The news & observer., 1896-12-30
FALLING OFF EVERYWHERE
Increase in Taxation But De-
crease in Efficiency.
SOME CHANGES MUST BE MADE
Supt. Scarborough Viii Recommend a
Return to the system Whic"
Was Abolished by the
asst [ legislature.

instruction, Hon. John G. Scarborough
l. now completing his annual report 1t
will be a most interesting document,
setting forth, as it does, the workings
,f the new public school system, put IN
Speration by the last Legislature.
1t is not a cheerful picture-the show
ing that It makes. Interest in the schools
seems to have waned, the attendance has
fhnen off, school property has deprecated
in value and teachers are more poorly
mid than formerly.
Few new recommendations will be
made in this report, but Mr.. Scarborough
viii refer to suggestions made by him in
former reports; especially to those in re-
gard TO local supervision of schools.
Whether the local supervisor of schools
il called an Examiner Of County Super
intendent or by any other name, Mr..
Scarborough is firmly convinced that
such an officer is a necessity. But he
thinks he ought to be more than county
examiner, as at present; he should be an
executive and supervisor officer.
The report will also say that the
county Board of Education ought to be
a separate body from the Board of County
Commissioners. If the present arrange
ments continue, as regards this board,
some supervisory officer will be an abso-
lutte necessity, as the Board of County
Commissioners has no time to properly
attend to and supervise, in detail, school
matters of the county. II, on the other
hand, separate board is created for this
purpose and the Legislature feels that
it cannot have separate board and q
County Superintendent too, then the
chairman of that board ought to have
general executive and supervisory pow
ers ever the schools Of the county.
1t will be remembered that Superin-
tendent Scarborough advised the last
Legislature, when the bill to abolish the
county superintendency was being dis
cussed, not to do away with either of
them, as such a step would seriously
cripple the public school system. He
asked them, however, if they were deter
mined to abolish either, to dispense with
the Superintendents rather than with
the County Board, as the commissioners
would not be able to look after the
schools property. The history Of the
past two years and the present condition
of the public schools prove the correct
ness of this prophecy. 1t has been a
penny wise and pound foolish law. There
is nobody to settle disputes, nobody TO
gather information for the guidance of
the County Commissioners. nobody to
look after the thousand and one details
that make every enterprise, public or
private, success or a failure. The re-
sut very naturally has been that the
system has dropped into the same con-
dition that anything would that has no
executive head. Teachers who have
been adjudged incompetent have been
taken back into the schools by the exam
iners and no Institutes are being held.
Even for the teachers who are efficient
and worthy there are no helps, no in
ducements or opportunities for organiza-
ton and Improvement. No public school
system can be all that it ought to be or
is capable Of being unless it provides for
it's teachers.
Mr.. Scarborough will, therefore, recon-
mend the re-establishment Of Teachers
Institutes in the various counties. Under
the law at present there is no provision
for an Institute. Mr.. Scarborough
thinks the Legislature ought to divide
sv4m n
each, and put one man in each district
to hold Institutes for one week in each
county, all public school teachers being
required to attend. BY this arrange
ment all the 9G Institutes can be held at
some convenient season Of the year and
within 6 weeks, at very small cost.
Another new departure in the report
will be to call attention to the Teachers
Assembly, giving a history Of that organ
tzati0n and its objects and aims. Speak
ing Of the last Assembly Mr.. Scarbor
ough says:
"All of the papers and discussions were
Of a high order and would be q valuable
contribution to the educational and liter
airy history Of the State, as well as to the
profession which this organization repre-
sents All Of the papers have been pre-
served and as the Assembly has not the
means to have printed and distributed
these reports, ] would suggest that the
State have at least 1000 copies printed
for free distribution among the leading
educators and other citizens Of the State
who may be specially interested in the
history and development Of our educa-
tional system, and for exchange with
similar organizations in other States"
The Legislature will be urged to go
as far as it possibly can in the increase
Of the public school fund. Mr. Scarbor-
ough will recommend that the law in re-
gard to permitting the levy Of a special
tax for school purposes be made general
instead Of applying to certain counties,
as at present. lie will also ask that this
election be held at some other time than
at a general election, when the matter
is apt to be forgotten in the heat Of the
campaign. The law now applies to 80
counties. Only or Of these held elee-
tions last November, as directed by the
act, and not half of these amounted 30
anything The law, as it now stands, ia
clearly a failure.
The following ables ta kAn from nd