The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-03-18
Mai. Fingers Address.

/ trust that u VIII not te considered
improper for me, through the newspaper
press, one OF the great educators Of the
people, 70 explain the notifications of
the public school law, enacted By the re-
cent general assembly. | am moved 10
do 20 because Of the numerous enquiries
relative to the matter, Knowing a. / do
that 1t viii nece>s Irily be some weeks be-
fore it will be possible for the law To be
published and sent out as required by
Law.
The prominent changes from the old
law are indicated by the following proyis-
ions:
j. On the first Monday in June next,
and every two years thereafter, the jus
tees Of the peace and the county com
m%issloners at their joint meeting are re
CURED to elect three residents Of their
county, who shall be a county board of
education. Their duties will be the ger
eral supervision Of the school matters of
their county-mainly such as are now
performed by the county commissioners.
They are to meet -four times a year,
with a compensation of two dollars per
day and mileage.
2. The county superintendent is to be
secretary Of the board Of education. His
pay is two or three dollars per day. as the
board may determine, for the days that
he is actually engaged, and he is under
the direction aud supervision Of the
board. He will, in addition to the ordi
nary duties Of superintendent, perform
the duties now required by the register
Of deeds in school matters. A good board
will give him pay and work within the
limits of the law, according to his eff
cheney.
3. The county board of education will
hereafter not be required to make a per
capita appointment of the funds among
the several school districts of the county
as heretofore required. The law requires
that two-tbirds of the money be appor-
toned on a per capita basis, and the re-
naming one third is to be apportioned
I'm such manner as to equaliZe school
facilities to all the districts Of tbc county,
as far as may be practicable aud Just to
all concerned, without discrimination in
favor efor to the prejudice of either race.
If the board find it desirable SO to do,
they may control prices to be paid teach
ers, and they are prudently to require
comfortable school houses to be provided
These provisions indicate the principal
changes in the law all Others are minor
changes, made necessary to make the
system conform to these provisions.
As | understand it, the assembly in
tended to separate school affairs from
other county business, and put them in
the hands of persons specially appointed
with a view to their fitness to manage
them judiciously and economically, giving
them large discretion and evidently tax
ing into consideration the fact that the
State is exceedingly diversified in its in
terests and population. and on this ac-
count demands larger local discretion
than has heretofore obtained.
This local discretion extends also to
the county superintendency. Whi.o it
it IS almost automatic truth that there
can be no good system of public educa-
ton without the services Of an active
aud competent superintendent, some of
our counties are slow to realize the fact.
Such counties are allowed, under the late
| Legislation. to elect an inferior man
superintendent, restrict the scope of his
labors and jog along, being continually
distant in the educational race by their
more progressive n~eighbors. A sue
cesstul business man never invests
money in IN enterprise without either
experimenting it himself, or employing
a competent person to superintend it for
him. This principle applies to school
business with double torce. A short
term of good schooling is worth more
than a longer one of inferiority; time is
save in proportion to the efficiency of
the teacher, and IA good county superin
tendent promotes the efficiency of the
teacher in a marked degree.
The system is not more expensive
thar the old system. The special board
of education will not cost much, if any.
more than was the cost of the county
commissioners as boards of education,
aud the fees heretofore paid to registrars
of deeds will be eliminated.
Seeing that the constitution of the
State requires a system of public educa-
ton, may | not ask the justices of the
peace. sthe county commissioners and
people to assist me IN executing the
system given US by the assembly under
their constitutional requirements, to the
end that we may provide at least a ru-
dimentary education for all the children
of the State, and to the end that what
money we do pay for education may be
iudiciously used. May | not hope that
wise. benevolent aud suitable men will
be found in every county who will con-
sent to act as members of the board oil
education, which is the foundation of the
system. Very obed'tly,
S. NJ. FINGER,
State Sup't. of Pub. Instruction.