The record-union., 1899-12-28

The school board is supposed to be
made up OF men of wisdom, discretion
and public spirit, who represent the
interests of the people at large, and
I to whom the management Of the schools
lean be safely intrusted. 1t is the first
duty of these men to associate with
themselves an expert in education. a
Superintendent of Schools. a man COM
potent to choose, control and dismiss
,, Individual teachers: one who has -ex-
ecutive ability, by which term is meant
the power of working out a policy
through the agency of other men or
| women. When these relations are nor
NAL we always have good schools. The
bad schools exist where the school
board wantonly betrays the trust of the
people or when it's members are too
ignorant to perform the functions as
signed to them. Schools are bad only
when they are in the hands of bad
Misunderstanding ignorant, Indifferent
or corrupt Bad teachers are chosen
mainly by bad men-men who are -ig-
norant. Indifferent or corrupt Such
choice may happen under a good board.
which has made an unfortunate choice
often take place, nor will it's conse-
quences last very long, for good board
| seldom repeats it's mistakes. Some
times bad appointments are made
| knowingly by a good Superintendent.
placed in a position where he thinks that
he cannot help himself. But this condi-
| ton again rarely lasts long, for the
good Superintendent, forced to do
wrong, either saves his honor by re-
signing or saves his position by ceas-
| ing to be good. We may classify the
motives which lead school boards to
choose incompetent teachers under
three heads-party spoils, political
perquisites and personal spoils.
| When a city election is carried 1t
| happens sometimes that teachers do
active service for the party. Among
those who have profited by these eff
forts may be the school board itself.
| elected as partisans and chosen from
the list of minor political heelers by
our vicious ward system. The higher
prizes are reserved for those who make
politics a business, but to the teacher
politicians the party managers can offer
places in the schools The political
bosses of one party or another order
this, and the school board, their crea-
| lures, simply register their decree.
Coarse and undemocratic as this pro-
cedure is, there are many teachers in
our State who strain every. nerve to
become it's benefciaries.
| Political perquisites occur when the
school board or it's leaders are strong
enough to repay by their patronage
| those who have worked directly in their
interest. Thus teacher who has
worked successfully for the election OF
member of the board from his ward
may reasonably look to being advanced
| to a Principalship. In such case, by
an agreement among themselves, the
representatives of the dominant party
| in each ward may take care of his own.
They divide up the places among tnem-
selves, and for each appointment made
some particular member and not the
whole board is responsible. Usually
there are places enough to meet the
needs of personal perQuisites as well as
those of party spoils. Which demand
is attended to first depends upon the
relative rank and greediness of the big
bosses and little.
related to party fealty, and hence have
to some degree a public relation. They
may not even prevent the choice OF
many teachers of real efficiency, be-
cause some members of the board are
all the more conscientious because they
do not share their individual response
bility.
The third class is that Of personal
spells. 1t sometimes happens that
members of school boards look upon
their relation to the schools as purely
personal, rather than political. They
have been chosen to this position to
repay them for their own work Tor
some candidate or party, and this is
the chance offered to get their money
back. They are not in politics for their
health nor for glory nor for praise
They look only to what there is in 1t
for them. Boards of this sort are con-
stantly beset with financial scandals
Every purchase of school furniture.
every adoption of school text books in
wolves a 'rake-off'' for somebody, and
every "rake-off'' gives chance for 4
quarrel over the plumber, and perhaps
for an exposure. The percentage must
ming the risks. Such a board can oe
depended on to do the worst the law
will let them, taking their chances on
Impeachment or the penitentiary. But
even of this they have no great fear,
for their election or appointment indl-
Gates the presence of friend at
court
A board composed mainly of spoils-
men first organizes a mutual society
or trust by which the spoilsmen stand
for each others interests, shutting OUT
the others from all responsibility tor
action and all divisions of the spoils.
Such a trust is known as the Solid
Ten, or Solid Eight, or a Big Four,
or some other number and this COM |
bination will take what it can get, per-
hitting no nonsense. If the board |
elects the superintendent as it should
under normal conditions, this official |
becomes a tool of this solid combination |
and meekly carries out the orders they |
may give him. If the Superintendent |
is chosen directly by the people, as in |
some cities. he finds himself in con- I
slant friction with his board The
boards snubs him and ignores his plans |
and purposes, while for his part he |
NAV try to do the best he can in a |
condition where success is impossible. |
Still. some good men who believed that |
"a public office is a public trust have |
served our cities well, even under the
most trying conditions. Usually the
Solid Eight divide the minor places
o,,opo their own number giving each |