The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-08-18
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
THE SCHOOL TRUSTEE HUMBUG.

BALTIMORE COUNTY, August 18th. 1900.
Editors Union I'm The UNION Of last week
means an uncommon thing for the public school
trustees in some of the districts of this county
to sell their votes in the interest OF one teacher
or another, prices ranging all the way from go
There is no doubt that this is true and the
writer is heartily glad that it has appeared IN
public print. It might also be said that the
trustee who will vote in the interest of his board
ing house is about as bad as the one who does it
for cash. And it may be further said that the
man who will vote to displace a teacher to make
room for relative, Is not far behind in this IN
famous business. There are among the number
of school trustees many who would scorn such
small acts as above mentioned. butunfortunate-
ly there are others-and a large number, too
who will stoop so low as to use their position for
what there is in it, even to selling their votes,
probably to the highest bidder for cash. Such
a state of of affairs is nothing less than public
disgrace and should not be tolerated, but 1t is
difficult matter to get at it properly under pres
ent conditions. AS the writer has frequently
suggested the best and only remedy is to abol-
ish the school trustee entirely. Besides being
absolutely useless they are, in most cases, per-
petual stumbling block to the success of the
schools.
the school trustee question was agitated and 1T
was proposed to do away with them entirely.
Unfortunately Il was also proposed to raise s the
feated the most needed reform in school gov
eminent.
Some trustee, writing in their own defense,
pointed out what great things they did and for
nothing. 1t is now beginning to be seen what
little they do for something" and why some
are so anxious to be trustee. The writer has
several times asked. through the columns OF
THE UNION. if any intelligent trustee can show
where he is of the slightest use to the school.
Only few weeks ago gentleman, in speaking
of the school in his neighborhood, showed how
much better the school got along without trus-
tees than formerly. For several years the trns-
tees appointed have refused to qualify and the
school was marked success, where in previous
years there had been constant wrangles and
who was ever ready to listen to every yarn
afiOat. With the trustee eliminated the school
whereas mto them IL was he
better performed by the commissioner and ex-
aminer. Numbers of cases can be named where
a trustee has made repairs. and the charges were
simply outrageous. Instances can also be cited
where they have visited the school in their
"offcial capacity and succeeded in making
themselves the laughing stock of the teachers
and pupils.
Under the present system any Tom, Dick and
Harry is eligible to appointment without regard
to qualifications, and much has been said about
the general ignorance of school trustees and not
without good cause. The following note. writ
ten by man who has since been appointed and
dropped as school trustee, may be taken as a
sample of a number of them:
"plese don't let my Calls run out in the snow
too much there shoes are bad and leek Piese
look after them little don't want them to get
bad colds"
A number of teachers remember when a trus-
tees signature was taken to Baltimore book
store for inspection. The commissioner of the
district was present and shared in the general
mirth it produced, disappointed the same fellow
over again next time. 1t would nave been about
as easy to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics
as that signature. 1t is shame that our schools
should be in such hands.
The writer has an extensive acquaintance in
Baltimore county and from observation and re-
liable information has an extended list of small
acts and shortcomings of school trustees. These
gentlemen are sworn officers and therefore pub
lie servants and need not complain if the kind
of service they render "for nothing is laid open
to public inspection.
Some one has said in defense of the trustee
system that some of the school commissioners
are no better This may be true. but if so a
remedy is easily found. Prefer charges, prove
them and the Governor of the State will do the
rest. Under the school laws of 1900 the Cover
nor has full authority to remove any commits
sioner for good and sufficient cause. will dis
cuss this in a future communication on the
subject. X. w.