the Board <>f Governors severed their connection with the Hawke’s Buy Education Board the first result would \ bo the disestablishment of the District High (School. Tho Rev. AV. Grant said that he

would expect that. The Chairman said that he presumed that- the School Committee, as a committee, had nothing to put before the Board. The Rev. AV. Grant said that-it had not.

. Air. Riach said that the Committee could do nothing as a committee; Not having discussed the position, the members could only voice their individual opinions. He was quite at one with Air. Grant. The Rev. AV. Grant said that lie was personally at one with tho Board in anything they might propose for the better management of the High School, and he hoped that any little seeming friction—-because it was only seeming—would not lead the Board to do anything that it would not otherwise have done.

The Chairman said there was not the -least fear of that. The [Rev. AA r . Grant and -Air. Hindi then withdrew.

Tlie Chairman said that the Board had got to a position as regarded the Education Board that required the Governors to consider how much further they were prepared to go. It appeared that the Education Board, in reorganising the staff, had not borne in mind the contract with the Board of Governors, made two years ago. The Education Board .was-ap-parently hampered in reorganising the staff. Reorganisation of the staff—was imperative, from the Governors’ point of view, if their money was not to be wholly wasted -for to pay a man a high salary to do specialist work of a high class, while only in the position of a third assistant, would be to deprive the scheme of all hope of success. Afr.‘ DeLautour quoted figures to show that the Board’s -proposal to establish a separate High School tv as sound from a financial point of view. Mr. Afar the vs said that for a very long time hiti opinion had been that the Board should establish a separate school.

The Chairman proposed the follow-ing-motion—“( 1) /That the offer to the Education Board to carry on the District High School for a further | period be. withdrawn. (2) That tlie Board determines that the time has arrived when it is desirable in the host interests of higher education in the district that a High School he maintained. (3) That notice he given to the Education Board that after the New Year the High School Board will require the technical school building aud the art room'for high school and technical purposes.” •Arc. Alatth.ews seconded the motion. and said lie hoped the change would be brought about is rapidly as -Epnssib’o. as it was in the interests of the children. Mr. Bright said that by the courtesy of the chairman the members of the Board had been enabled to see before the meeting theproposition now brought forward, so that they had not been taken by surprise, (and it could not be said to be a -hole-and-corner matter.

Mr- -Nolan expressed his entire concurrence with the motion, which was carried unanimously.

It was agreed that the necessary arrangements in connection with the carrying out of the resolution he left in the hands of the chairman, who was authorised ta advertise for t Principal of the High School at a •salary of £3OO per annum.