The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1912-03-16
A PERTINENT COMMUNICATION
Concerning the Alleged Extrava-
gance and Other Indiscretions
OF the County Board of
Education

High School has already bsen given
considerable prominence, and it Is due
to the people that they should have the
other side also. This shall be given in
Q frank. dispassionate spirit.
Section III Of the Nevada School
Code 1911 reads in part as follows:
The Board Of County Commissioners
shall act as a County Board of Eiuca-
lion ...... until o County Board Of
Education shall have been elected or
appointed and qualified ...... and shall
transfer all property and control Of said
school to the County Board of Eiuca-
ton. who shall hold the same Ia trust
for the county" From this It is plainly
evident that the sole controlling body
OF the County High School 10 the County
Board Of Education and also that the
County High School Is to be maintained
in the interests Of the whole county,
and not In the interests OF the Board of
County Commissioners. nor at their
dictation.
Il 10 Furthermore conceded that q
one who can regulate the finances of
any institution has absolute control
over that institution.
Regarding certain pledges 10 to the
maximum amount Of the levy for prop
erly maintaining the High School
which the Commissioners claim they
made several years sgo, 10 it we'll that
We should be bound by the rash prom.
ises that these gentlemen, In their in.
experience In managing q County High
school. may have Inadvertently made ?
1t is conceded that the Board Of
County Commissioners. while acting as
the County Board Of E iucation. did, as
they said In their statement, operate the
County High School at less expenditure
Of money than has been asked for by the
present County Beard Of Education,
and less, even. than has been granted.
But these gentlemen should bear 10
mind that &C the time when they had
control Of the County High School,
there was offered FIVE units of work Of
the l6 units which is the minimum
amount for the standard courses as pre-
scribed by the State Board OF Efucation
for the High Schools. This is the first
year since the establishment Of the
County High School that there has been
offered aud taught the full IS units Of
work OF the standard courses of study.
When the Board of County Commits
sioners turned over to the County
Board of Education the High School,
there was nothing received but the name.
There was no equipment, no property,
not W. q dictionary. Had the County
Board Of Education q mind to be as ex-
travagant as the Board of County Com
missioners In their administration OF
High School affairs. they might operate
the County High School on thirty cents.
But the County Board Of Education.
realizing that the time has passed when
one block Of chalk. q sheepskin for IN
eraser, and Q blackboard were con-
tAOhOo etAlStCds t4aAR1ohb AOk -
school. deem it wise that the school
equipment should be in harmony with
the present state of educational affairs.
II in asking for . levy sufficient to
secure for our pupils . few Of the I'D.
vantages enjoyed BY the pupils Of other
High Schools, we exceeded the amount
upon which the Board of County Com.
missioners say that they operated the
High School. then the present County
Board OF Education are extravagant.
Comparison with the County High
School of an adjoining county, that has
a stated enrolment of 3S pupils and
which employs six teachers, will show
any fair-minded person interested in
education and the advancement Of the
children, that the Eureka County Board
of Education have been very conserva-
tive In their estimate and have exer.
cised the most rigid economy consistent
with the progress Of the High School.
As to the "salaries to be paid under
contracts which have been entered into
prior to any appropriation to pay the
same has been made" comparison
with the salaries paid in other schools
of like standing as ours. even in this
| State, will show that said salaries are
not as high as the average. And also.
investigation OF the amount Of work
that 10 being done by the County High
School teachers will show that they are
doing one-sixth more than the maxi.
mum amount recommended by the
State Board of Education.
Should one see dt. It might be reason.
ably charged that the Board of County
Commissioners in making certain allow.
snces. have themselves shown . lack
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