The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-06
SCHOOL LAWS.
Report Of Committee APP
pointed By Council Of
Education.

The Council OF Education, which Is
| composed of school superintendents and
principals of the State of New Jersey, at
its last meeting, held in the City Han,
in November held discussion OF the
codification of school laws. committee
of three was then appointed to make a
report containing the opinion Of the Coun-
Gil as expressed in the discussion The
report has been prepared. 1t is
eTo the Council of Education
Your committee appointed to consider
fhe report of the Commission appointed
by Governor Voorhees, to codiry the scnool
laws, respectfully submit the following
.arhere is no doubt that the school law
of New Jersey needed codlheatlon. Ii
is a complicated BODY OF enactments pased
on the general scnool law OF 1876, 10
which numerous amendments nave Deen
made during the last twenty-three years.
rhe resulting body OF legislation on ihe
school system, which we can the school
law contains many inconsistencies, IS
confusing, and badly arranged as uoc-
umenr for reference, and irregular n -
application to the various sections Oh the
State - eo,,.,+or
''The Commission, composed OF senator
E. c. Stokes, Mr.. Samuel St. Johl me- me-
Cutcheon and Mr.. J. Brognard beltS,
have endeavored To reduce TO order TINS
mass of details and presented Ine re-
suits or their work to the last Legisid-
ture in a systematic and orderly Ola,
known as Senate bill ls7. Ihis Dill eA-
cludes repetitions, expresses in clear IAN
guage Wnat had previously peen o1 uoupls s
Iul import, omits obsolete Legislation anu
introduces such amendments as 's ens
opinion OF the Commission have peen
shown to be necessary by the experience
Of the state and the various clstrlcts
thereof. In the discharge OF lnelr uuty
the Commission have obtained and ex-
amined the school laws OF every state
ia the Union and of many of the cities.
The bill is again under consideration al
the hands OF the Commission
Your committee deem 1t incumbent on
them at this point to call attention TO the
enormous labor which Inns Work mas en- >
tailed. and 10 suggest that inc thanAS u
the State are due to the gentlemen Wllo
compose the Commission Tor the PANS
taking industry which must nave mace
serious drafts on their time and strength
We believe also that gratultous eApsnulit11 p,slt1
ture OF labor should obtain Ior the piti
courteous and impartial consideration.
Your committee desire to call attention
to what seems to them TO pc the STRIKING
characteristic OF the bill, viz, an eftort "
secure for the public more efficient service
ON the part of those who are interested
in the education of our youth; greater
continuity in the development or plans lor
the betterment of the school system;
more systematic distribution of functions,
and a possibility of fixing responsibility
on tie executive officers, TO whom 1t pc
longs.
a tendency to make the work of teaching
more effective and to profesSiona.1ze Jnat
work by making the standards OF teachlnS
more harmonious.
Mot the least of the praiseworthy ten
dencies of the bill is that which removes
city boards of education from the IN
fluence of tranSitory waves OF opinion ana
unworthy political influences, securing IN
the personnel of such boards the best ser
vice attainable and enabling them TO oD-
tain for their measures sufficient time to
test their efficiency.
Your committee call attention to the
fairness which has characterized the con-
duct of the Commission in inviting the
most minute and searching criticism OF
their work from all teachers and school
ommend that II be considered the sense
of the Council that this invitations should
be responded to in the spirit in which 1t IS
offered; also that all organizations Of
teachers and school officers of the State
should make the provisions Of the bill
meetings as may occur before the Com
mission of the bill to the Legislature;
and finally that such criticism and the
findings in such deliberations should be
transmitted in writing to the Commission.
Your Committee finally call attention
to the abundant evidence in the bill and
in the conduct of the Commissions dellb-
Grafton. of a sincere purpose on the part
of the Commission 10 frame a school law
based on the highest and most modern
ideals in education. This sincerity Should
commend itself to the Council and we rec
omInend that it be the sense of the Ccun-
ell that attacks on the bill without regard
to the truth of the assertions offered in
such attacks are to be deprecated. Such
attacks are not criticism in any fair sense
lures of the Commission inviting crit
irisr. -