Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-11-22
Public Education.

For the past few days the constitu
tional convention has been engaged in
discussing the different amendments
offered in regard to the State public
schools. An amendment, offered by
Mr.. WitherS to the report of the com
mittee on education providing that the
superintendent of public instructor
shall be elected by direct vote of the
people, was adopted.
There were great many amendments
proposed to the section relating to the
composition of the board of education,
but they were all rejected save the one
mentioned above. The section itself
was not acted upon.
The effect of this amendment is TO
make elective three members of the
board of education as constituted here.
after. These will be governor, attor-
ney general, and superintendent OF
public instruction, who compose the
board under the present law. The 9th.
er six members, as provided by the
new plan, are to be the heads of the
leading institutions of learning in Vir-
ginia, to which the State makes an
nual appropriations.
The only other interesting feature
of the convention proceedings yester
day was the presentation of the reso
buttons adopted by the Baptist general
association indorsing the Barbour
Quarles liquor resolution, which has
become such live issue. The resolu
ton Was referred to the bill Of rights
committee. which will take its final
vote on this matter during the pres
ent week.
Attorney General Ayers has pre-
pared an amendment to the report OF
the committee on education providing
for the establishment BIZ 1906 of a
school of technology for each of the five
grand divisions of the State.
The Constitutional Convention spent
nearly four hour debating proposed
amendments to the section of the com
mittee on education relating to county
school superintendent. Mr.. Boaz
opened the ball by offering an amend
ment providing that the Office be aboI
ished. This he finally withdrew, when
Mr.. Barbour offered one providing
that superintendent be left in charge
of the State board and that this body
shall have power in it's discretion to
consolidate the smaller counties into
districts and to elect them, as at pres
ent. MIR. Petit offered an amendment
providing that the superintendent be
elected by the peoples No vote was
taken on any of he pending PROPOSE
tiOns.
The county uperintendent of schools
was the subject of warm debate in the
constitutional convention. Amend
ments were made to the report of the
committee on education, placing the
control of the superintendent of public
instruct ion in the hands of the board
of education and providing that after
the first term Misrepresentation should
be elected at the same time as the gov
ernor.
When the section relating to the
power of the board to elect city and
county superintendent and to remove
them for cause came up, MI. BOaZ
moved to strike out county superin
tendents. He said he thought that the
office should be abolished, or at least
be left subject to the action of the leg
islature. and not infexibly fixed in the
constitution. He said that it was a
notorious fact that county superin-
tendents, under the present system, did
not perform any satisfactory duties.
This amendment created stirring
discussion and Chairman. McIlwaine
said he could give notice that the COM
mittee would not recommend the abOl-
ishment OF county superintendent.
The advocates Of that idea had just as
we'll get in their work right now. He
then proceeded to show that every eff
fective educational system of free
schools in the Union had local super
intendents, and the uniform opinion of
expert educators was agreeable to this
view. To abolish the office would be
a mistake.
Mr.. Barbour offered a substitute re-
curing that the State be divided into
districts and superintendent of these
districts be selected by the State board
of education. This, he said, would
leave it in the discretion of the board
to have large or mall districts. These
districts should be the size Of a county,
or a dozen counties, as the board saw
fit.
DIR. McIlwaine said be thought Mr..
Barbour's substitute was a decided i'm
provement on all amendments, and
even on the recommendation of the
committee.
MIR. Boaz withdrew his amendment
abolishing the office of county super
intendent and accepted the substitute
of Mr.. Barbour.
Mr.. Petit submitted an amendment
providing for the election of county
superintendent by the people. 1t
went over.