The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-07-29
dHAlN Y
Sends Out Letters to the Mem
bers of School Boards
of me State.

n. P. ShaWkeys OF Charleston,
! state superintendent Of free schools,
has sent the following letter to the
members Of the school boards in the
state:
During the school year just be-
ginning you will deal with many
important matters, in handling all
OF which wish you the greatest
possible success. If our pubIis
schools are a success the welfare
LOT the state Will be enhanced. These
schools cannot be a great success
without you make them so. But
the work OF the public schools is
not single handed job. It Is co..
Operative business and demands the
best that teachers, parents, omcialsI
AN of US can give to it. Ii may
be that the state superintendent or
his assistants can help you in some
lof your problems. II you want our
services at any time. let us know.
1--WE will respond cheerfully Gnd do
what we can to serve you.
May offer a few reminders? The,
hrst one is this: Let all business
be done in a regular meeting OF theI
board and let all business at such
meeting be done and recorded in al
regular way. Each question should
be open for discussion and then put
to vote and the result recorded by
the secretary, whose minutes should
always be read to the board for ap-l
proval before making the final rec
ord. This plan will avoid misun-
Understandings so likely to arise and
then in case OF trouble later you
viii have reliable record by which
to settle 1t.
I should like to put in a plea for
teachers salaries. do not be-
where the general character of the
teachers will average higher than in
Invest Virginia. We have a number
,lof teachers II many years of sue
cessful experience and we have al
! host of younger ones most of whom
.iare working hard to. prepare them
selves for the best possible service.
iuet us encourage and help them by
/ paying the best salaries we are
able. That will help get us better,
schools ard there is no wiser in
Investment than an Investment for,
better schools.
] Some OF you will think OF district
supervision. 1t is worth thinking
about But in such matters We
should not attempt to go faster than
! conditions will Justify. Don't en-
,ploy district superintendent until
you can get good one. Good ones
are scarce because this is a new
field, and to be really good for this
work a man should have special
I; training for 1t. Good district SUI
pervision will increase the efficiency
OF the average district thirty to-
forty per cent, and 1T is therefore
good business. Within the last year
representatives of nearly a dozen
icther states have been In West Vir-
ginia studying rural supervision
and they say our. plan of district
supervision is good. II such able
critics pronounce it good, we must
be wise enough to give it thorough
consideration.
If you are building new houses.
build good ones on good, large lots
with school gardens and play
Fairgrounds where possible.
Among our new school laws is a
very excellent one providing for
medical inspectors for our schools.
This law says all independents dis
tricts shall appoint such ofncials
and magisterlaI districts may do so.
Many districts do not have the
means to pay any considerable sum
for this purpose but perhaps you
can find a public spirited doctor in
your district who will visit the
schools in his usual rounds for al
mere nominal sum. If SO, you
should not fail to avail yourself of
his services. The spread of con
ttagious diseases should be checked
and defective eyes. teeth, threats
and lungs in children should be
Hreated for the sake OF the added
health and progress in their studies
that will result.
october IS is to be Cleanup
and-Beautify Day" II we all join
with the schools in this crusade
against unsight1iness. filth and dis
ease, 1t will tell for the health and
happiness OF West Virginia.
The law makes 1t your duty to
appoint truant omcer. If you get
a good, honest, discreet man, heI
I,ytI1 ia a strnrps factor. In the better