The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-31
APPOINTING POWER IN SCHOOLS.
School Boards Versus Superintend-
ents-The One-Man Power.


Prof David X. Goss, in American School
Board Journal
The question of the forms of government
has received much attention in the United
States in the last ten years. Municipal
government has occupied the center of the
stage. but the government OF the public
schools has divided the attention. We are
familiar with the pathology, the diagnosis
and the treatment in New York city, St.
Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, indianapolis.
Toledo and other cities. You will pardon
me for few remarks on these examples
from the standpoint of student of insti-
tutions AS to the evils of government
i'm the schools of our great cities, there are
no two opinions. AS TO remedies, there are
more than two judgments.
Speaking i'm general, all our reformed
school, as well as all our municipal govern
ments, have attempted to escape corrup-
ton and inefficiency by limiting board and
council authority to strictly legislative acts,
and by placing all executive authority in
the hands OF one man. The favorite saw
i'm this connection is always IF one man
has the power the people know exactly
where to place responsibility" This is al
ways uttered with an air of that settles
it," One might rejoin that you know who
is responsible in Turkey and Russia and
every other country or government where
dctl0n. swirl ana WITHOUT DEBATE, may at
any moment be had. liz We wish 10 sur
render the vital principle of Anglo-Saxon
history, we can easily center response
bility."
edge of German school government, that
a proposition to place teachers career
and reputation upon the decision of one
superintendent of school would excite re-
volt in that monarchy ridden".land.
To place the power of one of our re-
formed mayors i'm the hands of German
mayor would cause almost revolution.
That would be too undemocratic for the
Hohenzollerni The fact of ii all is We have
i'm efforts to escape the admitted evils of
board government in school and city, just
about destroyed the greatest instrument in
Anglo-Saxon history, namely: debate, adj
vice and joint responsibility In the result
ing action
Take for instance, the powers of super
intendent of schools in reformed" school
government. The laws now generally de-
clare he shall exercise nearly all the powers
over teachers formerly exercised by the
board Superintendent Maxwell OF New
York said to me last year that there is not
a superintendent I'm a reformed" city in
America who dared to attempt to live up To
the letter or the spirit of any such law. I
believe his statement. My own experience
confirms that as truth. Neither the
board. the teaching corps. nor the com.
munty will accept any such exercise OF
power from any man, even though he could
work miracles. Nor should they. What
happens?
formed cities generally are submitting lists
of proposed" appointments, discharges
and promotions of teachers to board MEM
bers and influential citizens before the
PRONUNCIATION of the definite actsi
And then these acts are acclaimed i'm
some quarters as purely professional"
decisions. There is no reform i'm that kind
of thing. superintendent in that situa-
ton cannot perform honest acts.
AS To the regulation OF the teaching
corps. in my opinion, there is but one re-
formed school government i'm this country
and that is in the city of New York. The
regulation of the teaching process was here
recognized as no business for layman--
so lay board cannot touch the teaching
corps here in any way.
ON the other hand they recognize that il
is not advlaable TO attempt or possible 10
carry out The supervision of education
and appointment of teachers by almighty
power in the hands of one man.
A professional board appoints all teach
ers, another professional board licenses all
teachers and another professional board
judges all teachers work.
This government makes schools efficient.
deals justly with all teachers and preserves
the Anglo-Saxon ideal OF democratic gov
eminent and the right OF appeal, and in my
judgment IL is the only city school govern
ment in America that does all those things.