Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1903-02-19
WEIGH SETS DATES
FOR HOL DING TEACHERS INSTITUTES
THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
ROREBUD COUNTY TEACHERS
wit Convene In Forsyth April 9Th. 9th
10th and nth.

10th and nth.
With the exception of Silver Bow,
county teachers institutes have been
held in none of the counties of Mon
tana during the present school year,
for the reason that it was thonght the
legislature might enact a measure that
would change the time for holding the
annual gathering of county teachers.
Such bill was introduced at the pres
ent session but its fate was decided on
Thursday, when the house killed it.
1t therefore became necessary for State
Superintendent of Public Instruction
w. w. WEIGH to fix the dates of the
institutes, which must, under the law
as it will exist for at least two years
longer, be held during the school term.
The dates were made Thursday, and
there was little time to spare, under
the law providing that months notice
must be given to the teachers of each
county.
The proposed law, which was earn
estly advocated by Superintendent
Welcr, divided the state into nine in
stitute districts and provided that the
institutes should be held during the
summer months, when the schools were
in vacation. Under the present law
teachers are compelled to attend the
sessions of the institutes, whereas un-
der the proposed law attendance would
be optional with them. Now the teach
attendance, but in the proposed law it
was provided that they should receive
no compensation for this time. The
law as it stands now says that the
teachers ''must" attend the institutes,
and in another section says that the
trustees "may" close the schools dur
ing this time, and it is the opinion of
the state superintendent that there
should at least be a measure to correct
this defect in the existing act.
| In each instance the county superin-
tendent is the conductor of the insti-
tute, but it is the duty of the state su-
perintendent to attend in every county.
County Superintendent Gertrude M.
Higgins has received letter from the
state superintendent notifying her of
the date chosen for the institute in this
| T,, 1,o 81
GAS you are aware, have seriously
opposed the present institute law for
the past two years and have promised
the people in all parts of Montana to
use my best energies to have it amend
ed; first, because I consider the expen-
diture of more than $4,000 of the peo-
pies money for the purpose of conduct
ing our institutes is a great injustice,
both to the teac ers and to the taxpay-
ers; second, because I oppose the COM
pulsory attendance of the teachers al
our institutes; third, because seriously
oppose the idea of closing our schools
during the school sessions for the pur.
pose of holding the county institutes.
For these and other reasons postponed
holding the county institutes until after
the present legislature would have ar
opportunity of making some needfu
changes in the law. But as the two
bills that have been introduced have
both been killed, and from the fact tha
the law makes it mandatory upon u:
to hold institutes annually, therefor,
notify you that the institute in YOU
county will be held from the eight
day of April to the 18th day of April
1oO3.'