Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-08-15
QUESTIONS ANSWERED.


Series of Replies to Important Questions
In Relation to the Public Schools OF In
terest to All Engaged in or in Any Way
Connected with the Management of the
Educational Interests of the State.
Below we give a series of questions
propounded to the Superintendent of
Public Instruction with his replies there
to, which if carefully perused by those
connected with the public schools of the
State can not fail to be of use to them
and save them the trouble of propound-
ing the same questions in the future.
1. Is Sd grade certificate issued prior to
Nav %, 80, legal, and is a contract made on it
valid?
Answered. Sd grade certificate legally issued
under the old law prior to May a8. S9, is valid
made upon such certifcate-either before or
since May %, Sis legal
2. Where the annual meeting voted a four or
five months school term and rate less than
10 cents, will such district be compelled to have
SIX months school this year. provided tax OF
10 cents would maintain six months school!
Ans.-Where the annual meeting voted less
than six months school term, rate less than
10 cents. and the estimate was sent in accord
ingly prior to May %, the board must maintain
a school for six months if they have the money,
or for so long a time as they have money to
maintain the same; but under such circum-
stances should the money only be sufficient to
run a four or five-month' school this year, the
district will lose nothing by so doing. Any
thing that was done legally under the old law
prior to May %. 'S9, can not be rendered void
by the provisions of the new law. mo expost
facto law can be passed" Sections 7G22a and
sO31a can be inforced this year only in those
district in which q Accent tax will maintain
six-months term and there is sufficient funds
on hand to run the same.
Y mention sections
7O22a, 7031-4th item, 1O31a and 1922. cover only
teachers wages, or both teachers wages and
incidental eXpensese
Ans.-These sections mentioned apply to
taxes for 'school purposes and the term
''school purposes when relating to taxation
always includes teachers wages and incidental
expenses. To maintain school for six months
on 40 cent tax. means that the board is author
ICED and required to send in an estimate OF 40
cents for teachers wages and incidental ex-
penseS; /. e. the whole expense of the school
must be paid from the public funds and a tax
of 40 cents. The boards can divide the 40 cents
on estimate as they think proper, but should
the sum of the rates for teachers wages and
incidental expenses exceed 40 cents it must be
voted by the people by section 1855.
d. Should an applicant for Il certificate ever
be graded 10 or 100-as PERFECTION any subjects
or subjects on his certificate?
AnS.-The grades upon certificate, when Sc
cured as the law requires in Section 70S3b.
the D, 10 or 20 questions submitted by the exam
liner. A grade of 10 does not imply that the
holder is perfect in that subject but only that
upon the questions asked, the answers were sat
sfactory-correctly answered
5. What do the words public purposes
mean used in Section 1044.
Ans.-"Publc purposes as used in Sec.
7O44. means that the purpose for which Il
school house can be voted open or used is one
to which the public is admitted free; that is,
nothing of private nature can be transacted
in public school house. Therefore all pay
exhibitions. shows. private schools and secret
societies are-under the words public pur-
poses''-ruled out of public school houses.
6. Should the words, 1T is further agreed
that should said teacher fail to give general
satisfaction. the board may dispense with his
services at the end of any month"; be placed in
contract. the board dismiss the teacher:
AnS.-Sec. TO46 q SAYS THE board shall have
power to dismiss teacher and placing
those words in the contract does not help the
board in the least. for the Kansas City Court
of Appeals has decided in the Frazier case"
that the board has right to make such
tract "a Mo-, A, p. $50 Sec. 1046 provides
what shall be in the contract. and school
boards must comply with its provisions
strictly.
z. Can director who was elected last April,
act as director. if he paid no State or county
tax last year rs required in Sec. T041?
Ans.-Sec. 1040 does not require that direct
ors elected prior to May IS 1889. "shal have
paid a State and county tax within one year
next preceding their election but that those
hereafter elected shall possess the quallfca-
lions required in Sec 7u4,.
g. What constitutes taxpayer. mentioned
in Sec. 7G3l-eleventh item-and 1859?
Ans.-A .'taxpayer' under the section named
is Il resident of the district for 80 days, quail
fled voter under Sec. 704O, and owns property
in the dstrict-real or personal-in his own
been assessed 3ilhlp G.
sessment-
9. Can women vote at school elect1one
Ans. They can not vote: they are not 'quali.
fled voters under our laws
TO- In what cases does voter. at n school
meeting. have to be 4 tax payer?
Ans.-Only qualified voters who are tax-pay.
ers can vote to move n schoo. house site-Sec.
1G41, eleventh division-aId to increase the
tax for "school purposes in excess CT 40 cents
on the S1OO-Sec. 7059. On all other PROPOSE
tons, submitted at an annual or special meet
ing. all residents of the district and qualified
voters, as defined in Sec. 7lio, can vote.
II. Are recesses included in the six hours
mentioned in Section 1904:
Ans.--Section 1904 says moth ing about recesses
and are not recognized by our law. Should you
give ten minutes recess twice Il day and one
hour at noon, it will require seven hours and
twenty minutes from the time you open school
in the morning until you dismiss III the after
noon to constitute e legal school day. The law
requires nOurS OF aCtual WORK III SclOOf'
to constitute a school Gay.
~. Is there any law specifying when school
shall commence and when close or how long
the rcesseS and noon intermisson shall be?
Ans.-The law says nothing about intermis-
sion. but simply requires six hours of actual
teaching to constitute school day. You may
decline to give any recesses and make the noon
thirty minutes, one hour, or
one hour and half, as you may think
best for the welfare of the school and
the health of the pupils. In country districts
where the children all bring their lunch for
noon, it is best to shorten up the noon inter-
mission as the days grow cold and disagreeable
in the winter, to thirty, or even twenty minutes
and dismiss them sooner in the afternoon;
this will prevent much of the trouble
that arises on the school grounds and
protect the children against taking colds
which generally contracted at such
The rules and regulations fur
nished by Sections 7o45 and 7O46a should in
clude rule designating the time school shall
be opened and closed. at what time recesses
and noon intermission shall be given and the
length of the same; for when this is done the
of such rule becomes part OF the
teacher contract under Sec. 7o46a.
w. E. COLEMAN.
The great trouble with the pug a. q