The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-05
CIRCULAR.
COLUMBIA, S. c., June IL, 1s7

COLUMBIA, S. c., June IL, 1877.
| To j. NJ CARIHILE School Commissioner of an
derson County, S. c.:
| S1R-Thc General Assembly at its recent session
appropriated $1oooo0 exclusive Of the poll tax for
fiscal year. The amount to which your County Is
entitled IS $4G7S75. heavy penalty having been
imposed for the non-payment of the poll tax, 1t Is
believed that the amount derived from this source
will be much larger than in any previous year
The law provides that the poll tax shall be retain
ed by the County Treasurers, and that 1t shall be
expended for school purposes In the township in
ty have been closed this year, I would advise you
to open them as soon rs possible'a to keep them
open until the above mentioned amount and the
amount (as nearly as you can estimate it to be de-
rived from the poll tax are exhausted. IT. howey-
ser, the Indebtedness for work done during this
fiscal year is equal to the amount to which your
County is entitled, the schools should be closed at
once. You will please report promptly to this
office whether the schools are open not, as it Is
my desire to visit those Counties in which the
schools in operation. In advance of the publi-
cation of the Acts passed at the recent session OF
the General Assembly, Will call your attention to
the following summary of the amendments to the
School Law:
l. Teachers certificates and all claims against the
Free School Fund must be sworn to by persons
presenting the claims All Trustees are authorized
and required to administer oaths, free of charge,
to persons by whom such claims are presented.
2. The same person cannot act as Trustee and
Teacher OF public school.
3. The law authorizing the levy Of District
School Tax has been repealed.
4. The compensation allowed County School COM
missioncrs is three dollars day for the time actu-
ally employed provided the number Of days in
each and every year for which said compensation
shall be allowed shall in no case exceed one hum
dred days, except in the County of Charleston,
where the number of days shall not exceed one
hundred and fifty.
This is the year in which the Trustees are requi-
red to make or to have made, an enumeration Of
all children between the ages of six and sixteen
years. The District School Tax having been abol-
can be paid for this work They are, however,
earnestly requested to make the enumeration. The
work is not onerous and it is of the utmost impor-
tance that it should be done. Without the infor-
nation thus obtained it will be impossible for the
Legislature at the regular session to make correct
estimate upon which to base the appropriation for
free schools for the next year. at five cents per
capita, which has heretofore been allowed for this
enumeration, the expense of making it, assuming
that the school population is ebout what it was in
1875, would be nearly $4,000. The saving Of this
amount will surely be, to all Trustees who really
desire to promote the interests of the public
schools, sufficient nducement to perform this inl-
portant work without pay.
Permit me to call your attention to the impor-
tance of having men of intelligence and high char.
actcr on your Boards of Examiners and Boards Of
Trustees.
The efficiency of the public school system must
depend greatly upon the manner in which these
B0arQS are organized. 1artSau 1uSLruCtlOH III
the schools" Is forbidden, and the best guarantee
which you can give that this wise provision of the
law will be enforced will be the selection of conf
petent persons for Examiners and Trustees.
suggest wherever it is practicable that both races
and both political parties be represented these
Boards. Many of the school officers, and especially
the Trustees, are notoriously incompetent To re-
tain them will reflect great discredit upon the
School Commissioners, and will be wrong to the
people of the State 1t is my intention to request
the Circuit Judges to instruct the Grand Jures to
investigate the management. of the public schools
in the different Counties and Shall ask the Courts to
use their authority to remove all school officers
who, through ignorance or neglect fail to discharge
their duties.
As soon as possible after the closing Of the schools
you will please send to this Office all reports which
YOU are required to make. Delay on the part of
any one Commissioner will retard the preparation
of my report.
There will be no meeting this year of the Board
Of Education, no appropriation having been made
to pay the mileage OF members.
School officers should bear in mind that the
money appropriated for this year cannot be used to
meet deficiencies for previous years.
Very respectfully,
State Superintendent of Education.
OFFICE COUNTY SCHOOL COMMISSIONER
ANDERSON, June %, 1877.
Trustees will please take notice of the above Or