The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-04
FLOR the Dispat CHI.


| .-e-.-,a FLOR the Dispa, CHI. .,--s.rs
The Public Schools and the feopie'
Messrs. Editors,-A bill has been INTRO,
duced into The House wlich, If adopted: WIZ
90 far toward remedying the evils OF the
present school system, especially the aPpi,
rently absolute control Which the Board 0!
Education exercises over the whole stare
The evils complained Of by the country meih
hers of the Legislature may be summer w
rs follows: 49,, ,,u,o in
The districts are now the same 10
boundaries us the townships, and are iroIl
ten TO twenty mills long in man cases. Il
is impossible for these trustees 10 propt::y
oversee all the schools OF the to%hsulp
which will vary in number genefai'y troh
half dozen to dozen. -
9. The present system Is one contrary "
the Democratic principle that eich nelsn NJ
hood should govern its own Iocal 'lialis. >. n'
present school system is one OF celluufoa -.
lion. Every county superintendent. - AZ,
pointed by the Board of Edueat'oh at n,om
p,nnd So is every school trustee in every
district in the State. On the same prnciPlcr
th,t we are opposed 10 the consolidation y,
the nowers of the States ut WASHINGTON w
oro onnosed 10 the consolidation OF rue i,om
ors of tbe counties and townships at hi:n
mnnd We are not sure but IN the
n;nr of the system it was wen 'Iiat tue
,,nr or was .riven to the State Doaro' espe-
r lii, ,s # feIl into such good hands as gu
ci"':. 10 - Pufner's. But the system IS
pei =, f,;r oucratioD, and there are conf
nov ~ r-a,,, al sections Of the State, which
p'a', ms, :. Assembly ought in some way to
remedy. -oa. commandment ONLY,
,,o more wealthy and populouS sections are
, ,IU with the public schools. The poorer
and sparsely- populated sections pay their
srhool-tax like the rest. but it goes to the
more prosperous sections, where IN average
of 20 can be maintained. The scriptural
rule is followed 50 To him that bath, to him
shall he given, and be shall have abundance;
but from him that hath not, from him shall
be taken even that which ne hath" No
doubt it was necessary in the infancy Of the
school system to start the schools where
children were most plenty, and then it was
advantageous to the introduction OF the sys-
tenn to have good school here and there to
serve as model for the rest; but we insist
on il that the time has come Wien, IN many
of the counties, the townships should be
srbdiyided for school purposes, and each
division should receive its proper proportion
of the public funds. 1t is urged in opposi-
ton to this that the number of schools would
thus be multiplied, and The Jesuit must be
that salaries of teachers must be lowered,
and that the quality of the teaching would
be of q low grade. 1t seems to us more
likev that an ambition would be stirred up
in each section to emulate the neighboring
districts, and the people would be more Tree
TO vote additional money when each parent
could see that he was getting his proportion
of the public funds.
4. 1t seems desirable to introduce more
,,oDular element into our sch6Sl system. The
people should in some way have voice in
the choice of the school officers This would
probably have been done long since il it had
not been for the objection from those coun-
ties where the colored people are in the ma
iority that this arrangement might place
white schools under colored trustees. MIR.
Rounds bill solves this difficulty. He pro-
poses to sub-district the counties into two
entirely distinct sets ofsub-districts, one for
white and one for colored schools. These
sub-districts are TO be laid of in contempa-
ton of establishing q permanent public
school as near the centre of said sub-district
as practicable. In each of these districts the
patrons of each school assemble once year
on the first Saturday in June and elect
school direct or to have the immediate charge
of the school in his subdistrict. or course,
the white people meet ny themselves aud
the colored people by themselves, and each
elect whoever they choose.
Tie bill further provides for county
board for the appointment Of school trus-
tees. This board consists Of the county
Judge, the commemorative attorney. and
the county superintendent Of schools; and
the school trustees are to be selected by this
board from the school directors elected by
the people. Thus, if there arc nine schools in
Il township, the patrons Of each school would
elect director, making nipe in all. Our OF
this nine this board aboYe-naned would
select the three best qualified to act us trlls-
tees for The township. OF course. this syS-
TEN docs not apply to cities. nor only TO
those counties whose school boards shall de-
termine to adopt it. as the Constitution
requires tie school 81 stem to be in full opera
ton by 1876, il is important to commence
the work of sub districtns soon.
While the passage of this bill would Gp'
parently decrease the powers of the State
Board of Education and the superintendent
of Public distraction, we think it would
not take away any powers necessary TO the
proper performance of their duties. 1t is
certainly of no possible utility to burden
the hands of the State Board with the ap-
pointment of over 1900 school trustees
when they cannot possibly be acquainted
with the qualifications of one out OF fifty
appointed. Practically, the school trustees
are appointed by the county superintendent.
We believe that if the people are consulted
and given some voice in our school system
it will strengthen the system instead of ,cedk-
ening it.
The bill is in the hands of Mcssrs. Whar-
ton, Longley, and Morrison, a sub.commit.
tee appointed bu Mr.. Magruder, the chair.
man of the Committee on Schools and Col
lages, and will doubtless be reported after
being perfected by the committee.
Eox PoPULI.
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