The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-06-16
Letters fo The Editor
COUNTY supERINTEsDENrs.
Objections to the Proposed Change In |
 Their Selection,


 Their Selection.
 Editor The Advertiser:
 Articles are appearing at intervals the views of those who favor the sue pervision Law, which is to be consld- cred when the Legislature re-convenes. ful men in Alabama that doubt the wisdom of its enactment, and remem- bering The Advertiser has always all parties a hearing, make bold to
 Under the present laws, the rural follows: The couaty is divided into school districts, each about three miles square. On day in August every tTict elect three @ citizens Of % the sen district Q district board of trustees. The dis trict board thus chosen immediately Humber ana ens anoher seefs tary. few days later the chairman of the. district boards in the county mes who win the eoSnt1 1d snnsrfnten ten dent, constitute the county board ot education. The county superintendent yeaes at the 5 PeOIs snd m paid per cent of the amount he dis purses. All school matters are in the tion.
 It is proposed in the Supervision Bill' now pending in the legislature, perintendent away from the people and put 1t into the hands of the county board of education. The county board four years, but may discharge him at will. The bill commands the county board of education to fix the salary of Ss Ser osSnty sS aH deem pest waa The county superintendent must hold hrst grade certificate, and have no
 There are reasons why this hill should not become a law;
 :. First-Ths The bill takes the right ot hands of the County board of educa, tion., This is Hamiltonianism pure and peoPs @D Hs is foTegn dfSst so pana Sf ples of Jefferson The people have ever had the. right of electing their capable of electipg him now An edu7 cational journal published in Birming- ham stated in a recent issue, that the fhst if tsHes the m election @ % of the the p eouns ty superintendent out of the hands of the people The, people. it seems. may be trusted to elect o5. a cers. but cannot be trusted to elect these little county superintendents. t,s bill in spirit violates great instrument prohibits the legis- lature from prescribing qualification TOT an GleCLlVe OTHcer. For instance, the legislature cannot enact a law say yers. This biii then, in prescribing that the county superintendent must violates. the spirit of the constitution. this qualification that the people are to be robbed of the right of electing their own county superintendent.
 Third-The biil. if 1t becomes a law, ia us see: The school affairs of the county are now not in the hands of the county Superintendent. but in those county superintendent only executes the orders of the county board, The gentlemen who now compose this to the good of the schools They draw virtually no pay. and have much to do They are therefore selected simply TOT when this board is next to be elected, that they will have lucrative office to gEs Sf Whom it tbsJ nSt a2or os f0r t6a office, will, at first, greatly and final ly. wholly, influence their election? by the district boards, who are with ont a cent of pay and are elected by the people solely with an eye to their fitness win not if this 5n boards passes ns largely influenced hereafter by their preference for county, superintendent? If one or the main ldeaS m the pIU- posed bill Is to take educational ar. fairs out of politics. it's passage would be a grievous error Politics now touch educational matters in Alabama sn only one little point-the county su- perintendent. Pass this bill. and the whole educational system of Alabama will become political to the core.
 Fourth-To pursue the idea of poll tics in the schools: The bill requires the county superintendent to hold first grade certificate. Where do first grade certificates come from? The office of the State Superintendent or Education. These certificates must pc the county superintendenthdlruatha renewed at intervals. It is plain thai the county superintendent, If the biil passes, Is put politically into the hanos of the state superintendent. Under u self-seeking man in that great omce (which MT. Gunnels is not) 1t Will pe- come the most powerful political force in Alabama-as 1t Is now in most or the states. The whole educational sys- tics.
 . the holder of a first grade certificate may become a county superintendent, dishonors the present educational sys- tenn of Alabama The public schools of our State begin with the rural schools and run up through the var ious normal and agricultural schools to those great institutions the. State University at Tuscaloosa, and the EnlySaahric at Auhurn Thesa schools