The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-01-15
STATES SCHOOL SUBJECTS
A CARD TO TIE LEGISLATURE.


and modifying and amending such 9TH
ers as may seem still a. be inefficient ana
defective. Tho last meeting Of the legis-
laturo was called for tho purpose IN
part of remodeling and rendering more
efficient the system of our public free
schools. Their remodeling was, for tho
most part, very good, and some very
wholesome changes were made. SIM,
we do not think our school system Is
near what IL ought to be ana can he, In
our humble Judgment tho school law
contains vet some serious aud palpablo
defects, which might he cured 10y re-
peals and amendments. Section ~,
chapter - Of the acts OF the special SEES
sion of the eighteenth legislature re-
cites: "The county Judge shall have,
under the dirtctio OF the state super
Intendent, tho immediate supervision
OF all matters pertaining 10 public edu-
ucation In his county. He shall confer
with aud counsel teachers and trustees,
visit and examine schools, deliver lee
lures ON topics calculated TO excite an
interest In public education, or procure
organize and hold teachers institutes,
and shall approve all vouchers against
the school fund of his county. He shall
approve all contracts between the teach
ers and the trustees. He shall discharge
such other duties rs may be prescribed
by the state superintendent etc.
Now, does the county judge really do
much visiting of public schools. lectur-
ing on topics calculated to arouse an
educational interest? Does he organize
teachers institutes, ETC.? He does not;
and whyf Because, generally he has
not the time, and because IL IL not really
his capacity To do so. IL is trying to do
two things at once, the result OF which
Is generally partial failure at least, 10
n .g.I. oil oh al h.a
The work of Il judge and school super.
intendant are of a different nature, and
quite distinct. He must be either the
ono or the 9th or, ana not both. When
he laws aside his judicial duties To at
tend 10 his educational duiiesit is step
ping out of one sphere of action INTO
another entirely different, and when he
would assume his Judicial duties again
he lets go the educational. The result
il, his duties on the bench
being considered by him the more
important, and being the duties which
he considers himself called upon more
especially to see after, he usually gives
himself wholly to the performance OF
those duties as he should, and let's edu-
cational matters go. sometimes lie
does AS the law directs and "procures
some one" TO attend to the educational
part of his duties. Would it not be belt
to make the Offices of county judge and
and county school superintendent sepa-
rate and distinct and have separate oili-
GERS TO fill them? Let us have Il county
school superintendent. Let him be
elected by the people, or by all the
school rustees of the county, (and this
we think the best plan), or by the
county commissioners. Let the county
commissioners set his salary so that the
amount will he regulated according To the
work to be done, in some counties more,
in some less. The superintendent should
receive stipulated annual salary, ana
it should be made his duty to examine
all applicants for teachers certificates
free Of charge. Why have board of
three examiners when there is rarely
ever more than one present AT the eX-
animation? One examines and the
others always "approNe" ana take Inc
dollar. The teacher ought not to pay
| n cent for his certificate, neither ought
| he to have to make affidavit to the cor
RICHNESS of his report every month ana
pay 80 cents for it. Ii simply amounts to
making the teacher pay an occupation
tax of So per year and 90 cents per
month, while his school lasts, in all %
or So per year. The plan of making the
per cent. of attendance The basis OF The
| teachers salary is awkward ana Unfair
| Let him work for stipulated salary;
then he knows exactly what he is to re-
!
| trustees know the exact amount they
have TO pay. That part of section ii Of
the late amendments of the school law,
which recites, "A school month snail
| consist of not less than twenty days, eX-
elusive of given holidays" sounds pc
nurious. IL is penurious and unjust.
Why not leave that matter entirely
with the trustees? If they see proper
to allow the teacher u holiday, why not
| let it be so? Why be so eXacting of the
school teacher, who, of all professionals,
artists or craftsmen, gets the poorest
paw for the work he performs?
Another most neediul change, we
think, is in regard to school trustees.
Under the present law all the trustees
are chosen at the same time, and their
terms of office all expire likewise,
at the same time leaving the
school community without board OF
trustees and completely disorganized
once every year. Every year the COM
munities have to be reorganized and
different board of trustees elected. The
public school usually closes in May or
June, and from then until the new board
is elected the school community is in
effect defunct and gone into nonenity.
If the teacher who has taught the school
has shown himself good teacher and
worthy of patronage, and given such
satisfaction that the people are anxious
to procure his services for another term
or another year, still the trustees are
powerless in taking steps in that direc-
ton. They are not warranted IN re-
electing him or making any engage
ments whatever with him, because their
power does not extend beyond the linn
its of the present scholastic year, and
the next board of trustees succeed them,
not as heads of the same corporation,
but as corporation altogether new and
separate. And it works a hardship
upon the teacher also, for If he should
desire to teach the same school again ne
can not know until the next board OF
trustees is chosen whether he will get it
or not. If he wants TO apply for 1t
he must wait in suspense and
uncertainty three or four months to app
ply to those who, after "the first Satur-
day in August will have authority TO
speak definitely about the matter. All
must wait until after the reorganization
and election in August, and then with
but little time to go upon, the trustees
must be in a hurry, take the first chance,
and often pick up just such teacher as
they can find to take their school. The
teacher, too, must be in hurry to take
the first chance for fear it may be his
only chance, and get just such school
as may happen, just then, to be Ia his
reach. Such state Of things makes it
will teach their school, and uncertain
with the teacher as to where he will
teach his next school. Such uncer-
tainty is productive, of course, OF fire.
quent changes of teachers and has the
effect, in fact, of driving many OF the
most competent and best qualified
teachers away from the profession. All
this may be easily avoided by making
the organization of the school commu-
nifty or district permanent and perpet-