The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-22
Things PEDAGOGU[S WANT.
Truancy Law Reeommended-Scho
Boards Need More Discretion in
the Spending OF Public Money
What the Local schools Need.

Resolved. That IL = the sentiment Of The
Seattle SchooImasters' Club mat the enact
ment of a truancy law is iInDeratively
Resolved. That the law providing that
boards Of school directors may expsnd not
10 exceed $500 in any one year without
amended TO provide that boards OF direct
ors IN cities Of 100 81 over may in their
discretion expe1d not 10 exceed ,, per cent
OF the sc1ool moneys received in any one
year.
Resolved. That the Jaw should be so
changed as 10 permit school districts In in
eorporated cities and towns which have
the free textbook system to select and buy
their own textbooks without restriction.
Resolved, That boards Of school direct
ors be empowered 10 designate two voting
places in each ward for all school elections
. Resolved. That boards Of education be
authorized TO establish other places for the
registration Of voters AT school elections
than in the offices Of the secretaries of said
boards.
Resolved, That all persons registering
10 vote al general elections De legally en-
Titled 70 vote at succeeding school elections
without further registration.
The foregoing resolutions were unan-
Enously adopted at a We'll attended meet
ing Of the Seattle Sch0oimasters' Club. held
at the office OF the board of education last
night Principal w. ID. Gerard, Of the
Rainier school. and Principal w F. Bah
cock, OF the T. T Minor school, Were
named a COMMITTEES 10 wait upon the King
county NtItgdlkt!t 10 the lSS-Sla lure ana
enlist their services III securing the enact
ment or the needed legislation. The secre-
tary Or the club also instructed TO send
a copy of the resolutions To the committee
on legislation OF the State Teachers Assoc
citation as embodying the needs OF Seattle
educational circles
All the resolutions were adopted after
considerable discussion. and are considered
to well represent the sentiment of seattle
teachers. Principal j. NJ. Widmer, Of The
University school, read ii carefully-prepar-
Cd paper on Compulsory Education and
the Need of a Truancy Officer showing
what had been done in other countries
to enforce attendance of children at school.
and summarizing the reasons neceSsitat-
ing the recommended action under four
heads: Ignorant parents who We're not in
sympathy with education. parents blind
ed by seif-love who were willing tools of
truant children: parents who were pretU-
diced by their children against teachers:
and parents who were shiftless and kept
their children out OF school to earn money
for their support The principal held that
the state and not the parents should con-
troll the education OF its future citizens.
NJ Nj. Moss. a teacher in the high school,
elaborated on the necessity for school
boards having greater discretion in the ex-
pendture OF money for school purposes
reviewing the general arguments along
that line that have been presented at
previous meetings of the school board.
Much discussion followed the presenta-
ton of each topic, 1t being the desire to
resolve nothing that was net thoroughly
understood and did not represent the gen.
eral idea Of what was for the good OF Seat
tie schools.