The record-union., 1892-03-19
superintendent of schooIs.

Sui NlNSQ the struggle. ~. - l.
Auburn, Cal, March 18th.
Superintendent of Schools.
EDS. RECORD UNION: In yesterdays
issue of the RECORD UNION, under the
Charters Educational Departments" Mr..
Weinstock is made to say:
'0ne serious defect in the present
charter is the election of the Superin-
tendent of Schools by the people. By
virtue of his election the Superintend-
ent is largely made independent of the
] Board OF Education. So if the Board
OF Education should have one policy
which 1t desires to have followed out, and
should the superintendent have another
( policy which he is equally anxious to
! have followed out in the conduct OF the
schools, neither policy, naturally enough,
could be successfully put into force, and
the situation would result in a deadlock.
The experience of most progressive
cities throughout the country has made it
plain that to obtain the highest results in
the common schools there should be
unity of spirit between the Board of Edu-
cation and the Superintendent of Schools,
and that 1t IS, therefore, best to have the
superintendent selected by the board, as
is proposed by our new charter. The
power of selecting that officer being
vested in the board it enables it to make
q selection from the entire country, and
IN that way makes it possible for the city
to secure the services of the best obtain
able talent here or elsewhere. The idea
Is TO take the office of superintendent of
Schools out of politics entirely. You
know, the nominating conventions of the
people must confine themselves, in max
ing selections, to residents of their own
city. While this may be loyal action,
looking at it III one way, it is often dis
advantage to the schools. We might get
a man who Is thoroughly qualified to ill
the othce, but IT does not happen often
and when we do get that sort of man he
has to take his chances at the polls for re-
election, and may possibly be humiliated
| by defeat by an inferior man. But this is
all done away with by the proposed new
charter"
W bile L have very high regard for
Mr.. Weinstock's opinions in matters of
public policy, yet I think he is mistaken
as regards the election of the Superin-
tendent Of Public Schools. My first
recollection of a Superintendent of the
Sacramento school system was Rev. W.
II. Hill, minister of the Episcopal
Church. away back in the early sixties,
| superseded, / believe, by Mr.. Landes, a
professional teacher, followed by S. C..
A|Stl9OAl, IL NV yer, WHO was Succeeded Dy
another lawyer, a. G. HinkSon, who was
followed by DIR. Laine, who retired to
give way 10 NJ. r. Beard, who in turn
was succeeded by the present incumbent,
Albert Hart.
doubt If a man can be found to con-
tradict me when l say that all these men
were good citizens and eminently quali-
ned Tor the duties assigned them by the
law, and, il l may refer to the high eff
cheney of the public school system of
Sacramento under their control, l think
it IS a verdict in favor of the election of
the superintendent by the people And
L doubt very much If there is another
city OF our size in the Union, all things
considered, that has given better results
to the people by their school system.
AS L look upon the Board of Educa-
| ton, 1t IS body of men selected by the
| people to look after the business interests
of the School Department. They are not
| selected because of their qualifications as
| educators, but as business men to attend
to the finances, and to procure the neces-
sary buildings, ETC., and to carry out the
law regulating our school system, while
the Superintendent should be person
qualified to know the very best methods
Of teaching, and qualified to put it in
practice. lie should be elected by the
people, and have full control Of the edu-
catlOnal department., and be, to certain
extent, tiepeBdeHt Of the board and
not their creature. The inference | draw
from Mr.. Weinstock's remarks is, that
the 1000 voters of Sacramento are more
liable to select a poor Superintendent
than nine men sitting as Board of Edu-
cation. Let us make a comparison
In 1886 the superintendent, NJ. r.
Beard, exercised not only his privilege
but his duty, by suspending Mr.. Ander-
| son, the Principal of the High School,
for very good and sufficient reasons, but
! the Principal knew his friends and went
before the board. They exonerated him
and allowed him his salary during SUS-
! pension. In doing so they violated the
law, and thought they humiliated the
| superintendent, but at the next election
| for superintendent Mr.. Beard was again
a candidate, and his adversary was one of
| the members of the board who violated
! the law by eXOnerating the Principal and
! humiliating the Superintendent, and the
! 5000 voters showed their feeling in the
matter by electing Mr.. Beard to the office
| the second time.
! AS city we have, unfortunately, fol-
! lowed 1.-THE experience of most progress
sive cities throughout the country''-New
/ York, Chicago and San Francisco-and
with similar result. But we are told
! that the success of the other places is oyy-
| ing to the placing Of great powers in the
hands OF the few. We need not go abroad
for instructions in the divine right to
rule" placed in the hands of few. But
! if any other city desires few lessons in
! that theory all they have to do is to come.
! put up the ''stuff" and Sacramento will
graduate them in single campaign.
| l have often wondered at the fact that
our school system has avoided the mud
and slime OF Sacramento politics. But
! it has, while some Of the ''most progress
sive cities" have furnished the sensational
newspapers with matter suitable to their
| tastes. | can only account for the success
of our school system on grounds that we
have always had good and efficient men
for uperintendents, and, as rule, very
fair business men on the Board of Edu-
cation. In a city of 10000 people am
willing to take the chance of finding one
man who is qualified to superintend our
| educational system, and I am not yet
prepared to approve any plan that gives
! the Board of Education the power to send
/ TO England, Ireland or Scotland. or Ger
many, or any other foreign State or
country, for Superintendent to manage
our school system.
! Place the divine right to rulep as near
! the people as possible, and, my word for
! it, like the doctors pills, ''If it does you
! no good it will certainly do you no
! HARM" WILLIAM BoYNE.
Sacramento, March Is, 1892
!
AN OLD CITIZEN GONE.