The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-03
SCHOOL BOARD REFORMS.
j. r. Dunn's Paper Before the Edu-
cat1OnaI Society.

At the meeting of the Citizens Educa-
tional Society at Plymouth Church last
night Jacob P. Dunn read a paper upon
Necessary Amendments to the School Law
that Governs Indianapolis" Mr.. Dunn said
that the present system allows the School
Board every opportunity for corruption
Instead of having the checks which are
furnished by the division of authority
among different bodies, as in national gov
eminent, the School Board has practically
absolute power. The manner of election
Mr.. Dunn thought to be far from just He
thought that politicians are given too
much power and the people themselves too
little. The system has been such that the
people have to a great degree lost conf
dence in the School Board, and something
should now be done to bring about implicit
confidence. The question should be not how
to use the school for politics, but how to
use politics for the school.
After reviewing the attempts toward re-
form in St. Louis and Cleveland and read
ing the recommendations of one or two
educational committees, Mr.. Dunn recon-
mended the appointment of a small School
Board by the mayor. There should be
complete division between the legislative
and the executive departments in the school
management, and the executive department
should be divided into business and cduca-
tlonal These branches would each act as
checks upon the power of the Others The
superintendent should be elected by the
board. Mr.. Dunn also recommended Jnat in
June of each year bids should be received
for the custody of the school fund and the
money should be placed in the hands of the
institution which offered the highest rate
of interest, together with the necessary Sc
curity.
Superintendent of Instruction Goss made
a talk on the amendments to the COM
pulsory education law which have been
recommended by different persons interested
in the work. he said the reason compul-
sorry education laws have failed in so many
States is that the enforcement has SO often
been placed in the hands of local authori-
ties. Country people are not willing TO in
cur the anger of their neighbOrS when little
or no good comes TO themselves, AS to the
age limit, he said he did not think that six
teen years would be better than fourteen
years. Frequently a boy would be COM
PEELED to leave a good position in factory
to attend poor school. Mr.. GosS also
opposed to hiking a. certain part of the year
to school, He said that in the city the otti-
GERS take 1t for granted that the beginning
of the term is the time for the children
to start, and they compel them to go ac-
big boy huSks corn, more liberty is given
to him. good reform school with manual
training as a special feature he regarded as
the best place for incorrigibles.
President Thomas G. Day read a paper, in
which he reviewed the history of the Citi-
Zens' Educational Society and showed how
much it has accomplished. Upon his recon-
mendation 1t was agreed that a committee
of the society should be appointed to act
in conjunction with a committee from the
necessary to the health of the school sys-
tenn.