Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-02-02

school superintendent in New Mexico
Is one long story OF political misman-
agement Up TO a few years ago, the
office was a poorly paid one In all
counties-it is poorly paid in many
counties nOw-and only inferior men,
in most cases, could be found TO take
the position. Later when political
bossism became rampant in New Mex
leo the possibilities of the office as a
political plum dawned upon some of
the more enterprising of these bosses
and period of cultivation of the Office
set in, during which the salary i'm the
first class counties was pushed up,
along with certain fees for visiting
schools until the place was a political
soft sna9."
Frank A. Hubbell. the late political
boss in Bernalillo county was more
than any other man responsible for
pushing up the salary of this office.
Some years ago the educators of the
territory came before the legislature
with a series of reforms in the school
laws. Hubbell at that time had great
influence in legislative matters. He al
lied with him a number of other infiu-
ential politicians and the crowd laid
down an ultmatum to the educators,
to the effect that their bill could pass
We're allowed for the office of county
school superintendent 1t was then
that school visiting graft made its APP
pearance, a provision going into an
otherwise worthy measure, to the ef-
feet that county Superintendents
should receive S5 a visit for each visit
to each school district i'm the county.
not TO exceed three visits to each dis
trict each year, The history of the
misuses of this provision and the ac-
tual graft to which it descended no.
tably lin Bernalillo county, has since
become classic Two years ago the
legislature repealed the graft. 1t was
then that the school men of the terri
tory began their campaign to raise
this office to a higher plan, which
now gives promise of success.
1t is admitted that no more effective
way could be found to take the office
out of politics than to give the APP
pointment of these officers to the ter
ritorial board of education, a nOn-po-
litical board composed of men of rec
ogniZed standing as teachers and man
ayers. The question of the pay of the
superintendents under the new system
is a matter which has not yet been
satisfactorily adjusted, even to the sat
isfactiOn of the members of the board.
Assistant Superintendent Clark of the
department of education has suggested
plan which seems likely to prove the
most workable This is series of
graded salaries, the pay to depend
upon the number Of school rooms un-
der the supervision of the county sup
erintendent The maximum salary
proposed by Mr. Clark is $l,700 for
those counties in which more than
fifty school rooms are to be served,
the salaries then being graded down to
be in proportion with the work de-
manded in the smaller and less thickly
populated counties
The committees of the assembly
have gone over the whole plan care
fully and with an attention and evil
dent interest never shown in school
matters by similar body. The result
is a very lively hope on the part of
the school men that their cherished
plan for increasing the efficiency of
the county schools will be realized.
Other laws proposed by the educa-
tors have been submitted to the com
mittees and have been taken under
adyisement one of these proposes a
compilation and revision of the school
laws of the territory The statute
books of the territory are now filled
with a strange tumble of conflicting
laws, which of which are dead and
others better dead, which make the
legal phases of the territorial school
system sometimes difficult to fathom.
The attorney generals office Is con-
stantly being called into consultation
to settle questions raised by these con-
ficting laws and even that depart
ment is often unable to get at the real
law in the case owing to the scrambled
condition of the statutes.
There are in addition minor bills
proposing amendments in the manner
of issuing territorial teachers certiti-
Gates, and the qualifications of teach
ers. The members of the board have
done hard days work and the pros
pect now Is that it will be rewarded
by some broad and liberal and well
considered legislation.