Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-06-28
CIRCULAR.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
OrrICr Of STATE SUP'T OF EDUCATION,

f, CIRCULAR. .ag
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
OFFICE OF STATE SuP'T OF EDUCATION, 7
COLUMBIA, June IA, 1sT.J
The General Assembly tits recent session
appropriated 100000, exclusive of the poll
tax, for the support of the Free Common
Schools for this fiscal year. The amount to
which your county is entitled is - s''
A heavy penalty having been imposed for
the non.payment of the poll tax, it 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
retained by the County Treasurers, and that
it shall be expended for school purposes in the
township in which it is collected. If the
schools in your county have been closed this
year, I would advise you to open them as soon
as possible, and to keep them opened until
the above mentioned amount and the amount
Gas nearly as you cs, estimate it to be de.
rived from the poll tai are exhausted. Ii,
however, the indebtedness for work done du-
ring this fiscal year is equal to the amount
to which your county is entitled, the schools
should be closed at once. You will please re-
port promptly to this Office whether the schools
are open or not, as it is my desire to visit
those counties in which the schools are in OPP
Grafton.
In advance of the publication Of the Acts
passed at the recent session Of the General
Assembly, will call to your attention the
following summary of the amendments to the
school law: u
l. Teachers certificates and all claims
against the Free School Fund must be sworn
to by persons presenting the claims. All
trustees are authorized aud required to admin.
lister oaths, free ofcharge, to persons BY whom
such claims are presented.
2. The same person cannot act as Trustee
and Teacher Of public school.
8. The law authorizing the levy of Dis.
trict School tax has been repealed.
4. The compensation allowed to County
School Commissioners is three (3) dollars q
day for the time actually employed, provided
the number of days in each and every year
for which said compensation shall be allowed
shall, in no case, exceed one hundred days,
except in the county Of Charleston, where the
number of days shall not exceed one hundred
and fifty.
The following communication, announcing
the regulations prescribed by the Comptroll-
er-General for the payment Of County School
Commissioners, is published for your iDforma-
tion:
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
OFFICE OF THE CoMPTRoLLER-GENERAL.
COLUMBIA, June 10, 1877.
Hon. II. s. THOMPSON, Superintendent OF Ed
ucation.
SIR: There is some doubt as to the amount OF
compensation School Commissioners may be en-
titled to from the beginning Of this fiscal year to
the 9TH Of June instant.
deem it proper to say for your information,
that propose TO apply the appropriation for the
isca. year, as directed by the "Act to reduce and
fix the salaries of certain officers" Section g. ap-
proved June7, 1877.
In doing this, 7 will require each County School
Commissioner applying for warrant to submit
number of days employed, and the character OF
the work upon which he was employed. This
account must be sworn to before some onelegal-
ly qualified to administer an oath, and come to
my Office with your official approval.
NeSpgcttsotN JOHNSON HAGooD,
Comptroller General.
This is the year in which the Trustees are
required to make, or to have made, an emu.
meration of all children between the ages Of
six and sixteen years. The District School
tax having been abolished, there is no fund
from which the Trustees can be paid for this
work. They are, however, earnestly request
ed to make the enumeration. The work is
not onerous and it is of the utmost impor-
tance that it should be done. Without the
information thus obtained, it will be impossi-
BILE 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 enumer-
alton, the expense of making it, assuming
that the school population is about 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 in
terests of the public schools, sufficient in
ducement to perform this important work
without pay.
Permit me to call your attention to the
Importance of having men Of intelligence
and high character on your Boards of Exam
liners and Boards of Trustees.
The efficiency of the public school system
must depend greatly upon the manner in
which these boards are organized. "Partisan
instruction in the schools" is forbidden, and
the best guarantee which you can give that
this wise provision of the law will be en-.
forced, will be the selection of competent per-
sons for Examiners and Trustees. I suggest,
wherever it is practicable, that both races
and both political parties be represented on
these boards. Many of the school officers,
and especially the Trustees, are notoriously
incom petent. To retain them will reflect
great discredit upon the School Commission
ers, and will be wrong to the people Of the
State. 1t is my intention to request the Cir
cult Judges to instruct the Grand Juries to
investigate the management of the public
schools in the different counties, and I shall
ask that the courts use their authority to re-
move all school officers who. through igno-
rance 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. De-
lay 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 hav-
ing been made to pay the mileage Of men,
bers.
School officers should bear in mind that
the money appropriated for this year, cannot
be used to meet Deficiencies for previous
years.
Commissions issued since December ii,
1876, and not signed by His Excellency Gov
ernor Hampton, are not valid. In such cases,
the School Commissioners must send their
bonds, approved by the County Commission
ers, to the Secretary of State, who will issue
the commissions.
Very respectfully.