Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-02-08
County supsrintenaeuss.


required to exercise the three-fold fnnC
: tions of executive officer. judicial Office
and school supervisor.
AS an executive officer it devolves upol
him to apportion school money and issu
orders for the same; to appoint, uDde
certain contingencies, both members ant
officers of boards of education and cal
meetings of such boards; to create by order
when he shall deem it expedient, new
school districts and fix their boundaries
to appoint county boards of examiners issu'
teachers licenses, and professional aDC
school diplomas; to appoint two member
of the library committee in each schoo
district and serve upon such committee
to Issue transfers TO pupils entitled t.
attend school in adjoining districts; tt
condemn school buildings and withhold
school moneys when such action is approx
ed by the State Superintendent; and in 6
general and comprehensive sense TO enforce
the school and carry out the rules and
regulations of the State Board of Educa-
tiOn
As a ldical officer he is required to
render opinions and give advice in all
questions arising under the school law; to
give decisions in all controversies arising
from the suspension of pupils and the dis
missal of teachers to administer all neces-
sary oaths or affirmations to school officers
and to consult with and advise patrons
school officers and teachers.
AS school supervisor his sphere OF
activity is still more comprehensive. 1t is
his duty to preside at all sessions of the
County Teachers Institute; to prepare
programs for the annual observance of
| Arb nau IN for
scholarships to the State Agricultural
College to prepare uniform course of
study for the schools under his supervision,
establish standard of graduation and
conduct examinations therefor to estab-
lish pedagogical Libraries, prescribe a course
of professional reading for each of the
several grades of teachers, and judge as to
its intelligent completion to act as chair
man of the County Board of Examiners,
supervise the difficult and psrplexing task
of grading examination papers and make a
| final appraisment of all answers of doubt.
ful value; to advise the State Board of
Examiners of the standing and efficiency
of candidates for State Certificates; to
prepare and issue circulars of information
and instruction to teachers and school
officers, and distribute all such documents
received from the Department of Public
Instruction; 20 direct Boards of Education
in the matter of bonding districts for
building and repairing school houses; to
collect and tabulate the school statistics of
his county and forward the same, together
with comprehensive report specifically
setting forth the progress and condition of
its schools and the sanitary condition of its
school buildings; and last, butnot least, to
exercise general supervision over from 40
| to 120 schools, and visit each school an
average of twice per year. AS though all
the preceding executive, judicial and pro-
fessional duties of the County Superinten-
dent were not sufficiently comprehensive
and explicit, and he might fail to earn his
princely salary, he is further epioined to
labor to elevate the standard of teaching
and improve the condition of the schools
in his county, and as a means to such
end, to give such directions in the science,
art and methods of teaching as he may
| deem expedient.'
For a Superintendent to make a fair
approach to meeting all of the aforesaid
requirements he should be skillful &C.
countant,and must needs posses exceptional
executive ability, quick apprehension and
uDerring judgment; large technical knowl-
edge and professional skill, Astounding
health, force of character, energy, courage
tact, and then devote all his time and con-
secrate all the power of such broad and
strong equipment to his official duties
That services so necessary and of so high
an order may not go unrequited, section 1,
page 364, P. l. 1892, provides as follows /:
Ia order to enable County Superintend-
ents of schools to devote more time to the
discharge of the duties of their office, and
to properly examine and direct the schools
under their charge by frequent visits to
said schools, and counsel and direction to
trachers in proper methods of instruction,
their yearly salary shall be at the rate of
125 cents for each child in the county,
between the ages of five and eighteen
years, as ascertained by the last annual
report of the State Superintendent; pro-
Uided, that the salary shall in no case be
less than $500 nor more than 81 ,30O.'
The preceding is the most absurd
quotation it is possible to make from the
pages of our school law and is responsible
for the most anomalous thing in our school
system, The first half indicates not only
correct but scholarly and even pro-
| fessional appreciation of Superintendent's
duties, and the last half clearly disproves
such appreciation. 1t seems hardly posi-
sible that the same minds that conceived,
mapped out and so clearly and intelligently
defined bis varied and responsible duties
should also have fixed the matter of COM
| pensation.
The maximum compensation above
| named is much less than the average salary
| paid to a school principal There is hardly
County Superintendent in the State who
is not brought into frequent contact with
underpaid teachers who are receiving larger
salaries than himself. This is an offense to
his dignity and handicap to his usefult
ness. AS the multitude is accustomed to
Judge specifically, it also accounts for the
generally erroneous and low estimate placed
upon his services. Que of our County
Superintendent recently resigned to accep-
the principalship OF a primary school at an
increase in salary of $500 per annum. In
no other line of effort is supervision rated
below service in a subordinate capacity,
For the state to thus rate it, is little to its
credit and not good evidence of its ability
to properly administer its school affairs
That service so important and exacting
should have been so long moderated and
underpaid is unaceOuntable. Surely the
eternal fitness of things is not always a
controlling influence in educational mat
tiers.
Though the duties of the County Super
intendent exceed those of the City Super
intendent in range, and in difficulty, deli
cacy and in value, are not whit inferior he
receives bat from ne-third to one half as
much salary. In addition to offering a
| rate of compensation which though barely
commensurate with the service required
will yet command the highest order of
qualification, the city board of education
knows no restrictions in its selection 1t
is at liberty to obtain the best service its
funds will secure, whether it is found in
New Jersey or comes from Maine, Massa-
chusetts or California. The State Board
of Education has hut meagre sum placed
at its command and is limited to candidates
from the county to be supervised. What
a perplexing and well-nigh impossible task
is thus imposed upon this honorable body
There is no force in the assertion that
our County Superintendents are as well
paid as those of adjoining States. New
Jersey knows what supervision is, what il
can accomplish, and should also know that
it is worth paying for. Let us be the first
to get out of ridiculous rut. The varied
and responsible duties of the County
Superintendent will put good man at his
best every day in the year How unwise
then. to make it, as we frequently do, al