Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1882-09-01
To the Voters OF school District No. /
Boise County.

The annual election az Trustees il |
at hand, and it is our duty 10 look well |
10 the Importance of the work to Ii.
done on that occasion. For seve: a
years it has been customary to elect
boards Of Trustees, run IN the interest
lof some Candidate FIR the position Of
teacher OF the school-sn that, pracli-
cally, the teacher has been elected
aud usually by small minority, If
the patrons Of the school aud the w.
trrs Of the District, as no one has fell
interest enough III the matter to lead
off any opposition. The Consequence
has been that trustees 80 elected, have
either resigned, or have quietly hauded
over the school to III. run by the tea
cher in his own way and in his nw,,
Interest, ard on his own ter,nS-aud
practically. without feeling any ac-
c"ni' ability to the board. All mus,
at once see that this is wide depart
IRE from the original design of our
common school law, and that boards
i trustees elected nnder such circilm-
stances must almost necessarily fail Ii
iischarging the duties Of their office,
according 10 that design What are
likely to be some of the evils Of such
IA system of elecfing trustees?
FIRST: The district lnuses the ad-
vantage Of Competition on the part ai
| teachers for sitlnn in the school.
: There are now many Competent tea
, chers in the country, but they sann
+, earn that it is useless to apply for our
, school as our trustees have been elect
I'd in the interest Of a particular
teacher.
:. SECOND: AS further result-of this
! boss OF C ,mpetition-we have bee,
e compelled I" pay fancy prices tn ON
t. trachers-and 10 content ourselves
u with one, much Of the time, when, foI
g nearly the same money. with compc-
= lition, we might have bad tro, muel
: 10 the advantage of orr SIN Her chill
T. drcn at least. 1t is worthy Of note
|. right here, that very large najlrit,
Of our children fall in this class.
{ THIRD: Oar trustees elected to pu
: IL certain teacher in the school for thu
q year are liable to feel they have done
II their duty when they have made the
contract with the teacher, and hence
II forth to hecome remiss. The sch0o
n, law makes it their duty not only t,
n employ teachers and fix their salaries
a but clothes them with "pnwer tn dis
m charge any teacher for any neglect %
re duty, or any Gauss that Iii their opin
ION renders his or her services unprof
u table as teacher" But what set q
.r trustees elected to employ ga" a
n teacher is likely to exercise such su
(: pervision as The above law conteu
at plates!
N Again the law demands of trustee
to ito visit the schools i'll their district
h from time To time, and not less tina
n once a month each." Who dpes no
Is perceive that the discharge OF that dt
itItv by trestees would be most salntar
III upon both pupils and teacher? BIZ
Of they have not been elected for .ila
le purpose.
to Such are some of the inevitable evil
IA of our system OF electing pledged tru'
~ tees. The remedy is plain. Flee
he trustees that yon expect will do thel
to whole duty, and throw upon them th
al responsibility of the good managemer
nd Of the school. Elect men unpleige
p to airy special teacher, and who, whe
he they have tried one, and he is foGn
e- wanting in usefulness, are at libert
~ to discharge him and try another. Ii
.ir Ms have an old style board of TRUSTEES