The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-01-08

years annually apportioned TO Drl12
up the schools to this minimum ses'
sion, yet the foregoing statistics show
that the law has failed to accomplish
it's purpose. The law does not require
the trustees to apply the money to the
schools that need it.
In my report Of 1899 called atten'
tion to the need Of safeguards against
the unnecessary multiplying OF
schools to be thus aided by the State.
Some districts support several schools
and apply the funds in very different
proportions to the different schools.
The constitutional provision that
each county board should lay off its
county into convenient school dis
tricts Of not less than nine more than
40 square miles has been carried out
in very few counties. It's spirit and
purpose, though ont its letter, was
that each district should support but
one school for the white and one for
the negroes, each to be centrally To-
Gated. In some counties the districts
are still townships, so large that they
must support several schools. some
of which the trustees are not inter
ested in and shamefully neglect,
while some are entirely too near to
others.
Moreover, a three months school
with a SIS teacher can hardly be called
q school. Necessarily the trustees
have little choice Of teachers. With
the acquiescence Of the county super
intendents they sometimes employ
teachers without certificates Of quail
fication and unable to pass the re-
quired examinations. But In some
counties there is an ample supply OF
incompetents holding the county GER
tiflcates. Although, the trustees VI
short term schools are in the habit OF
employing very poor teachers. for
whom it should not be the policy OF
the State to furnish longer sessions.
Aid from the State should be granted
not merely upon a showing OF pow
erty, but upon the guarantee OF prop
er location Of the school and the en-
ployment of thoroughly capable
teacher. Better far to aid a few
schools nthis way than to aid many
less effectively.
A legislative appropriation to the
schools should be based upon a gen.
eral law with safeguards along these
lines. The teacher whose salary is
suppleme ented should be required to
have a certificate of qualification from
the State board Of education issued
upon examination or upon the diploma
of an approved college,. The school
10, tgkr tnf
one school for each race, or the school
should not be less than four miles
from every other which the pupils
might attend, and If its enrolment be
less than 20 pupils its distance from
every other school open to its children
should be not less than five miles, or
specially justified by swamps or other
peculiar conditions (reported by the
county board and approved by the
State board). The county board should
furnish list Of its schools fulfilling
the conditions In teacher, location,
enrolment and financial inability, the
latter fact being certified also by the
county treasurer on March 18th, al
ter the collection of taxes has been
completed and the funds of the dis
trict for the current scholastic year
are ascertained-and, in the case OF
the needy districts, exhausted. The
names Of the teachers and the
amounts, to be paid them should be
certified to the State treasurer by the
State superintendent of education on
behalf Of the State board OF educa-
ton. The States aid should be suffi-
cient to bring up the salaries to $35
a month for six months.
At the beginning Of this policy not
many schools would be able to avail
themselves of the proffered assist
ance. Under the strong inducement to
conform to the conditions, trustees
would be stirred from present indif-
ference and errors. There would be
readjustment in the location Of schools
which would greatly strengthen 9th
ers. In the end comparatively small
number would need the legislative
bounty. The country school problem
would be largely solved.
OF course these results could be
much better realized with better coun-
ty management Of schools. State aid
to weak schools would be for many
reasons unwise without strong man.
agement and expert supervision In
each county.