Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1908-10-24
FAVORS NO. 4 AMENDMENT
State Superintendent Olsen Urges
Voters To Sanction Change
O.. I'm Constitution.

Voters of the state are appealed to
by j. w. Olsen, state superintendent
of schools, to support the constitu-
tional amendment permitting an
educational qualification for county
superintendent of schools, No. 4 On
the lavender ballot.
Mr.. Olsen explains the proposition
and urges support for it in the follow
ing statement: .....
Under the constitution of Mime
sofa, any legal voter is eligible for any
Office that is elective by the people
of his county or district. This in
cludes the county superintendency.
In response to growing sentiment
in favor of professional, scholarly,
expert supervision, the legislature
submitted what is known as amend
ment No. 4 to the voters of the state
for their action at the election of
November, 1908. This amendment, if
carried, will authorize the legislature
to prescribe reasonable qualifications
for county superintendent.
The county superintendent them
selves, at their midyear convention,
held at Duluth on June 9, 1908, unani-
mously adopted an amplified resolu-
ton of their special committee com
posed of SuperintendentsS S. w. Gilpin,
J. B. Arp and Fl. J. Bebemeyer, which,
slightly abridged, reads as follows:
"That we, the county superintend-
ents of Minnesota, in convention
assembled, do hereby heartily approve
of providing educational qualifications
for all candidates for said Office of
county superintendent of schools,
and that we use every fair and honor
able means to secure the adoption of
said amendment; and further, that we
ask the state department of public
instruction and the newspapers of
Minnesota to aid us in getting infor-
nation relative thereto before the
voters of Minnesota.
Gin all the city and graded schools
local superintendent and principals
are employed to properly plan and
supervise all their educational work,
but in rural schools the teachers are
largely a law unto themselves as to
what shall be taught, and in what
manner.
cat the present time no standard
of education is fixed by law for a rural
school supervisor, while that of the
city superintendency is the highest
grade OF certificate granted by the
state and for a graded school princi-
palship professional certificate, or a
diploma from the advanced course
of state normal school, is required.
Think this over. The law of Mime
sofa requires principal of graded
school and the supervisor of at least
three teachers-to have high educa-
tional qualifications before he can
accept the position, but the same
laws make no mention of any qualifi-
cations for person who may be
elected to supervise 100 schools, and
more.
evil any intelligent citizen think
for one minute that more education
and training is required to supervise
three teachers in one building, and
100 pupils, than is required to super
wise 200 teachers and 5000 pupils
scattered over an entire county?
Does it not seem ridiculous to expect
teachers to pass examinations before
being permitted to teach, while the
of these same teachers is
allowed to assume his duties without
even mentioning qualifications?
ssCannot the people of the state get
better supervision and better training
for their children by providing educa-
tional qualifications for their super
vising officers?