Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-03-02
SCHOOL REFORMS.
Bill TO Abolish Office of
County Superin
tendent.

Following is synopsis, prepared
by State superintendent, l.. ID. Har-
vey, of bill now before the legisla-
ture which proposes some radical
changes in the supervision of public
schools:
Entitled "A bill to abolish the office of
county superintendent of schools. and to
provide for the more efficient supervision OF
the common schools.
Section ]. Provides for the abolition of
the office of county superintendent and Gre
alton of that of district inspector of COM
mon schools in its stead.
Section 3 Provides for the creation of a
state board of supervision OF common
agogy at University, Board of Examiners
for state certificates. and Institute Con-
dnctors from normal schools.
Section g. Provides for appointment by
state superintendent of an assistant to aid
MIN in supervising the common schools
said person also to act as secretary of the
Board. Salary of secretary $1,000
Section 4. Term of office and quarters of
Board.
Board 50 per day for attendance at Board
meetings twice year. for transaction OF
necessary business.
Section g. Provides for the creation of
not more than ll5 inspection districts
boundaries thereof to be determined by the
Board The number of schools in the sew
eral districts of compact form and contig-
uous territory and bounded by township
lines: the boundary lines to be changed or
by growth of population.
Section :. Provides for making the county
the unit of construction in formation OF dis
tricts, except in conflict with Section q.
Section 8. Provides rules TOR appointment
of district inspectors whose term OF office
shall begin the first Monday OF January,
1901 and end July lst 1908. and for the
appointment thereafter OF inspectors
for terms of two years, each term beginning
July first of the odd numbered years. 1t
further provides for filling vacancies in
office of district inspector whether caused
by death resignation or removal. Appoint
ments made by the state board provided tor
in Section ?.
tions necessary for inspectors: Educational
qualifications the same as those required
for county superintendent under existing
laws: general fitness; acquaintance with
common schools; experience as teacher and
as supervisor of schools. and general execu-
tive ability to be considered by the Board
in making appointments.
Section 10. Provides authority for Board
to prepare rules and regulations for sub
dividing districts, holding examinations and
petent inspectors and regulations concern
ing payment of inspectors salaries.
Section II. Provides for salary of 81 900
for each inspector and S. additional for each
school or department thereof in his in
spection district, this amount to be in full
for services, expenses and stationery
Section IL. Gives powers of district in
Spectors, same as county super1ntendents
except when such are annulled by this Act.
Section IL. Provides for substitution OF
words district inspector" for county sup
erintendent" in existing laws not affected
by this Act, and superintendent district
interpreted to mean inspection district"
Section IA. Provides for necessary chang
es in reports to supervisors whose inspection
districts lie in more than one county.
Section -. Provides for the retention from
the old mill tax of a sufficient sum from
each inspection district to pay the salary of
the inspector of that district, and for appor-
tionment of the amount not so retained.
Section IS. lnterprets term common
schools to mean schools under superyis-
ion of county superintendent, and any or
gained hereafter whose supervision is not
otherwise provided for. ..,
Section Il. Provides that provisions OF
this Act do not apply 20 county superin-
tendentS now in office.
Section 49, Provides for appropriation
necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act.
which conflict with the provision of this
Section 20. Provides date of effect.
The bill of which the foregoing is syn
onSis was prepared with the following OBJ
iects in view: To secure
First: A supervising officer for the dis
trict schools who shall be known to have
ade 4uate educational qualifications. with
experience in teaching and knowledge of
Second: To provide for the selection of
this officer IN such a manner as to exclude
all influences of party Affiliations or partisan
politics in the matter of choice. 70 allow
him. when so selected, to enter upon and
continue in the discharge OF his duties I'M
trammeled by political debts and free to
without the danger of political retributions
from constituents who might seek to use
political influences for personal ends, re-
gardless of the interests of the schools.
Third: Such number of supervisory dis
tricts that the number of schools under the
super vision of any one person may not be
so MANY as to render efficient supervision
impossible nor so few as not TO require the
entire time of said officer in supervisory
work.
Fourth: Such a salary for the Supervis-
ing oficer as to make it desirable Tor per
sons to fit themselves for the work Of super
vision and also to make il an inducement
for them to remain in this work when they
have once entered upon il. for a greater
length of time than the office is now held in
the majority of cases.
Fifth: Prompt removal of the supervis-
ing oficer upon proof of failure to properly
discharge the duties of his Office.
Sixth: Completeness and permanently of
records in the Office of the supervising
offcer and cooperation with the state sup
erintendent IN carrying out the work of his
office.
Seventh: Such an organic relation be-
tween the supervising officers and other
school men, whose duties are prescribed by
law as TO bring them into intimate relations
with he teachers in the common schools
and 10 render the work of both parties
cooperative and mutually helpful in the
. -.