The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-24
THE TEST OF FIGURES.
sUP-ERINTENDENcY.

Below will be found the chapter on the
economy Of the county superintendency
which will appear In the forthcoming report
now in press:
1t is well known that the Office OF county
superintendent costs the state more than did
that Of county examiner. This no doubt
was expected by the legislature when the
change was made, as they allowed the SUI
.perintendent one-third more per diem, and
gave him work to do that would require
more of his time. The mere fact, therefore,
that the Office OF county superintendent
costs more than hat of county examiner is
no reason for condemning the change. 1t
must be shown that there is too great a diff
ference in the cost, and that the labors per-
formed by the superintendent and the re-
suits of those labors do not justify the ex-
penditure of that difference. 1t is the object
of this article, in the first place. to compare
the cost of the two Offices, and thus deter
mine the exact difference; in the second
place, to compare the labors of the two
officers, and the results of those labors,
to see whether they justify the addi-
tional expense of county superintendency.
Reports nave been received at this office
from ~ counties, stating tile annual cost of
the Office of county examiner, and the first
years cost of the office of county superin-
tendent. The total cost of the county SUI
~perlntendents for the " counties is $685.
002 70. At the same rate for 90 counties, or
the whole state, the cost wonld be $50. 275 80.
The average cost of county examiners was
S3S, 7O7 is, which is $50, SOS 16 less than the
annual cost of county superinJendents.
Is it wise to expend this difference? Ger
tainly not, unless the results show ample
returns for it. What more, then, does the
county superintendent do than the examiner
What greater results follow his
labors? The new law provides that the
duties OF the school examiner shall be per-
formed by the county superintendent. The
principal additional duties required of him
are set forth in the following quotations
from the law: "The county superintendent
shall have the general SUPERINTENDENT of
the schools of his county. He shall attend
each township institute at least once in each
year, when he shall preside at the same and
conduct its exercises. He shall visit each
school of the county at least once each year
for the purpose of increasing their useful
ness, and elevate, as far as practicable,
the poorer schools to the standard of the
best. He shall encourage Teachers Insti-
tutes and associations, and shall labor in
every practicable way to elevate the stand
ard of teaching, and to improve the condi-
ton of the schools 81 the county" Sec. 80.
"The county superintendent shall. at least
once in each year and as much oftener as he
may deem proper, fully examine the dockets.
records and accounts of the clerk of the
county auditor, county commission
ers, justices ofthe peace, prosecuting attor-
ney, and mayors of cities, and see that all
fines, forfeitures, unclaimed fees, liquor Ii
censes, and surplus dog tax, etc., are prompt
ly collected, reported and paid over to the
proper fund or revenue. He shall see tina
the full amount of interest on school funds
is paid and apportioned, and when there is a
deficit of interest on any schOol fund or q
loss of any school fund or revenue by the
county. that proper warrants are issued for
the reimbursement OF the same" Sup. Sec.
A.
1t is also made his duty by the law, when
ever any officer, for any reason, fails to pay
over any claims due the school funds or rev.
enues, to institute suit in the name OF the
state for the recovery of the same,
From this it appears that his principal ex-
ira duties in addition to those required OF
the examiner are:
1. To visit every school in his county at
least once in each year.
2. To organize and conduct, as far as he is
able. the township institutes 8.
3. To examine all officers dockets, records
and accounts, where be is liable to find any
claims due the school funds or
4. To nave the general superintendence of
the schools of his county.
Let us survey the labor required in the
performance of these extra duties:
VISITING.
1t is no small matter to canvass an entire
county and visit all its schools, especially at
tina season of the year when the schools are
in session. The average number of schools
in a county is 100. Now it is impossible for
the superintendent to visit more than two
a day and make his visits effectual.
Indeed, it seems to nave been the intention
of the legislature for him to devote a day to
every school, from the fact that they
provided hat the commissioners should
not limit the number of days
devoted to visiting schools TO any number
less than the whole number of schools. The
least possible time, therefore, IN which he
could visit all his schools once is so days.
The legislature allowed him at least 100 days.
Suppose we adopt the mean between these
as the time actually employed in visiting
schools. This is a low estimate; for most
of the superiDtendents report more time
than this spent in this way.
That will be rs days OF arduous labor re-
quired OF the county superint endent from
which the county examiner was exempt.
Or, if he carries out the evident intent OF
the legislature, it will make five months
labor il the single item of yisiting-the
amoun that really ought to be done, al
though it would better be divided into two
halt day visits TO each school.
1t may be objested that the examiners
were also required to visit schools. So they
were. But unfortunately the law placed
two limitations on this requisition that rem
dered it almost q ~nullity. First, they were
only required to visit their schools as often
as they deemed it necessary; n secondly,
the county commissioners we're authorized
to limit the examiner in the discharge of all
his duties to any number of days they
pleased. Under this law a large portion OF
the examiners did not deem it necessary to
visit their schools at all, but were lawyers,
doctors, teachers, etc., and left the schools
did deem it necessary, many of them
were limited by the commissioners
to so small a number of days, that, after
they had performed the duties uncon-
~ditionally required of them, they had no