Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-11


Board never handle dollar of the school mo-
| ney" The reporter must have misunder-
! stood him, for the President himself received
check on, or about Oct. Sth, 1855 for sup
| plies purchased by bin, and he has on some
| occasions acted with Mr. Pearl in making pur-
| chises from the North. 1 do not say that
| this is wrong. for have said they ought and
they could save to the people thousands of
dollars every year, 10y purchasing all the sup
plies. but do say it would he wrong TO deny
what the records show has been true every
year since the schools were first opened. Ev-
c y year members of the board have done work
for the schools and "handled" pay Tor it. some
of which work / can get done for less than
half of what was paid. AS the vouchers
show the fact it is hardly to be supposed that
any member of the Board would derry this,
and especially when all accounts before be-
ing paid come b fore the Board for investi-
CATION aud payment; so the reporter must
have misunderstood the President. Besides
what silly nonsense it would be to make
such denial, when by law passed at the
request of the Board, "The Public School
funds shall be placed at the disposal of the
Board of Education" This leaves the mat
ter so that neither the City Council nor any
one else can call them to an account and sit
in judgment on their actions, even if thous-
ands OF dollars had been wrongfully used.
1t was also stated that they received no COM
pensation. Granted. Yet nnder similar
powers and privileges future Board and
Superintendent may use $1,000 in bribery,
and yet pay themselves literally, and tell
the people, they receive no compensation,
ask a committee of investi cation, and even
defy the people unless it is Investigated in
that great school ofhuman liberty and rights
the Dolly press.
La New York they do business rather diff
ferently. They do not trust the great cause
of education to one set of men. They not
only have different sets of officers but they
hold every man to strict accountability I'M
der oath, and if he is found to be in any way
interested il the expenditure Of u oney, or is |
neglectful of duty he is removed from office !
By the New York law, at shall be the duty |
of the said Board to remove from Office any |
Commissioner. (member of the Board) In |
spector or Trustee. who shall be. or become. |
directly or Indirectly interested by way of |
commission or otherwise, in any contract or |
undertaking for the furnishing of any sup
plies of books or materials, for the per- |
forming Of any labor or work, for any Of the |
schools or buildings under its ch trge?" How |
would the Board in Nashville have been af-
fcted by such a law, when they were giving |
work to themselves?
''No teacher shall be employed in any of
the Ward Schools who is within four degrees
of relationship, either by blood or marriage,
To any school officers entitled to act upon
the question of the employment or payment
of such teacher"
These are specimens of the prudential
laws by which every thing connected with
tn schools is guarded in other cities. The
results the cost OF the schools is about one
third of what it is in Nashville. l wander
how they would answer in Nashville. When
[ suggested to one of the Board the proprie-
ty Of some prudential course, he replied
with an air of disdain, "We wonld not en-
plOy man we could not place confidence ill.,"
| have shown that confidence" has been ra-
Their expensive to Nashville. The Philadel-
phia Board say the economy OF their sehoolc
is due to extreme industry and constant su-
pervision of the officers and ''strict account
ability to which the controllers hold every
person they employ in each department"
Would this do any harm in Nashville?
J. W. DOLBEAR