The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-12-31
WOULD ABOLISH
COUNTY SUPT.
COMMUNICATE SETS DOWN
GOOD REASONS AGAINST
PROPOSED LAW.
Thinks Township Trustee is Best
Adapted for Appointment of
School Teachers.

Editor Tribune: Recently an ar
ticle appeared in your paper, the ef-
feet of which was that some legislator
proposed to win a laurel wreath for
his own high forehead, by proposing
to the coming legislature law which
would take from the township trustee
the placement of school teachers and
vest that right in the county super
intendent of schools. figuring that
thereby less politics would be likely
to creep in and the best interests of
fine schools subserved also And fur
ther though a three-year license is
possession required at the present
time the standard was to be raised to
five years, which means a college
bred man and finished education;
and could the man afford to give his
time for the money now paid?
But few years ago good sense
and a common school education with
a side embelhsllment of six months
at some Academy of learning was the
requirement, and the boys from the
country schools that has passed the
grades came into our city schools and
nine times out of ten won first hon.
ors, until jealousy crept in and shut
them out, and the same might be said
OF his abilities today By what means
is the superintendent to become more
eligible to select teachers for the
his little bailiwick, and is he made of
his little baihwick, an dis he made Of
better clay that he by right of Office
becomes above using his place for
political preferment? Remember
there Is about one hundred and fifty
schools in Marshall county for super
intendence and usually about one
hundred forty days OF school in
which he must travel over Marshall
county, rain or shine, and inspect
and take note of the teachers meth
DDS and abilities, and ascertain if ne
can the means employed and wheth-
er the method employed is proper
Also he must notice the disposition
of the teacher, whether he or she is
best fitted for this school or the one
on the other crossroad.
Ninety-five per cent of the town
ship trustees in Indiana were edu
Gated, if at all, in the common schools
and know quite as we'll the ability OF
the teacher to cope with the situation
as the superintendent and since he is
paymaster, the teacher cares more
for his goodwill than the superinten-
dents and if he possesses any degree
OF ability is able to direct the schools
by his frequent visits with better ad-
vantage. Now saother proposition
and | have done Our sister state of
Ohio has no county superintendent
of schools at all, but board of three
looks after the districts and COM
mission is appointed to grant license
to teachers. Their schools are con-
Quoted at much less expense and are
the equal of our OWL The real object
of this writing is to suggest the idea
Of abolishing the Office of county
school superintendent, place the IL
censing of teachers in the hands of
commission of eligible parties and
place a qualification for the township
trustee There is no Office of magni-
tude in the state today that could be
abolished with as little fric ton and as
much economy as that of county sup
erintendent of schools.
Citizen,
nj