Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1906-10-13

any Of these. AS now constituted the
system provides for a state superinten-
dent of schools. The district attorneys
in the several counties are ex-officio
county superintendent. Does this not
appeal to you in a rather peculiar way.
The district attorney, whose official
function is to punish criminals, taking
in a great measure, supervision over
the innocent little ones at the tender
age when the unmatured minds are
susceptible to every passing impression.
Is it a healthy atmosphere for them?
Say what you please those little minds
would decern in his position that fea-
ture which they should know nothing
about and would start out bordering
upon the lower side of life, scarcely of
course understanding what it meant,
when as a matter of fact their little
minds should be full of only those
things that are pure and beautiful.
Then besides there is the practical side.
Usually the district attorney is so
busy with the duty of the Office that he
has no time to devote in his ex-officio
capacity and things drift along as they
may, for good or bad as the case may
be. Or as in the case of our own
district attorney, they might engage a
man at their own expense. But is this
just? The present district attorney of
Nye county is out personally, in order
to conscientiously administer his duties
as superintendent, the sum of $4,000, of
which amount $4,000 was for salaries
paid and $1,000 was lost through embez-
zelment by one Of his appointees. Be-
sides the school monies are in his Gus
tody and it is incumbent upon him to
appoint the school trustees. We re-
peat is this just to the district attorney
or does the arrangement, under exist
ing conditions, seem like a practical
business management. Nevada must
have the best. Nevada will have the
best. Such being the case it behooves
the next legislature to make, the first
order of business, the reorganization of
the public school system. The first
step should be the division of the State
into school districts, in much the same
way as the judicial districts, lat this
time all the counties are probably moi
large enough to make the county the
unit of division.) Each district shoulC
have a deputy superintendent, one
thoroughly versed in pedagogy and no
one trained in the prosecution of Grim
: inals. The trustees for each school il
2 the district should be selected by cleo
ton. The citizens in any given section
voting for the trustees for the school il
such section. These trustees should
, form the business management for tina
particular school and their actions
should be subject to unanimous vote a
their meetings. The district superin
= tendent should be vested with a~vetoinl
power in connection with any act
passed at the meeting of the trustee
e of any school in the district over whicl
he had supervision. 1t should be tn
e duty of the district superintendent t
keep in close touch with all school
under his jurisdiction and should see a
all times that the highest standard O
educational work was being maintaine
and that the business end of the schoC
was being properly administered. H
IL should be responsible and subject to tn
u State superintendent of schools. tn
Is present system of taxation need not
IL molested, but could continue as heret'
ID fore. Keep the school system distin'
Is from any other branch of the COVER
II ment. The office of the State superb
10 tendent should be made an elective Oh
and the people of Nevada will guara
i. tee the election of the proper ma
This is no reflection whatsoever up'
ST the present superintendent, who h
ne proven himself a most capable office
an not because of the system but in spi
of it. The people of Nevada want
and the next State Legislature will gi
'aI it to them.
sft