The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-06-17
For the anderson hatelligencer.
School Teachers and Trustees Meeting.


The Convention of County teachers and
trustees of public schools, held at the School
Commissioners rooms on the 18th inst, was
we'll attended. Called to order by Capt. I. P.
Benson, who stated that the object of the call
was to determine upon the advisability of
local tax levy for next year, and to devise some
means to increase the efficiency of the schools.
On motion, Col. w. S. Pickens was called to
the chair, and in supplementing the remarks
of the School Commissioner, said that the
meeting was an important one, as its province
was to make suggestions to the citizens in ref
erence to the policy to be pursued toward the
public schools.
Mr.. Newton offered resolution as follows: :
Resolved, That this Convention respectfully
recommend to the trustees of each school dis
trict that they call township meeting on the
last Saturday in June to decide by vote OF cltl-
zens the limit as to number of schools to be
taught in each district, the location of the
same, and to take measures TO prevent the
waste of public funds upon irregular schools,
not so authorized and located.
Several gentlemen spoke to the resolution !;
and the Chair, with an apology for the depar-
ture from parliamentary etiquette made few
valuable remarks which we note in brief, as
containing the substance of the whole mat
ter. He said that trustees permit schools to be
established very frequently when there is little
promise of good results, merely to avoid trou-
Bile and please neighbors; that the office of
trustee is cnerous and is not lavish of emolu-
ments that people always grumble most at
the officers who are worst paid. Trustees can
not afford to make constant struggle against
local whims. Besides, the townships are too
large for school districts. They. ought to be
sub-divided, SC that one school in each would
be enough, and so that each school could be
properly sustained on the basis of its attending
population. In fact, our school System" is
suffering most from the absence of system" ="
Incompetent teachers and schools established
by recognizing every local application therefor
were phenomena intimately related. No
school paid enough to tempt good teachers,
because there were so many schools to be paid
for. He could wish the resolution covered
more ground.
Mr.. Newton remarked, in support of the res
olution, that the systematizing of our schools
would greatly reduce the labors of trustees
also. Mr.. Parker, after some inquiry as to the
effect of the resolution upon colored schools,
gave it his support. Unanimously adopted.
Mr.. Newton offered the following: IRE
solved, That this convention recommend to
the citizens of each district the levy of q local
tax to be applied to the repair, construction,
&c., of school-houses, and to payment of teach
ers." Carried
Mr. Murdoch offered the following resolu-
ton, which was adopted:
Resolved, That the Board of School Examin-
ers are respectfully requested to raise the grade
of examination for teachers in such manner as
to secure better and a competent class OF
instructors for public schools.
Much of the discussion concerning school
matters was of great interest. The convention
seemed unanimous upon the means to be en-
ployed in building up the schools, and there
is little doubt that much of the reform sugges-
ted is practicable and greatly required. 1t is
to be hoped that the good work will be pushed
forward until our schools shall become credita-
BILE to the public patronage.