Miami Labor Citizen

"Vacationing Is Excuse Offered For Long Delay"

VACATIONS by various key people in Dade County school affairs was offered at the July 25th school board meeting as the main reason for denying a hearing to the Technical High School teachers who were summarily dismissed June 20. Many of the teachers have family obligations and other heavy responsibilities. Since the dismissals first Assistant Superintendent Robert Dolley, then Superintendent James T. Wilson have taken month long out-of-town leaves. Several board members have announced their intention of doing the same thing. This staggered vacation procedure will bring the possible time for a hearing before the full board and Dr. Wilson well past the opening date of schools. A strong plea was made to the board by David Selden, AFT Field Representative, and Ben C. Williams, CLU Education Committee member, that the board go ahead with the hearing this week—"in public preferably, but in private if need be"—leaving the committee to discuss the matter later with Dr. Wilson. This move was blocked by the statement of board chairman Angus Graham that he could not meet this week.

"It is the duty of the board to scrutinize very carefully the recommendations of the superintendent before approval," Selden stated, "and we feel that the decision not to reemploy the teachers was reached in a time of great emotional strain when many of the facts were not available to the board. Furthermore," Selden pointed out, "the failure of the superintendent to observe proper procedure in making his recommendations and his failure to appoint teachers to fill the vacancies created by the dismissals puts the responsibility to act, by law, on the school board."

Before the board meeting of July 11 a hearing was promised the teachers by several individual board members, but efforts to arrange the time and place of the meeting met with failure.

In the meantime the Teachers Defense Committee has prepared an exhaustive report covering the entire situation and exposing in detail the injustice of the dismissals. Many facts which have been suppressed by various school authorities are given a complete airing. The report will be released in a few days.

Ben C. Williams, speaking for the CLU as the only committee member present, urged the board to give the teachers a hearing this week. He stated the matter was of more importance than going on vacations.

The position of the CLU was questioned by board member James Neel, who had previously voted to uphold the dismissal of the teachers. Board member Joseph Plummer urged that the hearing be held. Plummer had previously voted against the dismissals.

"Members of the school board who oppose giving the teachers a hearing are proceeding directly counter to accepted American principles of democracy and fair play," William Burton, Chairman of the Teachers Defense Committee, said after the hearing. "This is an obvious stall," he continued. "They know that an injustice has been done and they aren't big enough to admit it."