The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-11-17
OUR CODE
PROMINENT EDUCATOR OF THE
STATE OUTLINES SOME OF
ITS SALIENT POINTS
RURAL SCHOOL WILL PASS
The District System of Control Will
Give Place to a Commission
Plan Embracing County
Outside of Cities

Sioux Falls-W. M. MAR, superin-
tendent of schools for Mime aha
county, who has taken an active in
terest in educational matters in tie
state, points out much of interest re-
lating to present and proposed laws
affecting the anne He says:
No n acquainted with the rural
schools Of South Dakota will ella m
that they are perfect; no one VIII
claim that they are highly effic'e I.
The high schools of the state have
made much greater progress than the
rural schools, and so sadly neglected
are the latter, so meagerly are they
supported, and so ineffi Gent have they
become that for the last few years
educators have been greatly interest
ed in their real condition and i'm
provement. .'
There can be no doubt that the
time has arrived for a forward move
ment in the rural schools.
They are but little imp owed over
the schools of a quarter of a century
ago.
Consolidation has been discussed.
State aid has been suggested.
The elimination of the election of
county and state superintendents from
politics has received some attention.
But none of these plans have Eeen
adopted or very seriously considered.
and not until the present hour has a
really important and Sc ious attempt
been made to take hold of the prob
EN- and solve it for all time.
The people of the state probably
Hn mot ~ nny Ahn Ah- $500
and important piece of legislation that
will be proposed to the legislature at
Pierre next January will concern their
schools-yes, that little district school
out in the country.
1t should attract attention of every
citizen of the state and afford them
a topic for discussion for the next
three months. Every citizen should
read the proposed school code; every
paper should discuss it upon the edi-
torial page.
II is a matter Of the gravest i'm
portance, and | wish that this fact
could be sufficiently impressed on the
mind of every one in the state.
In order that we may have a fair
understanding of the purpose of this
code | shall in the plainest language
possible state its most salient fea-
lures. | shall do this without discuss
ing the merits or deficiencies of the
plan. What we need at the present
time is a fair understanding of the
code. and this | shall now attempt to
give.
The new school code is the result o.
a years work by a committee ap-
pointed by the State Teachers assoCia-
ton a year ago, to consider the u
raj school problem, and to draw up
a plan for the solution of the prob
lem.
The committee spent a great deal
of time and money in an effort to col
lect reliable facts concerning the ru-
raj schools, and in the prepa atiCn and
publication of the code. At the meet
ing of the association in Huron last
week, the committee made its report.
For nearly two days the repo t was
gone over carefully, nearly every pa a
graph and section being debated by
the educators. At the conclusion of
the debate it was adopted by them,
and will come up before the next ses-
sion Of the legislature under the lead
ership of superintendent Bigelow OF
Lead who is a candidate for the leg
i~slatuce, and who is going to Pierre,
for no other purpose than with the
desire of calling the serious attention
of the legislature to the condition OF
our rural schools, and the imperative
necessity of improving them.
He Is an able man, and will make
an impression upon the session. There
can be no doubt about this. This much
should be said about the man who
will lead the fight for the new code.
He will have strong backing. and
those who think that what he pro-
poses is all a Joke, will he sadly mis-
taken when they read of what takes
place when he begins operation in
Pierre.
And now after this long introduce
ton. what Is the code? Just this. The
code proposes to destroy the local
school board In the rural districts
making the entire county, outs de
cities OF the first and second class, the
school district.
This will make a county district.
Over this district there will be five
commissioners, elected by popular
vote, who will serve a term of five
years, one to be elected each year.
This board Of five commissioners will
have absolute control Of all the
sihools in the country, the power to
levy he school tax, to spend money
for school purposes, to hire tea hrs
and attend to the general work that
would properly belong to all school
matters. The local district will have
one representative who will report TO
the board concerning the cond ton
and needs of his school. He will be
known to the local director" He
will have no vote whatever. This is
perhaps the fundamental diferen e
between the present system and the