Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-01-10
The Supplementary Report of the Board
of Education.
REPLY FROM MR.. ADAMS.

containing your remarks upon the supplement-
airy report of the Board of Education, and hlth-
erto have been waiting, vainly hoping that some
friend would send me a copy of the report Now
dislike exceedingly to trouble you or the
good people of Vermont any more by the discus
sion of the differences that have existed between
the Board and myself; but, after eleven years of
severe labor as Secretary, left the position with
less means than when entered upon it, and hay-
ing expended SO much of labor, and health and
strength, | find myself compelled either to reply
! to some of the allegations of the supplementary
report or risk the loss Of what little character l
| have had with those for whom | have labored
According to your article the Board say that
/ ..if the Secretary had made his report to The
! Board. as required by law, the necessity for the
! supplementary report would have been obyiated.'
/ This seems to imply that the law had been vio-
lated in not making the annual report to the
/ Board; and also that the Board were 80 taken by
surprise by the nature Of the Secretary's report
that they were unable to reply to it, until he had
| left the country.
1t is true that the law Of 1886 did require the
Secretary ''to prepare and present TO the Board
81 Of Education, on the first day Of their annual
g session. a report, &c" 1t is also true, and
the legal gentleman who probably drew up the
supplementary report probably knew it, that
the law Of 1858 required that the Secretary
- should annually prepare and print three
- thousand five hundred copies of his annual re-
- port, and have the same ready for distribution
- on the assembling Of the Legislature in each
&c year.
1t viii be seen thus, that the law Of the last
eight years, by requiring the distribution Of the
Report little more than week before the an
nual meeting Of the Board, efectually repealed
the clause of a previous law requiring the annu
al report to be made to the Board at their annual
meeting
In the second place every member of the Boari
knew that such was the requirement Of the law,
and, as has been customary for years, the Board
provided at their special meeting held in August,
for a report Of the Board to he furnished to the
Secretary, SO as to be printed before the annual
meeting of the Board.
Now as to the surprise caused by the nature of
the report. At the annual meeting of the Board,
held on the 18th October, 1867, all the members
being present except Mr.. Conant distinctly
and in detail presented the reasons for my re~ig-
nation, point by point, as they are shown in the
printed report, and resigned expressly ON the
ground of an utter want of accord between the
Board and myself. On that occasion Gov. Page
inquired if had prepared formal resignation.
| replied that would do so, but did not think it
necessary, as had incorporated my resignation
into the report. The Governor then inquired if
I had, in the report, assigned the same reasons
for resignation which I had presented in the III
serview then closing. replied that l hal pre-
scented the same reasons. Suggesting that tho
publication Of differences of opinion between the
Board and Secretary might injure the cause Of
education, he then desired me to consider
whether it would not be better to suppress the
publication Of the resignation by cutting ii ont
of the report before distribution. declined to
do this asserting that the welfare of the schools
would be promoted by yindication of the right
Of a Secretary, who was competent for the direc-
ton of the educational machinery Of the State, to
courteous treatment at the hands Of he Board Of
| Education.
And, when it is recalled, that, in an address To
the Legislature, 1 stated the same grounds for
my resignation, surprise that caused that 81
lence of the Board Of Education for a month, was
very surprising.
In reference to the alleged disregard Of the
opinions Of the teachers, in making the selection
of books, there is little room for dispute as to the
facts The opinions of the teachers to whom the
matter was referred, are published in the annual
report and an inspection of them viii show that
not one Of TIE tie, chers recommended Greenleaf's
Arithmetic, or Town and Holbrooks Readers,
and as "A natter of fact all of the teachers except
one, were opposed to both books
In regard to the alleged dscourtesy exhibited
to the teachers, the Board say, according to your
quotation
at may be diff icult to believe that it was
through his (the Sc ,retarys) influence, that the
meetings Of the Boa d were private rather than
public 1t is never heless true that in compli-
ance with his urgen recommendation, and in
opposition to the expr esse1 wishes Of part Of the
Board. it was voted that in the examination Of
textbooks the session. Of the Board viii be con-
Quoted in private This vote was passed on
Monday as appears Of record in the handw riting
of the late Secretary nd when he, at noon Of
THURSDAY, informed the teachers that the Board
would conduct their deli, 1erations in private, he
informed them not of new decision discoulteous
to them, and against which his soul revoltcd, but
Of an old decision made at his especial instance
and request.
This evinces the hand Of master in plausi-
bility. There was " decision, and on Mon
day, and at my su question; but-and here is the
important point i had no connection ,rhaferer
Nth the question Of the presence Of the teachers,
at the deliberations of the Board. l notified the
Board on Monday evening that some of the pub
fishers and agents wished to be present at the
hearing and decision of the questions before the
Board. and did advise against allowing them
thus to be present, stating that it would interfere
with rather than promote the fair determination
of the questions involved.
But at that time neither the teachers nor |,
who had by the direction of Gov. Dillingham; in
vited them to be present, dreamed that gentle
men, who had, as members of a State Board Of
Education, invited eminent teachers IN assist
them in an in I.oTtant work, would, after reeeiys
ing their best thought and counsel, refuse them
the poor privilege of listening to the argument:
upon which the final decision should rest
here re-terate the statement of this matter
contained in the report, viz: that at noon of
Thursday, the teachers asked me if they would
be allowed to attend the deliberations If the
Board when deciding upon the merits of the
books l replied that 1 supposed so, but would
ask the Board, then in session. / Immediately
went before the Board and informed them Of the
desire Of the committee of teachers to attend and
hear the discussions of the Board. The Board
voted upon the question, and nearly every mem
Der who signed the supplementary report, voted