The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-01-03
To Improve Schools.

With the nope or improving the pun
lie school system in the State, officials,
including State Superintendent Nj.
Bates Stephens, the county superinten-
dents and the principals of the normal
schools, will present several bills to
the Legislature.
Superintendent Stephens is in favor of
county school boards furnishing text
books to pupils out of the 16-cent
school tax fund and do away with the
special free-book appropriation. He
says if this be done there would be-
come available for other school pur
poses several thousand dollars now
tied up in the free book fund. If this
be not done a bill will be introduced
which will relieve the Decent rate of
the fixed charge of $150.0e0 to be de-
Quoted before any school funds are
distributed.
According to DR.. Stephens, the II
cents special tax for free books has
amounted to only 1926, 900, but $780, 900
must be set aside for the fund. To
raise that amount it was necessary to
take $24, 900 out of the general fund.
He is opposed to the State granting
appropriations to number of academies
as he contends that their charters 50 re-
strict their eurriculums that they are no
longer abreast of the times and have
outived their usefulness. He wants
these appropriations to be discontinue
ed and turned over to the general
school fund.
Appropriations amounting to $15, 900
are made by the Legislature annually
for these schools.
While a majority of the county sup
eriutendents expressed themselves as
favorable to the proposition when they
were in session a few weeks ago at the
State Normal School, it is said strong
protest will be made by some of these
schools, whose existence depends up
on the State appropriation. Several of
these academies are in st. Mary's,
Charles and Anne Arundel counties.
A bill providing for an annual ap-
preparation of $4,000 for each accredit-
ed high school in the State will be intro
duced and will have the united support
of the State Superintendent and the
county superintendent. School Off
Gals say that the Legislature in the past
las been very liberal in its appropria-
lions to the Johns Hopkins University
and State colleges, while number of
their students are nonresidents, and
the State helps to defray the expense
of their education. DR.. Stephens says
that since the curriculum of high
schools have been greatly improved of
recent years the expense of their main
tenance has increased.
With the hope of providing more
trained teachers for the schools, on the
recommendation of the State Superin-
tendent Stephens, it is probable that a
bill will DO intoduced asking for an in
creased appropriation to support a
training school for teachers at an &C
credited high school in each county.
The State Superintendent is in favor
of the General Assembly placing res
friction on the colleges in the State
compelling them to give the student a
two-years course in pedagogy and COM
pei him to keep his pledge to teach two
years. In this way, he thinks, trained
teachers could be secured for the
schools a. little cost.
A bill will be introduced, in all proba-
bility, to discontinue the appropriation
of $4,000 annually for the Baltimore
Normal School, devoted to the training
of teachers for colored schools, and
asking for the purchase of the indus
trial scnool~ in Howard county, near
Laurel, with the intention of convert
ing it into good industrial and agri-
cultural school, where colored teachers
for the State may be trained.
A bill will be introduced by the repre-
sentatives of a number of counties
providing that women may be appoint
ed trustees of schools. In a number
of the counties women serve as the
majority representatives., and it is said
they display excellent wisdom and
judgment in school matters.