The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-08-25
coMMoN scHooLs.
From the Raleigh Standard. ]

4 j :
OFFICE SUPT. Con-. SCHOOLS NJ c., ]
Aug. 10th. 1857.
MEssRs. EDITORS: have been request.
ed to publish my opinion in regard to the
power of the Boards of County Superin.
tendents of Common Schools to fix. by gen.
eral regulations. the amount of salary which
Common School teachers shall receive
! Such attempts. from commendable motives.
! have been several times made. and / have
had occasion to write number of private
letters on the subject; and as the matter
is one of general interest and of great inn
| portance. it is proper to give publicity 10
the views which entertain.
am of opinion that it is the province of
of compensation which the teacher shall
receive, and believe that this power be-
longs exclusively to said Committee.
The whole genius of the system, as at
present organized, seems to favor this idea :;
and the law also expressly says that =" the
School Committee shall contract with a
suitable teacher for their District for such
time as the funds for the District will al
low" See pamphlet Of School Laws, pub
lished has year, page +, sec. ~.
The Committee have the exclusive right
to contract for sites for school houses, to
erect houses. and to incur incidental ex
penses for the school; but far as the
public money is concerned, they are limited
] A. 4 tho1,
must apply it for strictly Common School
purposes.
Such believe to be the spirit of the law;
and as our system is at present constituted,
l think it would be impolitic, as we'll as lille
gal, for County Boards, however inst their
motives, to determine that no teacher should
receive more than certain sum per day,
or by the month, for his services as SUCH
A regulation of this kind in some coun-
ties. and not common to the whole State,
would have tendency to repress generous
emulation to excel, among teachers, and to
drive the better class to regions Offering
greater inducements to exertions and thus,
instead of preventing the poorly qualified
from receiving too much for their services,
it would be apt, in time, to leave these the
sole occupants Of the field thus enhancing
the very evils intended to be avoided.
Indifferent teachers. we all know, not
unfrequently get into places which pay as
we'll, if not better, than those sometimes
occupied by teachers of a higher grade :;
l., A. 20 Inv
Is systems, and can never be entirely avoided
until the whole community have made
great progress in intelligence and virtue.
The best remedies must be general and
gradual in the nature and these, in our
system of Common Schools, will be found
in the careful and strict enforcement, in
letter and spirit, of the regulations in re-
gard to the examination and licensing of
forts on the part Of intelligent officers and
friends of the cause, t. enlighten the public
| mind, and to have the spirit of our system
of public schools fully and patiently car
ried out, in the careful application of means
devised to create and foster spirit of emu
lation among teachers, such as the forma-
ton of teachers associations, and the cir
cuation of school journals, and of official
and other publications bearing on this sub
ject, in requiring every teacher to keep and
to exhibit register or faithful account of
his school, in blank book which am now
having prepared under authority of an act
of the last Legislature, and in keeping open
field for fair competition and a wide door
of hope to all who desire to excel in com
potency and fidelity.
C.. II. WILEY,
Sup. Com. Schools Of N. C.