The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-10-28
COUNTY NORMAL INSTITUTES.

The School Law of North Carolina
saws: "The board of education of any
county may annually appropriate an
amount not exceeding one hundred dol
lars out of the school funds of the coun-
ty for the purpose of conducting one or
more teachers Institutes for said county ;
or the county boards of education of two
or more adjoining counties may, if in
their judgment deemed proper, appro'
pirate an amount not exceeding one
hundred dollars to each county for the
purpose of conducting teachers insti,
tute for said counties, at some convenient
and satisfactory point, and the public
school teachers of the said county or
counties are required to attend said in.
stitutes, which latter shall be open also
to any teachers in the county or counties
who may be desirous to attend them.
A county teachers institute u:ider the
preceding section shall be under the su-
pervision of the county superintendent
of public instruction. In the event of a
Joint county teachers institute, the super
vision thereof shall be vested in presl-
dent, to be elected by the institute from
among the county superintendent pres
ent."
In commenting on these sections of
tue school law, the State Superintendent
of Public instruction says: "The
County Board of Education of each
county should make M appropriation of
a sufficient sum, under the provisions of
these sections, for the proper training OF
the teachers of the county for work in
the public schools. a we'll conducted
teachers institute is an absolute neces-
sity for the proper development and pro-
gress of the school system of county.
It is a mistaken idea of economy in
county boards to withhold the funds
necessary for this work"
The new school law of Mississippi re-
ouires the ounty superintendent to de-
vote the first three Saturdays Of each
scholastic month to holding institutes for
the improvement of teachers in their
qualifications and methods Of teaching,
aud for the discussion of topics pertain.
ing to the advancement of the Public
School interests in his county. The
county superintendent is required to di-
vide bis county into three (S) institute
districts, and to hold one institute in
each district every month. Teachers are
required to attend these institutes, and
all who fail to attend and take such part
as the superintendent assigns forfeit their
salary. A record of each district insti.
tutc must be on file in the superinten.
dents office before he issues his pay GER
tifcate to any teacher of that district.
South Carolina's school law says !:
The County School Commissioner "shall,
when deemed advisable by the County
Board of Examiners, apportion from the
increase of the two ~ mill tax on prop.
erty sum not exceeding two hundred
$4,000 dollars, to defray the expenses of
teachers Institutes, conducted under reg.
ulations prescribed by the Superintend-
ent of Education, which sum shall be
drawn on his warrant upon the County
Treasurer, approved by the other ~
members of the County Board of Exam
iners."
Our law on this point, as on others, is
too loose, as is seen above. In Missis:.
sippi these institutes must be held and
teachers are required to attend. In
North Carolina, while the holding Of an
institute is left to the discretion OF the
County Board of Education, yet when
an institute is held the pnblic school
teachers are required to attend. We
trust our State Superintendent of Educa-
ton will make some clear cut suggestions
to the next Legislature on these points,
and that that honorable body will give
more heed to these suggestions than
other Legislatures have given to the sug-
gestions which this officer has made for
the Improvement of our common schools,
In the meantime let thc teachers OF
the State discuss. through their county
papers, the subject of County Normal
Institutes. Let the school authorities
take part in these discussions. In coun-