Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-02-28
School Conventions and Salaries Of
Superintendents.

Superintendent.
The following somewhat lengthy
debate occurred in tho State Senate
on the 7th instant, and as it relates to
u subject of universal interest VIC lay
| IL before ourreajers. School Directors
can learn an important lesson from
this debate il they will only read and
reflect over IT,
The Senate then proceeded 10 the
consideration Of Senate bill No. l9G,
entitled An act to provide rooms for
the meetings of conventions Of school
directors and to fix the salaries Of
county superintondcnis.
In committee of the whole (Mr
Dclamatcr in the chair, the first rec.
tion of the bill was read AS follows;
SrcrIoS |. BE il enacted By tie Sen
ate and House of Representatives, Of he
Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania in Gen
rdi AssemLiy met, dad il is hereJy en-.
acted Gy the authority cfthe same, That
rooms for the meetings of conventions
of schcol directors, held for the pur.
pose of electing county supcrintedcnts,
shall be provided by the several boards
of county commissioners at the re
spectivc county seats, and all such
conventions shall assemble upon tho
call OF The State Superintendent, issued
six weeks previous TO Tho times fixed
BY law, BY circulars sent to all boards
of directors
MrDAVIS (Philadclphia). This is
rather compulsory law, requiring
commissioners To furnish rooms for
county superintondents and school di.
rcclors. don't think we should pass
a compulsory law. think VIC had
better postpone this bill for the pres.
cnt.
Mr.. WARFEL said he hoped the
matter would not be postponed.
Mr.. BILLINGFELT. / lwould mere.
IS like TO know in case where a county
building should not be Of sufficient Gu.
paciIy TO hold them, what we should
do. We might be compelled to erect
anew building just for THIS purpose.
The first section was agreed to.
The second section Of the bill was
read as follows:
SIC. 2. That tho salary of q county
superintendent shall be two dollars ior
each school under his supervision, and
one dollar for each square mile in his
county, unless II convention Of dircc-
tors shall see proper to add to the sum
thus obtained an amount from tho
State appropriation TO their own coun.
ty !; Prouidcd, That in no case shall
the salary Of n county superintendent
be less than one thousand dollars, OK.
ccpting in counties with less than one
hundIcd schools, where the salary of
tho county superintendent shall be
eight hundred dollars per annum.
Mr. WAREEL moved to strike out
the words "unlcss convention Of di-
rectors shall see proper to add to the
sum thus obtained an amount from
the State appropriation TO their own
county
Mr. PETRIKIN hope tho SEN
ate will not agree 10 That amendment;
indeed the whole section should be
voted down
By law now, the conventions 81
school directors meet and fix the sal
aries Of the different county superin.
tcndcnts; the discretion is lodged with
the school directors in convention, and
il ought TO be allowed oremain there.
Some counties have their salaries us
low as five hundred dollars, some six
hundred dollars, some eight or nine
hundred dollars, some up to one thous.
and five hundred or two thousand dol.
lars. In our county il is eight hun
drcd dollars, il is so fixed by the con
vcnlion of the school directors, AM,
there is no reason at all why IL should
bo changed from what has already
been settled upon by these convcnl
tions. hope the amendment will bf
voted down, and the section also whc1
il comes upon lis passage.
Mr. ANDERSON. just ono word
of explanation for the benefit of mN
friend from Huntingdon [Mr Pelri
lSin]
This bill has been devised for The
purpose of having u uniform rate orat
least approximating uniformity in the
salurcs OF county supcrintendents.-
In Huntingdon county, where the sal
airy has been fixed at 81 900, this ar
rnngcmcnt gives your superintendent
Sl,2iS. lu some of The counties whero
tho amoltnt of territory to be Travelled
over was very large, and the number
of schools very numerous, the salary
would be very small in somo districts,
where the work was comparatively
light, tho salaries were heavy, and, ID
fact, there was nothing like uniformity
in the old arrangement at all.
Further than that, as the Law stands
at present, the conventions of directors
can fix salaries at just what they please,
and each year school directors IN DIFF
fercnt counties nrc vieins with each
other in putting salaries Dip aud a
proper regard to tho amount of labor
performed has been left out of view
entirely
! This bill has been ca,efullv propared