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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1963)
N e w York School1 By LAWRENCE R. WERNER Umied Preu International Pittsburgh - JUPD - Dr. Cal vin E. Gross, who this week left the superintendence of the Pittsburgh schools to take charge of the vast, troubled New York City school system, sees opportunity in his new Job where a lesser man might despair. Gross acknowledges the na tion's largest school system has many and serious ills. As he put it: "Every big city school system has many sim ilar problems, but they all seem to come home to roost In New York." But with its troubles, the youthful, energetic school ad ministrator sees in the New York system the potential for it to become the "nerve cen ter" for education in America. "What we do In New York may affect the rest of the country and future genera tions," said Dr. Gross in a less than modest appraisal of the responsibilities he is shouldering. "I hope New York will become a model for others to follow." Too Many Critics Too many critics of the New York schools fail to take into account the tremendous educational and cultural re sources at hand available in New York but nowhere else, Gross believes. ; "It Is the artistic and liter ary center of the continent,' he said in an interview with United Press International. Dr. Gross, 43, thrives on solving big problems. He comes to New York recom mended highly by U. S. Com missioner of Education Fran cis Keppel, his dean at Har vard. . : Gross had only recently signed a new six-year contract in Pittsburgh but the board of education was unwilling to tand in the way of a man who had done so much in such a short time. They bid him farewell reluctantly. The magnitude of the man agment job which Gross has undertaken would stagger many a corporation executive. Hug Budget New York City's public ichool budget exceeds $763, million. The system has 42,000 men and women teaching more than one million stu dents In the city's 800-plus schools. Gross has some definite Ideas about what New York needs. "One of the pressing prob lems is getting a bigger sup ply of good teachers," Gross said. "Along with that, you have financial problems. Teachers salaries should be increased generally and in New York." To achieve this end. Gross believes he will have to con vince the state legislators to allocate more than the antici I a ted $1.6 million in addition- al school aid for New York city in the next fiscal year. The state now provides more than $271 million a year for the city's schools - 35.4 per cent of their total budget. Gross has demonstrated ability for impressing law makers about school needs. Raiiti Salaries Raising teachers' salaries was one of his first moves when he took over in Pitts burgh in 19S8. He also pre sented the legislature with a master plan which resulted in implementation of a recruit ment program and wide spread improvements in facil ities. "We are now getting annu ally better people to choose from than we were two years ago," he said, referring to EIROfW i MENTAL A m 4 CARRYING CHIHUAHUA - Actress Jayne Mansfield, who riivorreri her strongman husband, Mickey Hargitay In five minutes at Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, arrives In Los Angeles the same day, carrying her pet chihuahua, "Galina." Nelson Sardelli, left, a singer-actor of Italian extraction, arrived with her. He told newsmen they loved each other and Pittsburgh. "Raising salaries has helped attract better teachers. , "Communicating with peo ple is going to be a compli cated thing in New York," he continued. "It's . - important that I have a chance to know what my teachers think and say. It is a problem of an in terlocking system of getting things done." Need Facilities An innovator who institut ed unique programs such as team teaching at Pittsburgh, Dr. Gross also is aware of the crying need for the improve ment of facilities in the New York system." Although he Is known as an experimenter, Gross is con cerned that all students be af forded a "good fundimental education." "Reading is number one," he said. "Mathematics is next and is more important than science. Students also need instruction in the arts." Referring to the current high unemployment rate and predicted jobless rate of 20 per cent in the 15-25 year age bracket by 1970, Gross said "flexibility of skills is im portant" for the future of the students. You can't teach a man new skills if he doesn't have good basic education, Gross said. Dropouts View Dovetailed with the prob lem of assuring a basic educa tion, Gross believes, is the startling number of dropouts in the New York City public schools. "I believe we could elimi nate many dropouts by start ing in the primary grades and getting the children gen uinely interested in their work." Gross outlined other pro cedures now in progress which he expects to continue to combat the dropout dilem ma. They included: -Combination work - study programs which enable stu dents to work while attend ing school. -Counseling programs, en couraging potential dropouts