Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-26
CHANGESlN SCHOOL LAWS
Court Decision and Opinions Suggest
Nothing Radical.

OVul UCVuSsUts 0Iu VpSU1Vso CuyyOoS
Nothing Radical.
County Superintendent of schools N.
D. Showalter and Prof w. A. Nicholas
of the Colfax schools have for some
time been formulating changes in the
existing school laws to be presented
for consideration at the forthcoming
session of the legislature. This has
been wholly work of love, the two
educators having no other object than
to advance the educational interests of
the state. The full text of the changes
to be made is quite lengthy and only
brief reference to the matter can here
be made. The present school code
requires the county superintendent
to record all contracts between
teachers and boards of directors.
Often directors can make con-
tracts with teachers who are without
certificates, and in great many cases
teachers have drawn warrants without
having any legal qualifications what
ever. 1t is recommended that pro-
vision 9, section 33, be changed to read
as follows:
"To keep in suitable book an
official record of all persons under con-
tract to teach in the schools of his
county, showing the number of the
school district, the date of the con-
tract, the names of the contracting
parties, the date of the expiration of
the teachers certificate and the grade
thereof, the salary paid, and the date
of commencing school, with the length
of the term in weeks; provided, that
no contract shall be recorded without
the approval of the county superintend-
ent, and that he shall furnish the
county treasurer with list of all con-
tracts so recorded"
In many rural districts the public
moneys are almost wasted upon poorly
planned school buildings. The director
are often satisfied with any sort of a
building that has roof. In order that
this sort of useless waste may be
checked and in order that our rural
children may have at least the advant-
ages of good lighting, ventilation and
heating, it is recommended that an act
be passed as follows:
at shall be the duty of the superin-
tendent of public instruction to provide
each county school superintendent
with volume of plans and speci-
fications of the latest and most
modern school buildings; and hereafter
allbuildings constructed for school pur-
poses in the state of Washington shall
be constructed according to plans and
specifications therein set forth; pro-
vided, that it shall be the duty of the
board of directors to secure the ap-
proval of the county school superintend-
ent, of the plan chosen, before any
contract whatsoever can be. awarded
for the constructions of the building in
question; provided, further, that any
district shall have the right to employ
competent architect. subject to the
approval of the county school superin-
tendent, and whenever such approved
architect be employed the employing
district shall not be required to use the
plans and specifications hereinbefore
mentioned, provided, further, that
any board of directors who shall con-
struct any building not in accordance
with the provisions hereinbefore men,
toned shall be collectively and individ-
ually responsible to the district for the
full amount of moneys expended for
such building and such district shall
forfeit all state appointments until
said district shall meet the require
ments and provisions of this act"
At the present time the county
superintendent is paid according to the
population of the county. This is, on
the face of it, inco onsistent, for the
county superintendent may draw
money, and does in a number of in
stdhces, uPon the popuiaClOn OF cltleS,
the schools of which he has but little
or nothing to do with in the way of
supervision. Other superintendents
with great number of districts to
supervise will draw but a fraction of
the salary that the position is worth.
1t is evident that some other plan
should be adopted that will be more
nearly just, and that will fix salaries
according to the work there is to be
done. 1t is suggested that an act be
passed fixing salaries upon the basis of
the number of districts in the county
as follows:
Class No. of Dists. Salary
IL LIZ OR mora S2oOa