New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-18
THE EDUCATIONAL BILL
CHANGES IN SENATOR WHITES MEAS
IRE URGED.
IMPORTANCE OF UNDIVIDED AUTHORITY
AND OF KEEPING HIGH SCHOOLS


OUT OF POLITICS
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Two essential features of a good educa-
| tionai system are unity and freedom from parti
san politics. An editorial In the May "Educa-
iional Review" ardently advocating Senator
Whites educational bill states that this bill
does mot provide for the unifcation OF the
two existing departments" the University Of the
State of New-York and the Department OF Pub
lie instruction. 1t acknowledges therefore. that
/ the bill Is defective in at least OF these
essentials.
The Educational Review" has urged in the
past the election OF the State Superintendent Of
Public instruction by the Regents as a mode OF
unifcaton. II now abandons this suggestion "a
! impracticable and undesirable without amend
ing the Jaw TO the election and tenure Of the
| Regents, and concludes that, unification Is
unattaiEable the next best thing IL TO draw
sharp line between the work of the two de-
partments proposed in the White bill. Why
the attempt at unihcation. the necessity for
which has been often advocated by The
Review" should be so suddenly abandoned the
writer of this editorial makes no satisfactory
/ effort TO show. Unihcation is as important now
as 1t was a few weeks ago and there should be
10 great difficulty in amending the White bill
to secure it, even II IL were considered neces
/ sary to change the law governing the election
and tenure OF the Regents A central board
! with power to name the administrative officers
specified in the White bill should If organized
on the basis of constitutional law, meet with
favor from every true friend OF education.
| To resort to the admittedly unsatisfactory al
tentative, the next best thing" Of THE Re-
view would be serious menace to the pros
poets of education in this State. 1t would not
! only give new life to the dual administration
! which all critics agree in pronouncing the main
defect OF the present organization, but 1t would
bring the control OF the high schools for the first
| time within the sphere OF politics, violating 10
this extent at least the second essential of a
! good educational system.
Under present conditions the superintendent
OF Public instruction is usually politician. His
deputies are Also as a rule, political appointees.
! There have been excellent superintendent and
! deputies but the common method OF their APP
| pointment is bad, as many Of them have frank
| ly admitted, an l. a necessary result the APP
! pontments frequently unsatisfactory
That the chances for political interference
with education distinctly diminished by the
4 White bin is maintained by the writer of this
| article of 1.-THE Review" Undoubtedly appoint
ment by the Governor would insure in many
cases a better man as Commissioner than some
1 of the Superintendents who have been elected
| by the Legislature for purely political reasons
1t is likely also that this bill would insure more
| care in the selection of subordinates. Neverthe-
less. there is strong probability that Com
missioner of Education appointed by the Gov
! ernor would soon become partisan officer, and
| that he would be changed at the expiration Of
| his term whenever there change in the
party in power. In the same way the selection
of deputies and inspectors would soon be die
tated by political influence. That this Is not
"A baseless suppositon is suggested by the atti-
tude Of professional politicians toward the White
! bill. Furthermore the history of the Depart
ment OF Public Instruction and Of the State de-
| partments whose heads appointed by the
| Governor indicates that department organized
as the White bill proposes would soon develop
| into strong political machine.
Should this measure become law" says
! 1.-THE Educational Review "sll duplication OF
| inspection and examination will cease at once"
| II is true that there would be only one system
| Of inspection and supervision in the public high
schools and that the expense and friction
caused by this dual oversight would be avoided.
In other respects, however. the White bill would
| greatly increase duplication Of inspection and
| examination, for II would set up two complete
systems one for unsupported and one for non
tax-supported secondary schools This unneces-
sary expense would be avoided entirely IL all
our educational interests were under one admin
istrative head. But far more serious than the
question Of expense is the separation Of tax
supported and non-tax- supported secondary
schools proposed in this bill. l contend that
the administrative officer of the public high
schools should supervise all the secondary school
interests OF the State.
AS THE Review" says, the present divided
control Of the high schools is unwise. There Is
no sufficient reason, however why the White
bill which removes this objection. should not be
amended TO provide for unity and freedom from
partisan politics. These features are essential,
and the Legislature should either amend the
White bill accordingly or the whole matter
should be put TO the next session
Albany, April H. 1899. EDUCATOR.