Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-01-26

| towns. The lnaccuracy of the town
clerks report is in turn due to the
inaccuracy, of the district clerks re.
port.
8. He must report annually to the
County Board
g. Attend the County Superntend-
ents Convention at Madison, called
by the state superintendent.
10. Distribute materials such as
Arbor Day and Memorial Day An
nuals, Blue Books, Railroad Mans.
etc
II. Answer letters Of inquiry from
school officers, patrons, and others.
These come in continually.
Il. receive reports from teachers
on school attendance, and report
Eases OF delinquencies to the Truanl
! OFFICER, also, TO the Industrial Com
mission at Madison every month.
IL. Visit schools. This ought to
take up most of his time when the
schools are lin session
IA Make special reprts to the
state superintendent regarding the
! equipment, etc, OF rural schools OF
| the first class.
| 1t will be seen from the above list
ent has more work than any one
| person can do and do we'll Further
more, this work is so important that
the most competent person available
should be secured for the position.
1t is a deplorable fact that in many
>ases county superintendent leave
he work when they have developed
unusual efficiency. Leaders In our
country school work should be re-
tanned and their compensation increas-
ed Additional facilities should be
provided so that the work may be
lone in the most systematic man.
ner"
The office work has so increased
with the development of the county.
the increased number of schools, the
daily correspondence with school Off
GERS, teachers, patrons and publish
ing houses, and various kinds of
manuscript work, that the Superin-
intendents should be allowed annu>
lily an amount sufficient to pay for
1t least a portion Of the necessary
expense of office help
The present appropriation for sta
sionery, printing and postage allowed
he superintendent is by no means
sufficient for the actual expense The
magnitude Of this feature of his
work is stated above Your honor
1ble body knows that printing is
'ery eXpensive; that few dollars
goes but a little way toward paying
printers bills.
To best reach the teachers and
school officers as frequently as they
should be communicated with is by
means of correspondence. To reach
them once requires at least one
hundred and seventy-five letters, and
this has to be repeated several times
I year; to many of them, nearly
monthly Literature pertaining TO
Institutes, Conventions, examinations,
School Board Conventions, etc, must
be prepared by him and mailed. This
consumes much time and requires
much labor, and thus reduces mater
tally the time the superintendent
should have for visiting and super
yising the schools.
| have presented these matters to
you, gentlemen, somewhat in detail
because some may not, have had an
opportunity to know just what are
the labOrS and duties of the office
and consequently have but in a gen
eIal way a conception of the work
required Of the superintendent of
your schools. | trust that these rec
concentrations will receive that care
FIJI and reasonable consideration by
your honobrale body at the present
session that their merits demand
and that has characterized the DELHI
erations of this and previous COun-
ty Boards Of Rusk County
In concluding We respectfully sub
NIT to your honorable body at this
time, and in the interests of better
schools, that at least fifty dollars
more per year be appropriated for
printing, stationery and postage.
That fifty dollars per year be al
lowed for office help in the Super
intendent's office.
Thus far this year one third of the
schools of the county have been Wis
iued by the Superintendent a few
have beeA visited twice. Most of
the, teachers were found doing good
work Some Of them excellent work.
A few of our teachers are quite young
and imm ature-are not imbued with
the rea' spirit and zeal of the eX-
i)eliciICcu, CdpdDlc IcdCHeI liiat dS0
and earnestness will afford. Few
teachers under the age of eighteen
years are truly successful Rarely
before twenty are the majority we'll
prepared for the trying positions.
1t is our aim to gradually advance
the standard foragranting certificates
SO as the better to meet the demands
now being made for stronger teachers
for the rltra' schools. Public senti-
ment, reinforced by recent legisla-
tive attachments, makes it mandatory
that this be done. Graded and high
schools are being raised to a much
higher plane than they occupied
few years ago; the rural schools
have as good a right to improved IA
cilit.ts and to as good instruction,
dollar for dollar, as have the village
! or city schools.