Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-01-12
Report of Slate superintendent.

The law of Kansas makes it the duty OF
the state superintendent of public inStruc-
ton to give in the biennial report "DlanS
for the management end improvement OF
common schools" Following are the re-
Communications offered by Superintendent
WiuRus:
First-state aid to the amount of $50 an
nually should be given to each county hold
ing a normal institute of at least four weeks,
regardless of the number enrolled. County
aid should be made compulsory, instead OF
being optional, as it now is.
Second-The state board of education
should have its membership enlarged so as
to include representatives of our city schools
and country schools.
Thlrd-The permanent school fund should
be reimbursed in the sum of $1l5,900 by
legislative appropriation, and certain bonds
now held by the state treasurer should be
cancelled and destroyed.
Fourth-Section l, chapter 22O, laws OF
| 1889, ought to be so amended as to provide
| for the annual school meeting in cities of
the third class, at an earlier date than the
| last Thursday in July. In these cities from
three to twelve teachers are employed, and
| it would be better for the schools and the
teachers, if teachers conld be employed at
an earlier date than is possible as the law
| now BGhDub, OUCH u CIluuR0 Al Ouo law 10
| now asked for by the district boards of many
of these cities principally on tho ground
that under the existing law cities of the first
| and second class are able to employ the best
teachers before the annual meetings ara
held.
Fifth-AB the law now stands, the county
Superintendent has no legal right to disor-
ganize a legally formed school district.
believe that county superintendents should
be empowered to disorVanlze school dis
trictg, provided there be no bonded indebt-
ednegs. subject to the same limitations as
apply in the formation of new districts.
| SiIth-lt is quite evident that the law re-
latinR to compulsory attendance at school is
susce ptible of improvement. have yet to
! learn of any very general attempt to enforce
| the law, so wholesome in Its purpose. The
reason for the non observance OF the law
may be found in the law itself. So many
ways of evading the law are in mated that
1t would be very difficult to compel the at
or Eusrdi,n do not for any Gauss choose ia
Seventh believe that the legislature
should, at the earl est day practicable, restore
the mill levy by the state to be distributed
al the annual school fund Is now appor-
toned. And if the Legislature would make
the levy mills or even 3 mills, their action
would 60 quite long way toward correct
ing our present unequal and I'm ust distribu-
ton of the money raised for the support OF
our schools by the district plan of taxation.
Eghth-The time has come in the history
of our state for the establishment of truant
schools for the already large and constantly
increasing number of pupils who are on the
streets when they ought to be in school.
Ninth-Thoughtful school men everywhere
agree the opinion that a wise grading Of
our country schools would secure more sys,
s st nrsSont.
~ 1eT th-The matter of school text books
ia being much discussed. AS in the report
from this Office for 1SS9-'90, ag .in express
the ouiniou that the best solution of the
problem involved would be that school dis
tricts. townships or counties be authorized
to select books for q term of years, and that
these books be furnished free to all pupils de-
string to use them. Such law need not IN
torfere with the present county uniformly
| law,