The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-09-01
CoTresD0ndence Baltimore County Union.
SCHOOL TRUSTEES.
More Light Turned On How the Poll
tician Gets in His Work-Appoint-
ing Power-Uselessness Gen.
orally Recognized.
BAIrIuoRE COUNTY. August Is,


BALTIMORE COUNTY, August 2S, 1900.
Editors Union IF anything further is needed
to show the baneful effects of the trustee sys-
tenn upon our public schools it is furnished IN a
letter which appeared in THE UNION of last
week over the signature of Patron" HIS
plain statement of facts shows him to De care
full observer, and his arraignment OF some
trustees cannot help but carry conviction with
it. 1t is especially gratifying that this has APP
and abps perhaps bag q writer To
the trustee system was for personal reasons,
rather than principle, will change their tune.
Those also who we're inclined to poo-poo the
idea of trustee selling his vote in the interest
of one teacher or another, now have their eyes
opened. This gives the writer an opportunity
to add just here that with his first application
to trustee for a position as teacher he received
the suggestion that $50 would be fair consid-
all the H ws in
to give him. The trustee who would sell MS
vote. or the teacher who would buy his position.
connected with our schools. They are both a
disgrace to our civilization and not mt TO pc en-
trusted with the education OF the cnildren;
That calling is entirely too sacred TO be ntrusted
to such unclean hands.
Much has been said and written about keep
ing oTs OF the be- don
year the School Commissioners are called upon
to appoint trustees, many of whom, as one OF
of knowing. They must depend upon recon,
mendations which, IN many cases, are Iurnlsned
by the politicians of the districts who recon econ
hunters generally. AS evidence we have only
to look at the list of office holders and Office
seekers and little one horse politicians who are
school trustees. Looking over the list of trus-
| tees we find County Commissioners. employees
of the County Clerks Office road supervisors,
pieces of Justice thrown in. besides the great
host of ..snall fry who must have some office
Is it any wonder that politics will creep in
What will be thought when it Is known that a
very prominent Baltimore county politician
wi n wal " n ri m n
plicant that unless he boarded with one of his
lieutenants he could not have the school? This
shows where they get in their work. and why
the politicians opposed the movement to do
away with the trustees in 1898. While such a
condition of affairs exists all talk about keep
twaddle.
Under the school laws the School Commits
sioners have the authority to appoint them n
step in the right direction and it is hoped that
| will be more generally followed. One point
WHICH Would e If followed out eet rid Of ali in
competent trustees. The Board may not be
able to find competent persons who will serve
and in such cases the following extract from
the school laws of Maryland removes the ne
cessity OF appointing some one, whether capable
| or not:
| petent persons who will act in this capacity
then the duties of the boards of district schoo
trustees shall deyolye upon the board OF county
Public School Lar, published by j. II. Medaify d
Co. Baltimore, Nd 1892. 4
The Office of trustee is generally recognized
as useless by nearly all except incompetent
| trustees themselves and the little snappers who
want to be. Intelligent, competent men refuse
to serve, knowing that schools get along better
without them. Teachers are almost unit IL
favor of doing away with them, because they
know that without them they are enabled tt
render better and more efficient service. What
reason can there be then for still clinging tt
this useless system which is nothing short Of
being public nuisance?
Patron" has done good service in showing VI
this pretentious humbug and if he has any more
light on the subject let him turn it on and show
how utterly rotten to the core this trustee bust
ness is. Perhaps the people will wake up suffi
GENTLY to see what q milestone is hanging
about the neck of their public school system
and shake it OFF, and then, and only then, will
the schools reach the state of proficiency tina
| they should. - u. ". y.