Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-09
SUPERINTENDENT RIGGS DOES
NOT ADVOCATE COUNTY AS
ONLY UNIT.
TOWNSHIP OR COUNTY
AS BASIS FOR STRUCTURE
Legislative Committee to Adopt Riggs
Plans For Suggested Laws-lowa at
Present Has No Real School System
Three Directors Urged For Each
Township.
Special to Times Republican.

Des Moines, Nov. s.-Instead Of urg-
ing the county as the unit for the
school system of Iowa in his address
before the state teachers convention,
as the newspapers said, State superin-
-endent Riggs advocated rather a
frame work on which a school system
could later be erected tina. would be
either township or county unit sys-
tenn or a combination of both as the
trend of thought and the development
I of the plan nigh. best indicate.
Superintendent Riggs address VIII
probably be the plan On which the
| Legislative committee VIII work al the
next session of the legislature. He
pointed on. that al 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 a division into
school districts with a board of direc-
tors for each district Independent Of all
others.
There IS a general agreement that
the township Is as small as any unit
should be in the school system. The
.as- legislature turned down The coun
y unit system advised by the school
law commission as did The legislature
many years ago when Governor Grimes
! appointed d commission. Supe-;atend-
ent Riggs believes therefore that the
( Legislature should provide that the d.
rectors shah be elected al large from
The township and be about three in
number He would give them wide
range Of powers a. present. He would
abolish the present county board of
education which consists of the board
of pervisors, the county auditor and
county uparintendent. The supervisors
nd auditor are never selected with
any ldea Of their fitness for the office
q school board He would elect in
.eir place a county board Of three %
ave he Sigh. duties and powers of
.. present county school boards.
Nj. Riggs believes the state would
~. have : uniform frame work on
1ich n Construct a school code. II il
.8,er fonnd desirable 70 place more
a,!artly With tll1 county board This
l.8 be done II il ultimately was dis
vered that he county board should
ifa t--T p---f iJif'S+ anu s+!N H4'-- ~ -
system mis- could be easily arranged
4, present Mr. RIGGS said n his adj
dress there are advocates on both sides
If The question ana ne believes if 1here
IS any solution . tile problem il mus
be in uniting Oh some such plan. as
ne suggests since there Is strong OPP
position gains. -ile adoption u eithel
System - lie exclusion Of the othe.
ani!e All elacae3rS & Dl7re The presen,
candicion considering i, d curse 70 the
.sacal.on asvaaeeH NJ II the state.
ms, with ~ oppas1i 5n 5or i is not 2
radical dara~.ure FROM ne present CON
di.ions and We would simplify III.
present conditions ..co : system WING:
eou!d gradually be developed y the adj
vancage % tina STATE Alr riggs be
l;evAs that the school teachers Of ~
stare have been defeated in their ef
forts % get legislation in me past be
caase Of the fact that they have bee,
divided Themselves and further becaus
too many things have been asked Tn
legislatures have always been slow L
amend the school laws tho OF late the.
, nave shown a disposition 10 correct tn