The Portland daily press., 1895-02-15
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION,
Report of the Council of the Maine Peda-
gogical society-Plan of the New insh-
tuition.

tuition.
The committee of the Council of the Peda-
gogical Society 10 whom was assigned the
duty of drafting plan for state noaru
of Education considered the composition
and method of appointment, or election, ol
every State Board in the Union. After due
delberation it seemed tothe cmmltttee ti'at
Il board like the state Board of Massachu-
salts, with some slight changes, wou-d pest
meet cur needs.
For the benefit of those who may not De
acquainted with the composition. duties
and powers of the Massachusetts board, the
following brief is presented:
| The Massachusetts Board of education
has the following features:
First-lt consists of the governor, heuten-
ant governor and eight persons appointed
the governor with the advice and consent
of the Council.
Second-Each person appointed is to hold
Office eight years from the time Of bis al
pointment and one to retire each year in
order of appointment.
Three-It may hold in trust requests
made to it for educational purposes.
Fourth--It shall prescribe the form of
registers TO be kept in schools, blanks for
returns, and make annual reports to the
general court
Fitth-It annually appoints its own seere-
tary who performs most of the duties Ike
those reformed by ourastate superintend-
ent. The legislature fixes his salary.
Sixth-It appoints agents to visit cities
and towns to inspect and aid in education
al work.
Seventh-Its members have no salary, but
their expenses incurred in the discharge of
thei1 official duties paid by the state
Eighth-It has the general management
of the several State Normal schools.
Ninth-It requires reports from all educa-
tional institutions that are helped by the
st tie.
This board was established in 1887, and has
had as members such men as President Bar
mas Sears. Rev. Edwin II. Chaplin, George
B. Ene1 son, LII. D., President Mark Hop
kins, Gov. George S. Boutwell,. Prof. c. U.
FELTON,, Rev. James freeman Clark, John u.
| nhilbriok, Ill. D., Rev.A. A. Miner, Phli-
lips Brooks, D. D.. Hon. Charles Francis
| Adams, Jr., and Col. 7. W. Higginson, all
of them among the mostseminent citizens OF
the state. 1t is largely through the WORK
| of this board and its distinguished secreta-
| ries, the first of whom was Horace Mann,
that Massachusetts enjoys the distinction
OF being the foremost state III the Union IN
[ educational progress. Nor is the board mas
now composed lacking i'll eminent names
Alice Freeman Palmer, Admiral +. Stone
Kate Gannett Wells. Milton B. Whitney
George |. Aldrich. Elmer II. Capen. Il. b.
Stcddard. George H. Conley.
A year COUPON the retirement of its sec
rotary who had held the position seventeen
wears. it was able to call to its service enc
Of the foremost educators in the state.
IL sending out its preliminary report the
committee did not expect unanlm1ty on all
re minor" points. They are gratifed, how
ever, to find that there is substantial agree
| ment The report was sent to eighty OF the
| leading educators of the state. Replies have
been received from sixty-one, all but two
| of them endorsing the main proposition
| that we should have a Board of Education.
After carefully weiehingsthe. many valuable
suggestions received the Pedagogical Coun-
Gil suggest the following as working basis.
subject to revision by the committee on ed
ucation of the present legislature;
| Fjrst-The board should be non-parrisan.
| Second-It should consist of six or seven
members, majority of whom shall be en-
! gagged in educational work.
Three-Tbe members of the board should
be appointed by the governor with the ad-
vice and consent of his council.
Fourth-Each member should serve as
many years as there are members Oh the
board, the term of oily one member eXplr
ing each ye
Fifth-The board should have charge of
the Normal schools. and such care of the
expenditures of money granted by the stale
TO other educational institutions as now
devolves upon the governor and council.
| Sixtk-The members of the board should
serve without compensation, except actual
situations as may be put in their care, and
when attending meetings of the board.
Seventh-The board should annually elect
its secretary who should perform the duties
now perfor. med by the state superintendent
| of common schools. and whose salary snail
be fixed by the legislature.
We believe that the establishment of a
hoard with power and duties stated
above. will be of incalculable benefit to our
schools, and we hope every friend of edu-
cation will do all in his power to bring 1t
about.
The report is signed by George c. Puring-
ton, B. l.. Whitman, 6. a. Robertson, Mary
S, Snow, George B. Files, 0. M. Lord. H..
P. Sampson and d. Callahan. MIR. Callahan
soncurs in all but two and seven. All the
members of the council of the Pedagogical
society concur in the above except Mr.Nut-
ter of Dexter.