The record., 1912-11-14
WHO IS TO bL AME?
Some Kentucky SChOol Superin-
tandeniS Make but 81 a Day.
EVEN PAY OWN POSTAGE.
But WIKI These Pitiful Salaries They
Must Put Up Bonds as High as $50
o0c-Averase Territory Is a Hundred
Square Miles.

OoeS the EiSme ter Schooi conditions
lie ai the doar of the county superin-
tcndcnts or the people at large?
Many county superintendents receive
salaries of $500 year, and none CT
them receives more than S1,5oo When
a man has a salary Of $500 he is of
necessity forced to do something else
or starve to death.
No stream can rise higher than its
source. No underpaid man can put
energy and thought into his work. In
one of the fertile and prosperous eoun-
ties of kentucky not many miles from
Cincinnati. O., ! had an interview with
a county superintendent whom ! knss.
to be "Iive wire" educationally. My
first question was:
"How respe asible does the public
consider your position?"
DO you mean as measured by my
salary or by the bond I am asked to
sive?"
"Your bond
well. ! have to give n bond of $780,
coo. You see, | have $4,000 to pass
through my hands annually to finance
the fcrty-s schools that are scattered
over the county. Besides, the school
houses with their equipment are an in
vestment of about S55,0o0."
"You say scattered over the county.
How much territory does it covert"
This is rather a small county but
my schools that I am forced to visit
cover a territory of hundred square
miles, and they are on many kinds Of
roads. 1t is quite proposition to su-
pervise the wcrk Of sixty five teachers
in forty six schools, to say nothing of
the Office work and the inspection that
is necessary fer repairs and new build
ines."
! was silent fer a moment, thinking
of the probati. salary that would be
paid a manager to take charge OF a
business with s55,ooo in the plant,
spending $4,000 year running ex-
perses s,d soverins a territory of
hundred sqesrs nniies.zl-ssntisd and
asked suietiy:
-wnat salary does this county allow
you for your work as county superin-
tendent?"
Five HUNDRED AND TEN DOL
LARS"
"Do the county and state allow you
an adequate expense account"
He pulled a pocket notebook from
ais desk and smiled rather bitterly as
ne said:
"They DO not even pay for the stamps
81 stationery in my Office work. Let
ne run over this for q moment and
show you how il goes. ! must keep q
horse and bue5y or ! eanno. get
about. As this county has never taken
over the trrnpii;es ! must pay my own
toll. n I am far from, home in winter
time I must stay all night at some
MOTEL. All this mskes my expenses for
IN. pest year $3.50. leaving me at the
end Of The yGar $3.50. That's LESS
THAN A DOLLAR A DAY FOR A6-
solUTE WORKING TIME"
"What is the highest salary paid
county supe-;ntendents in the state"
Fifteen hundred, and they are few
and far between There are lots Of
them en- the $500 and 5000 basis, and
il simply means that the fellow has to
DO life insurance, farn, little, take a
way and then use what time he can
spare for the schools"
IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT. OUR
RURAL SCHOOLS ARE NOT MAN
AGED AT ALL THEY ARE MORE
COMMONLY MlsHaNAGED.
Education for the mass Of the peo-
pie is en- Investment ard business
Gull aI,
Gated population state or commu-
nifty can movs forward in a desert, any
where you p'ses them. With an H.
Iiterate population the finest country
Or the globe cannot force them to
make good. Grains, trained brains, is
the insistent call of the twentieth een-
tury. Does Kentucky hear that call?
Business and prosperity follow brains;
IawIcssness ard poverty follow Hitter
sey. Kentucky will be out Of step with
the onward sweep Of the hurrying
twentieth century so long as she al
lows thirteer children out Of every
hundred 20 grow into manhood and
womanhood robbed Of the divine right
Of being able Il least to read and to
write.
IN order th,t kentucky may occupy
place in tle forefront in the matter
of education. . movement has been in
aueuratsd for the Improvement of
county schools.
Indifference due to a failure to ap-
preciste the real value Of education is
,ne of the verv serious obstacles which
have confronted every movement to-
ward higher standard of educational
work. In tn, last few years greater
interest has been exhibited generally
over the state, indicating in a decided
manner that our people were shaking
off the iethsruy of the past and were
aspiring to place the state on sound,
progressive educational basis.
Every citizen must rejoice over this
awakening, and all should now unite
IN a continuous, earnest effort to atone
for neglect of the past. II would be a
useless task, in view Of this growing
appreciation Of the Importance and
value of education, to make any argu-
nent or submit any extended report in
IS behalf.