Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-11-28
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL QUESTION.

Some weeks ago the School Com
missioner, under the advice of the
County Board of Examiners, sug-
gestcd, through the Teachers Col
umn IN your paper, that the free pub
lie schools be suspended for one year,
and that part of the funds for this
year be expended in rcdistricting the
county, 50 that there should be not
more than one white and one colorcd
school in each district. This s,lgges-
ton was made for two reasons: 1st,
and mainly, because the thing is in
itself good, and its adoption by the
people is desired. Cd. Agitation, if
nothing more, of the public school
system and it's administration is de-
sirablc. The latter end, at least, has
been accomplished. Agitation is apt
to bring to the surface things frothy
and useless, where they can be seen
and separated from the good and use
ful. Asw expected, the suggestion
above alluded to has become the es-
capc-valve through which much of
the long pcnt-up fumes of discomfort,
disappointment and inaccuracies Of
the system are escaping. "E. G. H."
thinks the trouble is not with the dis
trictS, but on account of the school
commissioners lack of sympathy with
the teachers. Another thinks the
school commissioner does not appor-
ton the funds properly, and that au-
gust and fearful body, the grand jury,
has taken hold of the matter and
thinks the country schools are dis
crimnatcd against i'm favor of the
towns. On the other hand, the towns
think they haven't enough, rather
than too much, and are constantly
asking the Legislature to give them
absolute control of the funds, for
from one to three miles around, un-
der the title especial school district" ="
with the power to levy special tax,
dc. The plea of ''E. {. H." for the
poor teachers might be cifcctually
answered IN one sentence by saying
that the public school law was neither
framed nor is it administered for the
benefit Of the teacher, and hence
there is no room for the exercise of
sympathy by the school commissioner
toward any, but it was enacted and
is executed for the benefit of the
children Of he country. The teacher
being Il mere incident Of the system
his interests arc carefully provided
for it is true, but rather because pro-
vidng for the teacher is providing
for the children than for any intended
benefit meant for him on his own ac-
count. But will making school
"schooT identical Gin territory en-
braccO with "district' niurc the
professional teacher? Wchopc to be
able to show before closing this arti-
Gle that it will not. Are the country
schools really Disseminated against
in favor of the towns ? In the pro-
sent discussion we will assume tEat
they are. Why are they? Is it the
fault OF the system or of its adminis-
tration Not OF the system, because
it contemplatcs an apportionmcnt.
Apportionmcnt is Il mathematical cX-
preston and is exact. 1t leaves no
room for discrimination. Then where
is the trouble ? Does the school COM
missioner discriminate in spite of the
law directing apportionmcnt BY
no means. lie apportions exactly as
the law directs. His duties in this
particular are ministerial and not dis
crctionary lie is Il mere clcrk-a
school boy who is SO, to work Ger
tain sum in addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division His
sum is simple one, and its solution
does not take him beyond the cxcr-
else of the above four fundamental
rules, and he can get but one correct
answer. What, then, does the law
direct and where is the trouble :?
Let us see. Tine law directs the
school commissioner to apporton the
school fund (rxccpt the poll tax)
among the school. DISTRICTS, not the
SCHOOLS, (obscrvc the ,liI'fcrcncc,) y ac-
cording to the previous years average
attendance of pupils in the free pub
lie schools Of the district. lie does
this and then reports to the trustees
Of each district the amount of the
fund in the hands of the county
treasurer sub icct to the order Of the
trustees. Just here the Srhoo! COM
mlSsioncr's power over the fund of Il
district ceases and the control Of the
trustees Of ;hc district begins. The
trustees draw their orders directly ON
the county treasurer in behalf Of
whom they please, the school COM
missioner acting only as kind of
cheek upon them by having to coun-
tcrsign their orders, but in no instance
having the right to draw an original
order or to direct the trustees to
whom To draw one. But says one,
You haven't yet shown us where the
trouble is or how to remedy it. Don't
you see it? Why, when the com
missioner apportionS he apporions to
a DISTRICT. The DISTRICT includes
4 dozen SCHOOLS in the country and
one in town. The rule OF apportion-
mcnt applies to the SCHOOL coMMlS-
SIoNER and to DISTRICTS. Then is
there no law or rule to govern the
trustees in paying ont the money to
schools? None under the sun. The
law merely charges the trustees with,
"lSt. TO provide suitable school
houses in their districts and to make
| hn uo,n, ,l Il 1