Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-05-06
EDUCATORS TO
CAPITAL CITY
MRS. elizabeth BURGESS WILL
ATTEND CONFERENCE OF
sUPERlNTENDENTs.
RIGGS CALLS SESSION
Proposed Changes In Iowa School
Laws Will be Discussed-Week
Will Be important One
to Teachers.

Mrs. Elizabeth Burgess, superlnten-
dent of the Wapello county schools,
will be i'll attendance at the state
meeting of county superintendent
next week in Des Moines, with State
Supt. j. f. Riggs. The meeting will
convene Tuesday afternoon, May IL,
with reception, and banquet Will
follow in the evening. Wednesday and
Thursday will be devoted to business
sessions and discussion of profession
al topics.
The week will see developments Of
large Importance to the educational
| interests of the state. In conference
with Mr.. Riggs the superintendent
| will decide upon plan Of campaign
looking to radical changes in the
Iowa school laws by the next legisla-
ture. The same week the new board
of education meets with the regents
of the state university at Iowa City,
and few days later will meet with
the trustees of the state teachers col
lege and the state college at Ames.
Before they return to their homes the
members of the board will announce
the personnel of the finance commit
tee of three.
At their first meeting in Des Moines
on April 20, members of the board
announced that the committee will
probably be chosen at the Iowa City
meeting. Less than two months re
main before the three state schools
will be given into the boards charge
and in the opinion of educators it will
be highly advisable to appoint the
three committee members as early as
possible SO that they can become ia
miliar with their work before July 1.
Speculation as to who will land
places on the committee makes little
Roadway, and with the board of nine
scattered through the state and as
yet largely strangers to each other
candidates are said to be in the dark
as to who are slated. The salary OF
| $500 has attracted large field OF
candidates. Disquieting rumors that
the board wants men who have never
been connected with any of the three
schools are af1oat and are causing anx
| iety to friends of the schools who have
urged the appointment of men in close
touch with the administration Of the
various institutions.
| w. S. Wilson, superintendent of-tht
Rock Rapids public schools during the
past twelve years, is the latest candi
date for place on the committee, A
petition to the board has been circu
lated in Rock Rapids urging his ap
pointment. Mr.. Wilson was deputy
state superintendent under j. B
Knoeyfler and has been engaged il
school work all his life.
Superintendent Want Reform.
At their Des Moines meeting thi
week county superintendent are ex
pected to vote in favor of a statewide
campaign for reform of the rura
school. system. State Superintendent
Riggs is as enthusiastic in the caus'
Of the county unit and centralize,
school system as he was before tn
commission bill met it's crushing de
feat during the recent session, and h
!; will throw his influence for cam
paign to convince the people that tn
: reforms recommended by the CON
!, lission are badly needed. Mr.. Rigg
| believes that the commission bill wa
defeated because it was not under
stool by the public, and because @
the opposition of bankers and schoc
5 treasurers, which the measure sough
to abolish. His plan for the next legis
lative campaign is to offer severa
separate bills, so that one offensiv
provision will not carry down the er
: tire plan for reform.