The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1908-10-10
OUR SCHOOLS.
The Value of Expert Super
vision Strikingly Emphas.
lied by Well Known Ed
uCatOr.

OF school administration-theS State the
county and the school district "An
educational system is great business. 3"
In every organized business there must
be machinery; that machinery must be
repaired, adjusted and articulated, and
some competent, responsible person
must supervise that machinery. A sue
cessful supervisor must be capable
man, an experienced man and a coura-
geous man. He must be reasonably
well paid, definitely responsible to
somebody apu reasonably secure in his
position as long as re is efficient. What
of the supervision OF our educational
system? Wha. do - expect and what
have we n right to expect?
What does the fundamental law of
the State require in the Office of the
State superintendent? Does it require
that he shall be an educated man or q
man of experience in school affairs, or
man who knows anything of teaching
and of teachers, or man himself quail
ifed to teach? He is expected to direct
the educational policy of a State and TO
maintain system of schools for over
300, 900 children. What salary is offer
ed to man big enough to fill this posi-
tion? Nineteen hundred dollars year.
How does this rank with the salary Of
fered a man big enough to run one cot
ton mill? How does he get the position
and on what does the security of it de-
pend? What is likely To be his reward
for any display of courage in his Office?
Every second year he is compelled to
neglect the duties of his Office for at
least two months and to spend at least
Sf00 to get the opportunity to speak 10
minutes i'm each county telling the dear
Gndiflerent) people that he should be re,
elected. Under our present system of
electing the State superintendent and
with the two-year tenure of office the
entire educational policy of the State
may be reversed inside one year. In a
recent editorial The News and Courier
pertinently says: ''In late years the
people have shown n growing improve
ment in their estimate Of the place of
superintendent of education, choosing
as rule trained teachers for it, t,......
but there is no assurance so long as the
office is filled by popular vote that in
capable men will not be elected to it
solely because of their ingratiating
manner, or as reward for political
service. 49,. The superintedent of edu-
cation should be appointed by the gov
\ IL,
investigation, and the salary should he
sufficient to command the service of eX-
perts and at the same time remove them
from temptation"
a succession of able State superin-
tendents could not build and maintain
a system of high class schools unless
the county supervision be good. The
wisest policies of a State superintendent
would avail but little unless the county
superintendents were able, willing and
courageous enough to carry these poll
cies to success. In the matter of ad
ministration the county superintendent
cy is the key to thesituation. What do
we require of the county superintend-
ent, what do we expect, what do we
get, and-what do we give? DO we re-
quire that the county superintendent
shall be an expert or experienced edu-
Gator? Is he required to have any
knowledge of schools or of teaching?
Is there anything To prohibit an Hitter
ate from holding that Office? He is not
required to be competent to teach, al
though by law he is required To give
his teachers instruction in the art and
method of teaching! Docs the county
demand that its superintendent be at
least the equal of the superintendent in
the court house town? To be perfectly
plain and honest, have we not had men
elected and reelected TO the Office of
county superintendent, to supervise the
whole county, who could not have been
elected TO any position in the best
schools of their counties? They under
stand full well that the public does not
expect such fitness of them. That is
our fault, not theirs. The public mind
does not think of county superintend-