The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-11
SCHOOL UNIT SYSTEM.
Superintendent Riggs Does Not Advo.
cate County as Only
Unit.

DIES MONIES. Nov. 11.-Instead Of
urging the county as the unit for the
school system of Iowa in his address
before the state teachers convention,
as the newspapers said, State Super
intendent Riggs advocated rather a
frame work on which school system
could later be erected that would be
either township or county unit
system or combination of both as
the trend of thought and the develop
ment of the plan might best indicate.
Superintendent Riggs address Will
probably be the plan on which the,
legislative committee will work at the
next session of the legislature. He
pointed out that at present Iowa has
no school system. In some places the
township is now the unit with several
directors elected In an adjoining
township there may be division into
school districts with board of direc-
tors for each district independent OF
all others.
There is general agreement that
the township is as small as any unit
should be in the school system The
last legislature turned down the coun-
ty unit system advised by the school
law commission as did the legislature
many years ago when Governor
Grimes appointed a commission
Superintendent Riggs believes there
fore that the legislature should pro-
vide that the directors shall be elect
ed at large from the township and be
about three in number. He would
give them wide range Of powers at
present. He would abolish the pres
ent county board of education which
consists Of the board of supervisors,
1 the county auditor and county superin-
! tendent The supervisors and audi
tor are never selected with any idea
| of their fitness for the Office of a
school board. He would elect in their
place a county board of three to have
1 the slight duties and powers of the
present county school boards.
Mr.. Riggs believes the state would
/ then have uniform frame work on
which to construct school code II
it was later found desirable to place
more authority with the county board
I this could be done If it ultimately
was discovered that the county board
should be the only power and the unit
OF the system this could be easily ar
arnged. At present Mr.. Riggs said
in his address there are advocates on
both sides of the question and he be-
lieves if there is any solution to the
problem it must be in uniting on
some such plan as he suggests since
there is strong opposition against
the adoption of either system to the
exclusion of the other while all edu-
Gators deplore the present condition
considering it curse to the educa-
tional advancement Of the state.
He believes his suggestion should
/ be met with no opposition for it is
i not a radical departure from the pres.
ent conditions and yet would simplify
4 the present conditions into a system
/ which could gradually be developed
to the advantage of the state. Mr.
Riggs believes that the school teach
ers of the state have been defeated
4 in their efforts to get legislation in
the past because of the fact that they
have been divided themselves and fur.
ther because too MANY things have
! been asked The legislatures have al
/ ways been slow to amend the school
laws though of late they have shown
a disposition to correct the most glar-
I ing of the contradictions in the school
law. Mr.. Riggs believes that at the
next session of the legislature the
distinct propositions should stand by
I themselves in separate bills SO that
4 opposition directed against one will
/ not endanger all He believes fur.
/ thermore that if it is found that not
all the measures for which the as
ISOLATION stands can receive consider
alton at the hands of the legislature,
and that but one only can be achiev.
ed, that one should be the reorganiz.
alton of the system on rational
basis.
I n tho i,,yf ia