The sun., 1903-02-05
UNlPICATION FIGHT RENEWED.
BILL GIVING THE REGENTS con.
troll OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
1t Provides for Nine Additional Regents
Who Shall Form . state Board Of
Education Within the Board Of Regent,
and Have Control Of Common SCHOOLS

mo nave COntrOa OF common SCHOOLS.
ALBANY, Feb. THE old nsht for the
uniflcation Of administration Of the primary
and secondary schools and the higher insti-
tutions Of learning In this State, which
caused such cornmotion In educational
circles three years ago, has been revived as
the result OF bill introduced to-day by
Senator Elon r. Brown Of Watsrtown.
The bill provides thAtthe Legislature Of
1905 shall elect nine RAEents OF the Univer-
sity OF the State. who shall constitute a
State Board Of Education within the Board
OF Regents and have oomplete jurisdiction
OF the common schools Of tho State. At
least one OF these nine Regents shall come
from each of the eight judicial. districts of
the State. II present Regent IA elected
as member Of such Board Of Education he
does not surrender his life term a. Regent
Members Of the State Board Of Education,
not Regents at the time. will serve for term
determined by lot, 90 that one will go out
each year and their SUCCESSORS bc appointed
Tor term OF nine years.
The Stale boaru oi Education Is to ap-
point Superinte endent Of Public Inst rue
ton for term Of five years and he will be
removable by the board. The first super
iniendent thus appointed will not assume
ohSe Until ule !eTh Oh tne tnen Supe r1n-
tendent Of Public instruction shall have
exI ired. which will be April 4, 1907. The
supe rtntendent appointed by the board
shall he subject to its control have COM
plete and exclusive jurisdic, ion over the
common schools Of the State. including the
elementary and secondary schools, and
shall possess the powers and perform the
duties in respect to the common sch oos
as are now conferred upon the Superin-
tendent OF Public Instruction and the Re-
gents. Member OF the Board Of Educa-
tion who are not Regents at the time of their
appointment are 10 act a. members of the
Board Of Regents, with like powers. during
their terms as members Of the Board OF
Education.
A vacancy caused by the death Of life
Regent is not to be filed until the number
OF life Regents Is reduced from 10 TO 8,
so that if this scheme is carried out, there
would he only ten life Regents and nine
nine year term Regents when ten life Re.
gents had died after 1906
Gov. Odel said tonight that no knew
nothing about the bill until 1t was intro
duced. Senator Brown said the bill was
not introduced at the request Of the Cover
nor nor OF either Of the two State educa
tional departments, but that il was a per-
sonal measure Of his own. In fact. Senator
Brown tired to get somewhat similar
measure through when the unification
fight was on three years ago.
Supt. Skinner will not say what his posi-
tion on the bill is. but the impression is that
he favors il. Mr. Skinner IL from Water
town. So is Senator Brown. The fight
over this bill will be one Of the most interest
ing Of the present session, and II is likely
that Gov. Odell will take a hand to the dis
comfiture Of those who are behind the bill.
He said in his first message to the Legis-
lature that il the chickering's between the
two State educational departments did not
stop. drastic measures would be taken.
SV,.
expires on April 4. 1904, and his successor
will be elected for term Of three years.
The old-time differences bet ween the
Board OF Regents and the Department OF
Public Instruction broke out to-day before
the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
Representatives Of both departments were
before the committee to discuss the Merritt
bill, providing that the Department Of
Public Inst rllctio may use portion OF the
free school fund to pay for the free TUT ion
OF pupils from district In which there " no
high school In a school Of another district:
Bishop Doane was the chief speaker for
the opposition, while Danforth Z. Aims
worth, Deputy Superintendent OF Public
Inst ruot ton. made the main address In
favor Of the bill. Mr.. Ainsworth was quite
and had his fist shaking in Bishop Doane's
face quite often. which only caused the
Bishop to smile.
Bishop Doane said the Regents were the
natural distributors OF this money and
should have charge Of all secondary edu-
cation. He insis, ed that under the terms
Of the bill il would mean double insrec-
tion Of all high schools. which would tend
to bring about confictory jurisdiction.
Mr.. Ainsworth supported the bill be-
cause it was the only means OF putting
the schools of the State upon higher
plane. He said every one knew what
scramming- had to be done by pupils to
keep up with the Regents courses. The
Regents, he said, thought they were the
can.ors of his depart ment.
Turning 10 the Bishop. MIR. Ainsworth
shook his fist at him and asked: Bishop
Doane, whose scalp are YOU after now?
Is It mine or Supt. SINNERS? II It ie mine
I will inform you that my resignation is
now in the hands OF Mr.. Skinner. to be
accepted whenever he seee fl. II has
been there several years. too"
He said the schools Of the State would
he better taken care Of II they were not
in the control Of an aristocratic, ecclesiastic
and isolated s1t OF men.
Another hearing win be given on the