to remain in school. -Contacting programs, at tempting to persuade those who already have left school to return to their studies. Team Teaching Dr. Gross believes that team teaching may help re lieve the problem of over- large classes in New York. Team teaching, a technique saining popularity among ed ucators, makes teachers more flexible and able to spend more time with both gifted and slow students. It incorporates a variety of the latest available teaching aids. Other obstacles confronting Gross include ethnic distribu tion and culturally deprived pupils, outdating of texts be fore they even get to the schools - and a possible strike by the teachers. Charles Cogen, head of the United Federation of Teach ers, believes $50 million should be added to the budg et for teachers' salaries. Gross agrees that teachers should get a wage increase but says he has no firm plans on the size of the raise he will propose. . Hill Asiiits The contract for the teach ers expires June 30. The Teachers Federation staged one day walkouts the past two years to achieve their goals and Cogen has Indicated the group will take similar action again if necessary. Gross' right hand man on financial affairs will be Dr. Frederick W. Hill, until re cently assistant superinten dent of schools in Minneapo lis, Minn., who was named deputy superintendent for business in the New York system about the time Gross won his appointment. Four Aims Hill, a personable, enthu siastic man who is president elect of the American Asso ciation of School Business Of ficials in the United States and Canada, visited with Dr. Gross during the UPI inter view before leaving for New York. 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In this area, Dr. Gross agreed with Hill on an item for which the New York system has been roundly criticized admin istrative bureaucracy. -Sheer mechanics of gel ting enough money to support needed services. -Getting the board of edu cation's role as an autono mous body implemented in terms of business procedures. (He believes the ichool e ki5h7i'ill;y SAFETY CATCHER 74 88 rag. 84.90 v combination No Monty Down 419 gallen in. 4 gal. case Rag. 5.89 gil. 4x8' IAUAN PANEL Beautify, remodel rooms with these handsome Philip pine Mahogany panels. J.44 IXTINSION SCRIM! 12" Reg. 1.05.- 77c 15" Reg. 1.13 1.04 18" Reg. 1.70 1.54 NO MONEY DOWN MAIL TrtlBUNE. MEDFORD. board should have the right to administer the budget to eliminate overlapping duties. another bureaucratic prob lem.) -Getting citizen involve ment and understanding to provide properly maintained buildings and getting people concerned about the school system. Impress Public , . Dr. Gross also is anxious to impress th; public with the importance of basic education for children. "The public hears about the glaring deficiencies of the EVERYTHING FOR 1-$top shopping for dl bom Improvement nowl. t -V; fj.2sa Marie ' lcMNCH, 2-HP REEL MOWER 84 88 You fgst guide HI Re coil starter; Powr Kraft enginej handle bar controls; 5 ous tempered steel blades. iistii-.L shift WARDS OWN 3-HP . ROTARY TILLER 124" NO MONEY DOWN Garden Mark power and versatility plus power reverse! Un breakable steel tines, Easy-Spin starter. 2.99 WOOD (EAT Pressure-molded for extra durability I Baked-on en amel finish, won't chip or peel. White, colon. 2.49 LUCrtl TOWIL RINO Surface-mount, chromed metal holder ith con cealed screws (Included)) clear lucite ring. 2.69 ON ANY WM wtWWl t w ; 'Mil ''' "' ' OREGON off Utfet s me, schools," he said. ."We want to show them the good side." Gross added that the proc ess may not be to institute so many new programs in New York, but investigate the pilot programs now being carried out and see that they are ad ministered correctly. "There are many fine things being done in New York," he said, adding that some aspects of team teaching already have been started in the city school system. . The New York city school board, which scoured the country for its new superin No money down wWi mvm yoors to pay tlitil' II fill USE WARDS LOW ... .;. !! I Epj COST INSTALLATION L j 7! fjrMrayfi ask tor fin istimati jtSLJ ' L-I ":- "" - -' NO OBLIGATIONS l '"7 taii 11 """ $54 OFF! 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Gross is an ac complished violinist who was director of the Pittsburgh Chamber Music society dur ing his stay in the Steel city. Army Officer He received his bachelor's degree in math from the Uni versity of California in 1940 and became a graduate assist ant in mathematics at Oregon State college. , Gross entered the Army in op to 'TSr ; i Froo, accurate sttmatos by ' Word homo consultants. VJOOL-BLEND THURSDAY. MAY 2, Soys 1941, served as commanding officer of an anti-aircraft bat tery, was discharged In 1945 and returned to his native Los angcles where he married Bernice Hayman. The University of Southern California rave Grow his mas ter's degree In 1947 and in 1955 he received his doctorate from Harvard, where present educational commissioner Keppel was dean of the grad uate school of education. 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