Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-12-11

The school Board.

One Of the most important features Of our city
government, for the ensuing year, is the new
School Board The proper education of our
children is certainly matter of interest to every
one, and the management OF our public schools,
the annual expenses of which amount to the gen,
erous sum of about thirty thousand dollars, is
too often entrusted to those who have no personal
interest in the schools, and but little knowledge
of the workings Of the established system. This
improperly has generally been the result of po-
litcal faction, party spirit seat in the School
Board being the cheapest and perhaps the only
reward at the disposal of the party for petty SER
vices rendered by some petty Office seeker. This
fact needs no other proof than a reference to the
list of School Committees for the last few years,
Their election has formerly been for one year /;
but under the new law, they are TO be elected for
three years, excepting one third of the number,
or one from each ward, for one year, and the same
number for two years, to be chosen at the coming
election
The longer the term of office, the more care
should be taken in selecting candidates Conse-
qaently, it is hoped that the most judicious Sc
lectiOns will be made for the new School Board
who are to be elected next Monday The more
general the representation from all parts of the
city, or rather, from all districts in the city, the
more efficient the Board, and the more Just and
general the distributions of advantages.
BY reference to the list of city officers, it will
be seen that the suburban districts have never
had their share of representation This is espe-
cially the case in regard to the School Board.
which has oftenbe a scource of considerable in
convenience, to say nothing of the injustice to
the suburban interests of the city, of not having
their legitimate representatives in the Board.
Now, it must be acknowledged that there are
men in all of the suburban districts who are COM
petent to perform the duties of school commit
tee, and who can attend to the wants of their own
schools and represent the interests of the district
in the Board, better than a stranger to them,
who lives three or four miles from them, and who
is personally interested in the affairs of his own
district and school, Each suburban district has
a resident prudential committee, whose duty it is
TO take proper care of the school house and its
property, and provide fuel, &C., for the use of the
school; but he is not a member of the School
Board, nor has he right to dictate I'M the least
the internal arrangements of the school, assist
the teacher in correcting or furnishing refractory
scholars. admitting a scholar to the school, or
performing the least official duty for the interest
of the teacher the scholars, or the parents,
These duties have formerly teen conferred upon
the Secretary Of the School Board, and the visit
ing committee, who have been inhabitants of the
centre district, and resided from three to five
miles from some of the suburban schools. But,
during the last year they have been performed by
the Superintendent of the Schools, and the visit
ing committees. Tbs salary of the Superntend-
ent being $500 year, and that OF the commit
tee of visitation being, for such visit to subur.
ban school, generally, from one to two dollars
less than nothing 1.-THE one or two dollars being
the expense of team or mode ofconveyance) to
say nothing Of the loss Of time to the committee
and the Superintendent being also prudential
eammittee of all the schools in the centre district,
it is easy to conjecture the attention which the
snbnrhan schools have racnived