The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-04
NO OTHER POWERS.
st. Paul School Board Comes Within
General School Laws

1t looks from a cursory examina-
ton of the Special Law of 1893, which
created the present board of school in
spectors to take the place of the old
st. Paul board of education and re-
pealed all the previous laws relating to
the management Of the schools of this
city, as though County Superintend-
ent Hogan's powers in the premises
were not abated by anything in the
law. While there is an assumption
throughout that the board shall have
charge of all matters pertaining to
the management of the school, there
is nowhere in the law the express eX-
emption of the district from the in
Spection of the county superintendent
Section 129, of the 1897 compilation
of the state school laws, which is sec
ton 3743 of the General Statutes of
1894, fixes the duties of the superin-
tendent as follows:
County superintendent of schools shall ex-
anime and license teachers and annual GER
tihcates for cause shown ; visit and instruct
the schools of their counties at least once
in each term, and give such advice to the
teachers as may be requisite and necessary.
They shall organize. and conduct at least one
institute for the instruction of teachers in
each year, If they deem the same expedient;
encourage teachers associations introduce to
the notice of teachers and the people the
best modes of instruction, the most approved
plans of building and yentilating school
houses, of ornamenting and adapting school
grounds to convenience, and the healthful eX-
ercise of children; stimulate school oihcers
to the prompt and proper discharge OF their
duties, receive the reports of school district
clerks and teachers, and transmit an abstract
Of the same to the state superintendent, add
ing thereto written statement on the con-
dition and prospects of the schools under
their charge, together with such other in
formation and suggestions as they think prop
er to communicate. To insure accuracy and
~ in
tendents may, annually, at suitable times and
places, call conventions of district clerks IN
their counties to continue in session one
day, considering methods OF obtaining or re-
porting statistics Nand discussing other mat
tiers involving such educational topics and in
terests as may come within the sphere OF
district and county school officers
At one time it was the custom of the
city schools, through the superintend-
ent, to submit to the county superin-
tendent the annual report the same as
other schools, but upon the superin-
tendent of public instruction once COM
planning that the county superintend-
ent had not properly included the city
schools in his report to that office.
The city schools reported afterWard
direct to the state superintendent
rather than endanger the loss of their
share in state aid through the neglect
of another official to so report them.
The following excerpts from the
school laws of 1891 are as nearly as
it comes to expressly eXempting the
st. Paul schools from the operation of
the general school laws:
The board of inspectors shall exc
cute all the powers vested by this act
or by the general laws of the state in
any school district or in the city of
St. Paul, as a separate and independ-
ent school district and no other pow
ers, and to adopt such rules and regu-
lations rs 1t shall deem best not in
consistent with the intent and provi-
sions of this act.
The city of st. Paul shall be and
hereby is made a separate and indie
pendent school district and vested
with all the powers and rights sepci-
fled in any general law of the state of
Minnesota in relation to school dis
trictS Gag. -r.r.