Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1912-02-02
WHO is TO BLAME?
Some Kentucky School Suporln-
tendentS Make but 81 a Day.
EVEN PAY OWN POSTAGE

Must Put Up Bonds ss High as $780,
ooo--Averaae Territory Is a Hundred
Square Miles.
Does the blame for school conditions
liz at the door Of the county superin-
tondsnts or the people at larger
Many county superinterdents receive
salaries Of $500 a year. and none OF
them receives more than $500. When
man has a salary Of $500 he is Of
necessity forced to do something eIss
or starVe TO death.
No stream can rise higher than lie
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.. I had an intervisw with
. county superintendent whom knew
to be a "live wire" occasionally. Ny
first question was.
"Hcw responsible does the public
consider your position7"
"Do you mean as measured by my
salary or by the bond I am asked to
siveT'
"Your- bond"
"Well. I have to rive . bond Of $780,
900. You see, have $4,000 to pass
through my hands annually to finance
the forty six schools that ars scattered
over the county. Besides, tho school.
houses with their equipment are an in
Vestment Of about S55000"
"You say scattered over the courty
How much territory does Il 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. u is quite a proposition to su-
pervise the work Of sixty-fi teachers
in forty-s schools, to say nothing Of
tho office work and the inspection that
Is necessary for repairs and new build.
ines."
was silent for a moment. thinking
Of the probable salary that would be
paid a manager to take charge Of a
business with s55,oOo In tire plant
spending $4,000 a year running ex-
penses and covering a territory Of a
hundred square miles. | smiled and
asked quietly;
what salary does this county allow
you for your work a. county superin-
tendent?"
Five HUNDRED AND TEN DOL
LARS"
DO the county and state allow you
an adequate expense account"
He pulled pocket notebook from
his desk and smiled rather bitterly as
he said:
"They do not even pay for the stamns
or stationery in my Office work. Let
me run over this for moment and
show you how il goes. ! must keep
horse and buggy or oanno' get
about. As this county has never taken
over the turnpikes I must pay my own
toll. II ! am far from home in winter
time I must stay all night at some
hotel. All this makes my expenses for
the past year $3.50. Ieavinu me at tho
end Of the year $3.50. That's LESS
THAN A DOLLAR A DAV FOR AB.
soLUTE WORKING TIME"
"What is the highest salary paid
county superintendents in the state9"
Fifteen hundred. and they are few
and far between. There are lots of
thenn on the $500 and $500 basis, and
IL simply means that the fellow has to
do life insurance. farm a little. take a
place in q store, make a living in some
way and then use what time he can
spare for the schools"
1T SIMPLY MEANS THAT OUR
RURAL SCHOOLS ARE NOT MAN
AGED AT ALL. THEY ARE MORE
COMMONLY MIsMANAGED.
Education for the mass Of tho peo-
pie is an investment and a business
proposition. With a carefully sdu-
Gated population a state or eormu-
nifty can move forward in desert, any
whore you place them. With an H.
Iiterate population the finest country
on the globe cannot force them to
make good. Brains. trained brains, is
the insistsnt call Of the twentieth CEN
fury. Does kentucky hear that call?
Business and prosperity follow brains'
Iav.lessness and poverty follow Hitter
sey. kentucky will be out Of step with
the onward sweep Of tho hurrying
tv~entIeth century SO long a. she al
lows thirteen children out OF ever
hundred to grow into manhood and
wonnanhood robbed Of the divine right
Of being able at least to read and to
write.
In order that Kentucky may occupy
q place in the forefront in the matter
Of education, a movement has been in
auaurated for the improvement OF
county schools.
indifference due to a failure to APP
preeiats the real value Of education 10
one Of the very serious obstacles which
have confronted every movement to-
ward q higher standard Of educational
work. In the last few years greater
interest has been exhibited generally
over the state. indicating in q decided
manner that our people were shaking
on the Ietharsy Of the past and were
aspiring to place the state on a sound.