Middletown transcript., 1898-03-19
MIDDLETowN, DEL, MAR. 10, 1893
THE sCHo OIL BILL

THE SCHO O1 OllLs
ssThe first bill of especially generally
public Importance offered at this ses-
sion Of the General Assembly. was the
educational bill read in the House last
Friday, y says the Dover "Index"
The new constitution provides that,
"The General Assembly shall make
provision for the establishment Of q
general and efficient system of free
public schools;n that the Legislature
must appropriate not less than one
hundred thousand dollars annually.
which together with the income from
the investments now forming the pre-
sent school fund, shall constitute the
new school fund; and that this amount
shall be distributed equitably among
the school districts, without any dis
tinction on account of color.
There is in fact no system Of schools
in this State, each school being indie
pendent. This condition has been
brought about because any legislation
for improving school has been for the
individual school, the town or the dis
trict as the case may have been, and
not for the schools of the State. The
new constitution demands a change,
and system should be established,
Whether this bill meets the require
ments is not known as it has not been
published in full. 1t needs to be
studied. The "Index'' gives the fol-
loMi1g brief synopsis:
The new bill proposes to inaugurate
a system of cooperation and mutual
aid and support between the school
districts, at least in part. To secure
this end, the following plain is proposed:
The school districts are left exactly as
they are to-day, having their elections
and having their commissioner as usual,
but all the school districts (outside Of
the incorporated districts) lying in the
same Representative district are to act,
to o certain extent, in harmony and un-
ison.
This is to be acc omplished in the fol-
lowing manner:
Each school district, as it is consti-
tuted to-day. is termed a"sub-district"
Of the new district, the new ''dis-
trict" being the Representative Dis
trict.
In order to really comp rehend the
meaning and intent Of the bill, it must
be fully borne in mind that the SUBJ
district is simply the school district as
it stands to-day. Each sub-district as
we shall call it in conformity with
name given in the bill, holds its cleo
tion as usual, but instead of electing
two commissioners and clerk, elects
only one commissioner and no clerk.
This commission SO elected is called,
by the bill,a sub. district commissioner.
Shortly after the election, each com.
missioner 80 elected, meets with all
the commissioners elected in every
other school district which lies in the
same Representative District. When
they have all met together, they elect
from sheir own number a kind of an
executive committee, which the bill
term. The "District School Commits
sion." For convenience, we shall
cont hue to call it the executive COM
mittee. This executive committee,
then prepares an estimate of all the
probable expenses for the school yea r
following election, setting forth speci-
fically what amount is to be used by
each particular school district in the
whole Representative District. This
estimate must then be submitted to
the commissioners of all the school dis
tricts In the same Representative Dis
triCt, and may be rejected by them and
q new estimate substituted. When an
estimate is finally agreed upon by a
majority of all the commissioners of all
districts In in the same Representative
District, the assessment list is made out
to accord Herewith; the commissioner
for each school district preparing the
assessment list for that particular dis
trict. When the money is collected, it
is all paid to the executive committee,
but must be expended by the commit
tee in accord with the items of the es-
innate, made out as stated above.
The accounts Of the committee must
also be all audited by all the commits
sioners.
This is practical ly the foundation
plar o. the bill, as we understand it
Its evident aim is to secure concerted
action in school management and
school systems, and to strive to bring
neighboring school districts into touch
with each other, and to mutually ait
and help one another.
In addition to this, provision is made
for an entirely differently constituted
State Board Of Education. Atpresent
the State Board is composed OF the
Governor, Secretary of state, and the
three county superintendents. Tht
new bill proposes It to consist of the
Governor. Chancellor, President OF
Delaware College, State Auditor, and
one representative from each county.
This State Board also possesses
much larger powers than now. II
elects all the county superintendents. Il
receives all reports and complaints, ant
may remove an offending or negligent
superintendent. Itmeets every quarter
instead of only once year as row."
TIE Legislature Is still in waitinl
attitude. The Senate sometime sisc