The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-23
THE NEW SCHOOLLAW
Superintendent Barnard Com
mends 1t.
CITIES SHOULD E.
EXAMINE.
Defects I'm tho Present Law Which 1t
Removes-How Teachers should
he Examined.

The bill Of State Superintendent Bryan
now before the Legislature, containing pro-
visions for the examination of teachers in
the city schools by board of examiners
chosen by the boards of eiucation, meets
the approval OF Superintendent Frank u.
Barnard, of the Seattle schools.
II consider it a good bill, said he to a
reporter of the observation-disclosures yes
terday. 1T puts boards of education
more in touch with their schools. There
is no reason why they should not be sep
arate from the county schools. The city
schools are managed by separate board
of directors and are maintained by sep
arate taxation, and see no reason why
they should not be independent in other
respects.
''Some provision is needed for testing
the qualifications Of teachers applying for
positions in the city schools. No examin-
atoms can be held by the county superin-
tendent except at stated periods three
months apart. During the present year
we have employed twenty-five teachers
who could not be examined until the
next regular quarterly examination was
held. Ten Of our teachers were compelled
to dismiss their schools two days to be
examined at the county examination held
last week.
1.-THE bill now before the legislature is
devised to cure fatal effect in the law
now in operation. The act of 1890 pro-
vides that the board Of directors may APP
point an examining board consisting of
the superintendent of the city schools,
two members of the board of directors,
and two experienced teachers.
This needed provision is nullified by a
subsequent section Of the same act provid-
ing that no certificate shall be granted by
the examining board thus appointed unless
the applicant holds certincate from the
county superintendent. The bill now
pending corrects this defect in the present
law.
"The existing law provides, and the pro-
visions are retained in the new bill, that
the examining board may issue four grades
of certificates as follows:
High school certihcates-valid for six
years, qualifying the holder to teach in
any school in the city.
Grammar school certificates-valid for
five years, qualifying the holder to teach
in any primary or grammer school.
Second class grammary or primary
school certificates, at discretion of the
boardwalk for two years.
Especial city certifcates-valid for five
years, issued to teachers of special
branches, as music, drawing, etc.
Certificates may be issued without ex-
animation to holders Of state or life di-
plomas or certificates, or to holders Of GER
tihcateS issued by the boards of other cities
of Washington. The board may also re-
new certificates, or for the unfitness or inn
moral conduct of the holder, revoke them.
1.-THE objection has been raised that this
bill gives too much power to one man, the
city superintendent. / fail to see this OBJ
lection. Four members of the board are
chosen by the school board.
81 think it would be an improvement to
have the board Of examination consist of
three MEMBERSHIP superintendent of the
city schools, one member of the board of
directors and the principal of the High
school. The law should be emphatic as
to what studies applicants should
be examined in. The chairman of
the city board should be required to fur
nish complete statistics to the county
superintendent on any points on which he
may ask for them. The object of this is to
avoid conflict between the city and county
superintendents. They should work in
harmony. u
There should be provision for grant
ing certificates without examination to
teachers who have had five years exper-
fence and achieved pronounced profess
sional success. In regard to Seattle, we
expect soon to have normal school de-
partment in our High school. There
should be provision for issuing certif-
Gates without examination to graduates Of
such normal departments, provided that
they require practice teaching under
critic teacher for five or eight months
wear during a two years course