The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-31
Voice Of the People.
School
Eligibility of Nonresident
SY,r~ ri n Z n ., Al eufu

superintendent.
Editor OF The Times Dispatch:
Sir.-I notice from the columns of
The Dispatch that Judge WILL
liams has introduced in the Legislature
bill, the purpose or which seems TO
be to prohibit the State Board of Edu
cation from appointing as auperintcn-
dents of schools men who are not resi-
dents of the division for which they
are appointed.
There are, OF course. many reasons
especially In the case of the rural SUI
perintendcnt, whose success depends
largely upon the cooperation he re-
ceives from his people. why the su.
perintendcnt of schools should he u
resident OF the division for which he
is appointed. But i should like for
Judge Williams or some other person
or persons to construe the meaning
of the present law as to the eliSip!!ity
OF public officers.
The Virginia Constitution. Section
30. under a heading entitled. "Qualifi-
cation of officers and OF Notaries Pub
lic." says, Every person qualified TO
vote shall be eligible to any Office
town, or other subdivision of the
State, wherein he resides. except AZ
otherwise provided in this Constitu-
ton. and except that this provision as
10 residence shall not apply to any
office elective by the people where
the law provides otherwise. DO not
think that it would be denied, even
by the State Board of Education, that
this section, If 1t means anything.
means that the officers within theI
meaning OF the section must. as u
condition precedent to holding ONCE,
be a qualified voter Of the subdivision
of the state In and for which they
are elected or appointed.
Then we naturally come TO the
question. Is the superintendent % 81
schools an officer. and IL he is an OIL
Ger. does he come under either of the
exceptions set out in the section? That /
he Is an officer, and in many In
stances very wcll-paid officer
think viii be. admitted by every
However, that he was considered ana
classed as an officer by the Constitu.
tional Convention Is conclusiyeiy|
proven by Section 2 of the schedule
der either Of the exceptions mentioned
in the section above referred TOT
think not. Certainly not under the
elective Offices. I have been able to
find nothing in the Constitution thai
would as l see 1t. place the, superinten,
dent of schools under the genera
Except as otherwise provided in this
Constitution" If there is provision
in the Constitution that allows the
State Board Of Education TO appoint
men to these positions who are not
residents of the division for which they
are appointed. should like TO have
some one call my attention to II.
/ cannot think that the Board Of
Education acted in Ignorance of this
section. And surely 1t cannot be ar
gued that the superintendent OF schools
is State officer, and such q State
officer as the Governor or Attorney
General: and by virtue Of being State
officer he meets the requirements of
Section 80 of the Constitution Of Wiz.
glnia. The members of the House Of
Delegates and the Senate are State
officers. and yet they are required to
be qualified voters of the subdivision
of the State from which they are
elected. A COuNTR4M MAN.
Denbigh. January %.