The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-06-12
NEXT the SCHOOL ELECTION

NEXT the SCHOOL ELECTION
Five Members of the Board Of Edu-
cation to be Elected on Next
Tuesday, June 18.
There has been so much state poll
tics in the air for several months
that the coming school election has
been lost sight of to some extent.
This election takes place Tuesday,
June 16.
Under the new law adopted by the
state legislature Of 1907 a change
was made in the number of members
of the board of education and also
the time for electing them. Hereto
fore, the custom has been to elect
two members from each ward in the
city and one member at large. I'm
der the present law the board Of ed
ucation will be composed of FIVE men,
who will be selected from the city at
large and without reference to their
location in any ward. They can all
come from one ward or one from
each ward, or in any manner that
they may be selected. .
Up to the present time there has
been hardly n mention made of
possible candidates. Under the cir
cumstances it would not be a bad
idea to select five men from the
present board of education, for the
very good reason that to select en-
tirely all new men would be to place
the members very likely in an en-
barassing position, for they would
have little c%ognizance Of the work
in hand. The present board has the
work we'll laid out for the erection of
the new school building, and under
standing the situation better there
is no question but what they can
handle the business to a much better
advantage.
In selecting the five members for
the board Of education two members
are selected for one year two for
two years and one for three years,
by which method there will always
be several old members on the board,
and it is for this reason that it is
suggested that the present members
of the board be elected to the posi-
lions.
Some criticism has been advanced
by a local paper concerning the SEEM
ing haste of the board to rush the
school house proposition through. 1t
is just the reverse, however, and
what has seemed as haste to the
critic is really slowness on their part.
The election for voting on the bonds
was held owe three months ago, and
the bonds have just been advertised
for bids. 1t would seem that there
wal very little haste. The local pa
per also found fault with the idea
that the majority Of the members
were trying to override the rest Of
the board. When the vote was taken
concerning the call for bids there
was not a dissenting vote cast by the
board. and consequently it passed
with unanimous consent. This would
not indicate that there was an effort
made to walk over the objections of
any other people on the board.
There are no grounds for a sus-
picion that a new board might
change things. When the vote was
taken for issuing the bonds in Feb !
ruary 1t was carried by over a two
to n vote, and under those cir
cumstances the board of education,
OF whatever complexion 1t might be,
would have no right to lay anything
in the way of the success Of this pro-
ject. A very large majority Of the
people have expressed themselves in
a favorable way that they want the
new high school building construct
ed, and after that decision has been
reached any board of education
would not be consistent to attempt to
delay the construction Of the build
ing.