Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-12-23
BOARD OF EDUCATION INyES-
bTIGATED.

The Legislative Committee appointed
to investigate the proceedings of the
Board of education and the Secretary
thereof, have made their report, of which
the following is the substance:
At the meeting the Committee were
allspresent, and Governor Stewart, Hon.
Merritt Clark, Hon Benjamin H. Steele,
President NJ H. Buckham, Prof. George
N. Webster, and Hon D. NJ. Camp, all
the members of the Board except Mr..
Bingham, who was not present, but was
present at a subsequent meeting of the
Committee John H. French, the Sec
rotary of the Board, was also present.
No one appeared at the meeting with
any charges or complaints against the
Board or its Secretary, but the Commit
tee felt it their duty to interrogate the
members of the Board and the Secretary
as to their proceedings in the discharge
of their duties, and did thoroughly and
infinitely, as we think and three
hours examination failed to bring out
single fact calling for censure, or such
as would even subject them to criticism
But on the other hand it appeared that
the Board had discharged their duties
with fidelity, and as we think in every
instance wisely and we'll
At the close of the examination on
the twentieth, it appeared to por-
ton of your Committee that no
more time should be consumed in the
investigation inasmuch as thus far the
Board and its Secretary had been fully
sustained, and especially as after notice
no one had appeared to accuse them.
But as it had become known to the Com
mittee that some few teachers in the
State differed in their opinion from the
Board to some extent in the recent adopt
ion of text books, also, that it had
been rumored that some of the teachers
did not approve of the manner Of con-
Quoting Teachers Institutes by the Sec
rotary of the Board, it was on the whole
thought best to summon those teachers
and some others to appear before the
Committee on the evening of the 25th
inst This done, the second meeting
was held, and the teachers so summon
ed were present.
1t appeared at the first meeting of the
Committee that at meeting of the
Board of Education, held at Middlebury
June Is, 1872, (all the members of the
Board being present. the Board made q
selection of text books and authorized
them for use in the District Schools Of
this State for five years from Nov. l
1873. In this selection the Board made
a change in portion of the text book;
hitherto and now in use among which
was change in Readers and in Arith
metics. The teachers who appeared
before us on the 25th inst. all seemed
to concur that a change of Readers i
necessary, but portion were of tn,
opinion that the Analytical Series wa
preferable to the New American Series
which was selected by the Board. TIL
Arithmetics selected by the Board wer
French's Series, and one or two of tn,
said teachers insisted before the Com
mittee that no change in Arithmetics i
necessary. Mr.. Dana, of Rutland, Will
he did not compare the merits of French
Arithmetic with Greenleaf's, the on
now in use, claimed that in teachin!
Arithmetic principles are to be taught
and that one Arithmetic, if a good ono
is as good as another, and therefore n
change is needed.
That part of the investigation whicl
concurred on the evening of the 25tl
elected simply this: That a few 0
the prominent teachers in the State dit
fered in their Judgment in regard to tn
change made by the Board of Education
In small part of the text books select
ed by the Board on the 18th of Jun
last: but from the facts which appeare
before the Committee we must find tina
such selections were made by the Boar
after spending much time in a careful
examination of large variety of tex
books from different authors-after tax
ing the opinion of the prominent Teach
ers of the State, and we believe wer
made solely to promote the best inter
, ests Of education in the State
In making the selections of text book
, it appeared that the Board had take
the most scrupulous care to protect th
State from unnecessary expense, and ha
carefully considered every detail affec
ing the question Of the cost of Soho,
l Books, and had secured the State fro
L loss and imposition, by making the be
l possible contracts with the publishe
of books, by which they will furnish Il
Z Schools of the State at the lowest tern
obtainable, and will be exchanged Fl
!, old books upon the most favorable term
! provided the parties interested will tai
IL the pains to avail themselves of the CO
: tract
u 1t also appeared that the new list
text books is upon the whole cheap
i than those now in use. The Board h