The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-10-31
Hearing on the School Bill.

The large number of members present
Thursday evening at the public hearing on
the bill of the school commission showed that
the Importance of the measure is fully felt.
Mr.. Bunker and Mr.. Prouty, chairmen of
the senate and house committees on educa-
ton, respectively, presided and conducted
the hearing. Hon. Loveland Munson, chair
man of the commission explained at some
length the means employed by the board to
procure the facts about the condition of the
schools, the cause and the remedy. There
was but one mind respecting the condition;
there was great diversity of opinion as to
means of relief. The work of the town SUI
perintendent is not what it should be.
There are many good superintendent but
town supervision does not afford the proper
means for examining and licensing teachers
Of this fact the town superintendent are
themselves the strongest witnesses Without
efficient examination and supervision the
schools cannot be well sustained. County SUI
pervision would allow the requisite degree of
independence to insure thorough examina-
tons and freedom from favoritism or local in
fiuence in granting certificates. The certif-
Gates given by town superintendent can
not be relied upon as evidence of ability to
teach. The Office is subject to local, neigh
borhood, social and personal influences
which all know and understand, and which
unfit him for a strict performance of his
delicate duties. So the execution of the
law is let down till it becomes practically a
dead letter. With county supervision, the
independent official existence of the super
visor, examination and licensing of teach
ers will be thorough and proper. In an.
swer to Mr.. Proutys inquiry if one super
visor could attend to-for eXample-the 200
schools of Orleans county, President Brain
erd member of the commission, replied
yes. 1t is not contemplated that the super
visor shall visit every school, the strong and
the weak, without regard to condition, no
more than that the physician shall visit the
well and the sick. He will be informed
of the needs OF the schools and will put in
his work and time where most needed.
One county supervisor, making this work
his sole business and going systematically
and theoretically about his business, could
visit all the schools of Orleans county, and
if in the larger counties assistance is needed
the bill provides for such case.
Mr.. Iandon briefly explained that after
a very careful consideration of the whole
matter the commission decided that uni
formity of textbooks by counties was the
fullest extent to which it was at all desir-
able to carry uniformity. Such is the law
in many of the largest and most progressive
states. Mr.. Landon's exposition of the
reason for this provision of the proposed
law were convincing.
Many details relating to duties OF state
superintendent, salaries, qualifications of
supervisors, power to work reforms in the
schools, designed to disclose the ground on
and detail was framed were brought out
by inquiries and answers and the impress
sion gained strength continually that the
commission had put much hard work and
good thinking into the measure they had
reported
Coming down to the matter of division of
public money, Mr.. Munson explained the
terms of the proposed law and illustrated
its practical operation. If the sum for di-
vision does not exceed 81 200, halfis divided
equally among the districts; if over 81 ,20O
and not over S2,400, one-half of the first
1900 and one-sixth of the remainder is di-
vided equally; if over 81, 400 and not over
$4,000, one-half of the first 81 200, one-sixth
of the second 81 200 and one-twelfth of the
remainder is divided equally; il over 81, 800
nine hundred dollars Of such sum shall be
divided equally. The remainder of the
public money is divided in proportion to
aggregate attendance.
In the distribution of public money under
the proposed law, the towns of the state
may be approximately divided into fouI
classes according to the amount of grand
list The first class comprises those whose
list it less than $6,250 About l57 towns, oil
nearly two-thirds of the entire number, fall
into this class. The amount public money