Arizona republican., 1895-06-25
A BAD SYSTEM.
That Used By the School
 Trustees.
Some Observation Concerning the Employment of Teachers in
 the Public Schools.
To the Editor of THE REPUBLICAN:

To the Editor of THE REPUBLICAN,:
 The prevailing practice among school trustees in Arizona during the past, and at the present time, has been and IS for the trustees to select principal presumably for the good and sufficient reasons that he is endowed with su- perior professional and general know ledge and culture. tact, skill, foresight executive ability; and, then, the trus. tees, having secured the services of specialist in school administration and economy. proceed to dispense with his skilled services, and, without so much as consulting him in the least detail, select his Assistants. The trustees, having saddled the principal with good. bad, and indifferent assistants, proceed further to hold him strictly responsible for the conduct of the school even to the minutest detail, and to require work of the highest character in each and every department of the school. Consistency thou art jewel!
 That such a practice IS pernicious in it's results and destructive of the best interests and advancement of the schools must appear evident to the stupid and obtuse, to the one with only grain of common sense. This prac- tice Is destined like the lion, the tiger. the hyena, to follow in the wake of the Roman empire and go glittering among the things that were. In it's stead we shall have system dictated by con- mon sense and wisdom Apropos this subject, the words of Dr. Theo. B. Com stock, president of the university of Arizona. in an essay read before the Arizona Teachers Association are to the point. He said:
 "The legitimate functions of board of trustees are simple, few and evident. They should conduct financial matters. provide equipment and select the prin. cipal or superintendent. whom they should support in authority as long as the interest of the schools are subserved by such course. But there is no more propriety in the direct appointment of other teachers by this board than there would be in employing an attorney or calling in physician and acting con- trary to his advice. Every superin- tenient should be given full power to formulate his own administrative policy, and no assistant should ever be assigned to him without his consent. He should nominate all his aids, and have power to recommend removals of course, and he should be held to &C., count for results attained. The same method should prevail in every state school Of every grade, not excepting the normal school and university"
 The system which will obtain in the future and which certainly should ob. tain at the present time, is that one in which the principal is selected for qualities of head, hand, heart; he is then given adequate authority to select his assistants, formulate his admins trative system and carry the same into effect. This having been done the trustees are in position in which they may with some grace hold the prin. cipal to a strict accounta bility for the entire conduct of the school, and for the producing of cert ain results in the young and rising generation as patriot ism, morality, love of justice.
 This method has much to recommend 1t. It has been successfully tried and IS now in operation in almost every city school system, college, academy and university of any repute, both in this country ana Europe. When the patrons of our schools shall elect men for school trustees who are pledged to this principle and with whom they would not hesitate to trust their money and their sacred honor." Ari- zona will have taken another stride to- ward the perfection of her now admir- able school svstem