Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1904-04-08
The New School Law-Some OF
the Important Changes


eral, important revolutionary
changes were made by recent leg
islatiye enactments, and to the adj
ministratorS of the school system
as a whole; some of these new and
startling provisions are just be,
coming known. About IA hundred
copies Of the text Of the laws were
secured by the State. Board and
sent one each to the superlnten'
dents Cf every county and city, and
it is these superintendent and the
boards associated with them that
are now scratching their heads and
puzzling their brains ever the stu
alton. The law has carried con-
sternatiOn into some camps and
worked revolutions in Others. IN
number OF sections Of the State
thorough stir-up is expected
when the school elections occur
very shortly.
Under the statute existing today
every school trustee in the State
will 90 out Of office on LIST OF May
instead Of on the 1ot Of August, as
has been the case heretofore. Elec.
lions will have to be held all over
Virginia and it is an interesting
fact these elections are not likely
to be perfunctory reinStatements OF
the men now filling the positions.
The hody which elects the trustees
is called the school electoral board
Each county has one. The COM
plexion Of this board itself has been
changed by the new law and this
fact is expected to mean that there
will be resulting change among
some of the trustees. The board
until February LIST, 1904, con-
sisted of the county Judge, the
Commonwealth attorney and the
superintendent of schools.
Stree that date it is composed of
the Commonwealth attorney, d
resident qualified voter who is not
a county or State officer, and the
Superintendent of schools, who is
ex.officio chairman of the board.
But the most notable of the
changes provides that sen district
school board shall employ or may
any teacher from the public funds,
if said teacher is the brother, sister,
wife, son or daughter of any menu
Der of said board" This means
that teachers who come under this
category will have 10 get out after
the present session or else on Mar
LIST the trustees to whom thew are
related will haye to resign their
offices. This provision will play
havoc in certain sections OF the
State.
1T will practically decimate the
district boards in number of
counties" said an officer of the
State Department yesterday.
Another section provides that no
Federal officer, except a fourth
class postmaster, and no supervi-
sor. or county or State officer, or
any deputy of said officers, except a
notary public and commissioner in
chancery, shall be chosen or allow
ed to act as district school trustees.
The act further provides, which is
interesting, in view of the coming
elections that the regular terms OF
the trustees shall hereafter be three
wears, and their successors shall be
chosen by the several school trus-
tees electoral boards not more than
thirty days nor less than ten days
before the expiration of their regu-
lar terms; provided, that the first
Appointments made under the Sec
ton shall be for one, two and three
years, respectively, and thereafter
one trustee shall be appointed an
nually in each district. The boards
will fill vacancies occurring within
a regular term of the unexplred
part hereof. No person who is un-
able to read and write shall be APP.
pointed trustee.
A last revolutionary change may
be called to mind. A startling
fact revealed by the last Virginia
school report is that the treasurers
of the several counties receive
more money for handling the
school funds than the superinten-
dents received for administering
the school systems. The aggre-
gate of salaries paid bv the State to
the superintendent was S47, $50;
the az gregatA of commissions to
treasurers was S5O,446.53. The
new law that will govern the treas
urers hereafter says: His COM +
pensation for disbursing moneys
arportioned to the county from
the State funds for public free
school purposes shall be a commits
sion of not exceeding one percei-
tum on the amount thereof, to be
fixed by the country school boards.