The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-15
COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS.
superintendent LEcHGahan Presents
Some Practical suggestions.

Some Practical suggestions.
State Superintendent Of Education
McMahan in his annual report has the
/; following t0 say in the matter OF coun'
Y high schools:
In many counties the town school
is ATTENDED in its higher grades hy
puni!s from county districts, who i'll
some cases las in Orangeburg aDi IL
ion) are admitted free of tuition BY the
generous action Of the city bo2rI. bit
raueraliv are required to pay tuition.
Incithcr c<,sc. tie limit Of capaciiy TO
admit pupils is being reached GI mas
been reached in many towns especial
II in those that have granted tt" pT;Y-
iiege without the barrier CT tuition
charges. What is to be done TO sup
ply tic demand fcr high sclioo! cdu2a-
ton? Moreover, many smaller toWn5
have never yet been able to provide a
high school l'department for their oWn
children. and consequently in some
counties there is not even this begin
ming Of q high school accessible TO the
children OF the county. II the la"
provided machinery by which town
and countcy-c0unty. in Short-cOulo
unite in establishing; and supporting
such a school, it would at once become
attainable in many places where now
the need of it has come to be screly
felt. Indeed. we have reached the
time when some counties have develop.
ed q sentiment in favor Of providing
high school education for all children,
from town or country, who will attend.
The county board of Anderson, for ex.
ample. in the person Of County Sup
erincardent r. z. Nicholson and City
Superintendent T. G. Walton, have
been agitating for a year the establish
ment of a county high school, to serve
the city as we'll as the county. They
have called meetings OF the school
trustees Of the county and secured c.
operation looking to combined contrl-
buttons Of public funds for this end.
But mere voluntary cooperation OF
boards liable to constant change OF
membership will not suffice. A sim
pie enactment that the county board
may reserve and apply in its dlscre-
tion 10 per cent. Of the school fund
would suffice. 1t would give in Ander-
son more than $4,000, While that
board would use the fund of high
school. a board in county not yet
ready fora high school might use a
small sum to assist in supplying good
teachers to specially backward Or poor
communities. or might think best not
to exercise its power to set aside and
expend part Of the school fund.
1T would be best to attempt no dis
tinct legislation on the subject, of
high schools. An ei05rata system
created By law for all counties at this
time would be positively hurtful--a
waste Of money which is sadly needed
in the country school districts. In
any definite legislation there would be
danger of forcing prematurely high
school for it. All that is needed is to
strengthen the hands of the county
boards. by the several safeguards and
DowcrS suggested above. and these
boards will establish the necessary
high schools as soon as local condl-
tions can be developed to warrant
them. The county board would thus
be. as should be. the governing board
of the county high school. The coun-
ty superintendent. employed by the
county board. would have general over
sight of the county high school. as Of
al! the other schools in the county.
In some counties these schools
would serve for the better preparation
Of local teachers. until that distant
d2v when the colleges and the normal
schools Shall suffice to supply trained
teachers for all the schools OF the
country. Ii some counties these high
schools would take the form of indus
tria! schools for boys and girls-satis-
fying somewhat the craving that Glenn
son and Winthrop have served to
awaken in the breasts Of thousands
who cannot reach these splendid III
stitutions. Any one Of our counties is
as large as a State Of the Old world,
and is amply able to provide within its
borders higa school for the practical
education OF its children. rich and
poor"