The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-08-20
The Duties of School Officers.

1' bearing upon the subject, and
:, may be of interest to have some {
: them published so that all who ar
e interested may be informed.
o One of the first 1 find is that
r is the duty of school directors: "T
{ use the school fund apportioned t.
their district, derived from dona
tions and other sources, in sucl
: manner as will promote the inter
esss of the public schools in thei
respective districts" l take it tina
this does not mean that privat'
schools are to be fostered at tn,
expense of public schools.
Section 1911 of the code says "Ir
all localities where the number o
children is sufficient, preference
shall be given, under suitable regu
lations to graded sehools-that is
to say-to schools in which the pu-
pills are taught in the same build
ing but in different rooms and by
different teachers according to ad-
vancement, the studies being the
same as in the schools which have
but one teacher" We would prob
ably have had such a school as is
indicated in the above section long
ago but for the fact that Pulaski
already had a male and a female
school established before the pas
sage of the present school law; and
the legislature, fearing that the old
established schools would be broken
down before adequate educational
privileges could be afforded by the
free school, made the following pro-
vision, sec. 1912. 1.-The district di-
rectors shall have power to and
they are hereby authorized TO make
contracts of consultations with the
trustees, teachers, sor other author
tiles of academies, seminaries, col
lrges, or private schools by which
the public schools may be taught
in such institutions" This section
is followed by another which says
that free school studies shall be
taught under such plan free of any
cost to pupils,,&c. Under this law
and with the desire to foster two
old established schools for the ed
ucation of the pupils of the dis
trict-the directors formerly made
contracts with the two schools to
teach the pupils of the two sexes in
free school studies. They would
have probably continued to give
the fund to both these schools so
long as they kept an efficient corps
of teachers, but such pressure was
made by the people to give more
schools, more convenient, DC, and
various excuses generally urged by
teachers wanting schools that the
plan of consolidation" has re-
suited in multiplication of schools,
and instead of the prudent plan
Of fostering the old established
schools intended by the legislature.
The free school fund has operated
As a bonus for the establishment of
a multitude of small schools, strug-
Cling for mere existence, and to the
serious detriment of the colleges. .
This state of things brought about (
he so-called pro rata plan of last
all.
The consolidation" had pre-
Tiously been effected by employing
,eachers in each of the schools to ,
each the free schools under the ,
of the principal of
zach school, and when they ex- ,
ended the operation of the consoli-
1ation plan to the other schools
established or that might hereafter
De established, they continued to
employ the teachers at stipulated
price until they became so numer-
Ius that the money would no long
re 60 around, then they fell upon
,he expedient of allowing the entire
'und to be divided among the
,eachers according to the number
IF pupils attending their schools.
Then followed the pro-rata plan
lnder which the teachers we're
lot employed tY contract. They
we're not required to stand an I
examination. There was no {
'uperintendence by county su- {
superintendent or board of direc s
80 far as the writer knows. All
his is contrary to law and opposed I
20 the interests of free schools or
any other schools in Pulaski.
The law expressly says that !;
teachers must stand an examina-
Jon and shall be employed only by
contract. Now I am not in
a TRADE against the direc-
tors. 1t Is a thankless Office to say
'he best of it, and the men who
have served in that capacity have
done so at great personal sacrifice
Of time and inclination and they
have always tried to do the best
hey could to satisfy all parties.
They have simply been so ham ,
pered by popular demand for
changes that they have yielded, and
often contrary to their Judgment
and the law. Now ! believe in a
representative democracy in local
as we'll as state and nations al affairs.
II we elect men to local offices we
should see that they are intelligent
enough to fill them and then let !
hem do their dptY according to
aW and their best Intelligence.
If the idea must prevail that To-
sal officers must be hampered con-
by every little individual, {
and every petty individual interest :
At every new turn Of affairs, let us
have a democracy as pure and sim ,
pie as 1t exists in the interior towns ,
Of Russia where upon any question
IF Importance the whole population .
in some common, and all :
begin to talk and gable at once.
Every body talks, nobody listens
until generally in the latter part of
,he day, sometimes the next day, !
somebody advances an idea thai
seems to suit. 1t is discussed and
amended by everybody until tit
seems TO be acquiesced in by the I
The question is then put I
md always passes unanimously be
'ause any objector is Immediately
knocked down and silenced. L. '