The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-05-12
THE SCHOOL LAWS.
Letter from the Sec'y of the Board Of Education

hL SNhoOh LANSs
Letter from the sec'y of the Board of Education.
Office Of Secretary of the Board of Educa.l
ton, Des Moines Iowa March Is 1859. I
To the County Superintendents of CON-
mon Schools.
AS numerous inquiries have been
made relative to the various acts Of the
Board of Education, | have concluded to
make them the subject of general Cir
cular.
ARE THE CURATIVE Acrs VALID p
Is question often propounded. l am
credibly informed that the District
Court of the Tenth Judicial District has
decided that said acts are void, but upon
what ground l am not advised, nor am
l aware that the case has been appealed,
and in the event that it has, it is impos-
sible to arrive at any correct conclusion
as to what the decision Of the Supreme
Court will be. | trust the case will be
appealed and settled with as little delay
as possible but in the meantime, shall
consider the acts in question obligatory.
1t is not important, however, so far as
our future operations are concerned,
whether they are valid or imperative
1t can only affect the transactions of the
past year, and | am not disposed to be-
lieve that any serious inconvenience can
arise even from that source. In all cases
of controversy growing out of proceed
ings had under this act of the General
Assembly of March 18th, 1853, where
the issue is unimportant, would advise
school officers to dismiss them, and com
mence anew under the present law
Where the amount involved is important,
! would submit the case, by agreement
of parties, with as little expense as posi-
BILE, to the District Court.
We are now fairly organized under
the new law, passed by the Board of
Education, and if the proceedings of Dis
tricts are regular, their authority to act
cannot be questioned in future. With
the necessary prudence and diligence
on the part of school officers, l am per-
suaded that the people will lend their
cordial cooperation in sustaining our
educational interests. Indeed | have
seen several districts in my travels where
they have resolved to pay their taxes,
build their school houses and foster their
schools, whether there is any law author
izing it or not. Such an example is
worthy of emulation, and cannot fail to
command admiration.
Another inquiry frequently made is,
| IN, child paciIypo a
ship District attend school in any one
of the sub districts of said Township
District? My answer is that Sec. 3, of
Art. s, provides for an interchange of
scholars between Township Districts,
but there is no provision for interchange
between sub-districts, and hence it can
not be affected without the mutual con-
sent of all parties. The law contemplates
that pupils shall attend school in the
particular sub district in which they re-
side.
The law fails to designate the manner
in which the money apportioned to dis
trict shall be divided among the sub
districts-and in the absence Of such pro-
vision, decide that it shall be divided
in proportion to the number of scholars
in each sub-district as shown by the re-
port of the Secretary Of the District to the
County Superintendent. If, however,
all the sub-districts mutually agree to
some other mode of distribution, it will
be perfectly satisfactory.
Several applications for Teachers In
stitutes have been received, but all of
them defective in some particular. In
order to make the appropriation for a
Teachers Institute, must be assured by
an application signed by the teachers
themselves the most satisfactory mode
of application) or by certificate from
a County Superintendent, that an Insti-
tute is to be held at stated time and
place, to continue at least six working
days, and the names of the persons en-
ployed as lecturers must be given. The
application should be made sufficiently
in advance of the time to enable me to
give proper notice. Upon the receipt of
such an application, will make the APP
pointment and forward warrant for the
money, which will be paid upon present
alton at the State Treasury. l will at
tend the meeting of the Institute in per-
son, when it is in my power to do SO.
In the course of the summer l will
meet the County Superintendent in their
respective Judicial Districts, and give
due notice of the time and place of meet
ing.
In addition to the former recommen-
dations, hereby recommend the follow
ing books for the use Of the Public
Schools of our State.
Towers Elements of Grammar; Tow
er's Grammar of Composition Towers
Intellectual Algrebra /; Payson, Dunton
q Scribner's Penmanship; Hanaford &
Payson's Book Keeping.
l have also received Series of Bull
lions Grammars, with which l am very
much pleased, but having made recon
mendalion, l do not feel at liberty to
make an additional one.
THOMAS II. BENTON, JR.
Secretary of the Board of Education.