The Florida star., 1901-05-03
Brevard's New School Methods.


public instruction, because it refers
to proposed measures for the inn
.provement of our public school
system here in Brevard county.
Mr.. Sheats has purpose in put
ting this article before the people
of the state, and that purpose is to
call the attention of latent school
people in some counties 10 the new
measures We are introducing here,
and he takes this means of doing
it. The article reads as follows:
Editor Times Union and Citizen.
County Superintendent r. E. Minis, of
BreYard county, indicted into the Office
last January, is man of resource and
action. He has already undertaken two
reforms that place him in the front ranks
of live and progressive educators of the
state. Other school officers could not do
better than TO wake up and follow his
example.
Unwilling to wait for the slow action
of removing the constitutional five-mill
Limitation of county school levy, or TO
run the risk of failure on the part of the
legislature to provide this relief so essen
tial to permit the advancement of public
he has measures on flot to
have each county school board district
voted special tax school district, which
will permit each third of his county to
levy as much as three mills for the sup
port of the schools within the district
This shows that where there is a will TO
progress there is opportunity, even under
the present law.
Another reform being instituted by
him, if properly executed, will greatly
the value of his schools, will
prove To be worth many times its cost
and secure greater returns for every dol
lar expedited for public education. Hiss
plan is to employ one or more really ex-
pert supervising teachers, whose duty it
will be TO visit and spend from week to
Ten days inspecting each school, assisting
The teacher and suggesting better meth
DDS; calling Oh the patrons With the view
Jf awakening greater interest in the edu-
:atiOn of their children, securing their .
with the teacher, and re
porting TO the county board the exact /
status of education in each community,
Hith all information pertaining To teach
RS and schools that may tend towards
advancement i'll the county.
Tue lack Of better supervision is a weak
point IN the school system; this Superin- |
.endent Minis proposes 10 overcome in |
.he most practicable Way yet suggested |
n this state. If these supervising teach |
trs be wisely selected, their salaries will |
yield the greatest returns to the county |
Jf any money expended for the public |
schools.
This system Is worthy of the consider
alton not only of Duval and several Of |
.he larger cUunIIts of the state, but "a |
travelling expert teacher would ne worth |
many times his cost in the smaller coun- |
lies; IN fact, II Is generally III such cOun-
les where supervision Is most defective, |
ind such Il teacher is most imperatiVely |
needed. W. n. SHEArs.
State Supt. Public Instruction.
Tallahassee, April 10th.
Our worthy school superintend-
ent is entitled to the proper credit
Of starting up these measures for
school improvement. In his efforts
10 benefit Brevard's public schools
Mr.. Minis has had the hearty CO.
operation and assistance of the
school board, and they, too, are
also entitled to their share of credit
N these measures, but Mr.. Minis
also needs the confidence and sup
port of the people, and our main
reason for publishing Mr. Sheats'
etter is To show to the people of
his county that if the proposed
of our school board are
worthy of special mention for the
benefit of other counties in the
state, they are of the greatest i'm
Dortance To us as individuals, and |
N this respect certainly the opin-
on of our state superintendent
should have much weight with any
Thomases (if any there
oe) as to the wisdom of these new