Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-08-06
CAN THEY GET CERTIFICATES?
Many Teachers Who Attended Inc
Institute and Did Not Pass Are
Anxious About the Matter.

A grave and serious question IL con-
fronting n number of school teachers
who did not pass in their examina-
tions at the Audrain County Teachers
Institute held in this city last week.
According to the school laws of the
State if a teacher attends an institute
and fails to pass the examination, no
second chance shall be given that
teacher.
Out of the eighty odd teachers who
took the examinations for certificates
at the Institute about % failed to pass
and therefore cannot be given even
third grade certificates. Without a
certificate a teacher cannot take
charge of a school, and as some of
those VINO failed to pass are teachers
of some experience they are trem-
bling in their boots as to whether or
not they will be given a second chance.
A LEDGER reporter visited County
School Commissioner French Strother
this morning and in speaking of the
matter Mr.. Strother said:
eyes, there seems to be a great
deal of dissatisfaction among those
who did not pass about not being
able to try again. So far as l am
able to learn from reading the State
school law and inquiring of lawyers.
there is no chance for them to be
! given a second examination. The
| State law requires that a teacher must
make an average grade of over 30 te
obtain a first grade certificate, ove
50 to obtain a second grade certificate
and over 50 to obtain a third grade
certificate. 1t also specifies that if ;
teacher falls below 90 in any one
study, a certificate shall not be grant
ed.
"There was over 20 who failed tC
pass at the recent Institute. The
Board of Examiners, according to law
was composed of myself and the in
structors of the Institute, and l sure
we made an impartial examination o
all the papers. What can be done
for those who failed to pass, l do no
know. Ihave written the Attorney
General and the State Superintendent
of Schools and am awaiting their re
plies"
Meanwhile, the teachers who die
not make the necessary grades ART
patiently waiting to find ont whether
or not they will be given a SECOND
chance for a certificate.
In regard to this matter Attorney
IL. p. Warden o-dav said to a LED
GER reporter:
1t has been the practice in year.
past to allow those teachers who have
failed a second examination, blu
County Commissioner Strother hold
that under Section 2 of the Act o
1893, amending the Institute law, h
has no power or authority to give
second examination to those who fail
ed upon the examination given by tn
Institute Board
The portion of the section upol
which the commissioner bases hi
views is AZ follows: provided, fur
ther, that the County Commissioner
upon the presentation of the receip
from the County Treasurer herein
after provided for, and upon the pay
ment by the applicant of one dolla
and fifty cents, shall examine any ap
plicant VINO, for good and suficien
reasons, did not attend the examina
ton of the County Institute board O
examiners"
The school law, as amended in 1s9;
seems to vest the power to grant Ger
~tIficates in the board of examiners
and to limit the power of the Com
missioner very much in this particu
lar. In fact, the Commissioner seem
to have the power to grant certificate
to teachers only in cases of emergency
when teachers for "good and sufficier
reasons" cannot attend the Institute
and certificates thus granted by tn
Commissioner are only good until tn
meeting of the next institute.