Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-02-13
BIPARTISAN BOARD
Measure Being Considered to
Prevent Change of School
Superintendents in the
Counties.
MAY OvERTURN GOOD SYSTEM.
Governor GOldsbOrOugh's Appointments
May Upset Educational System.

Some apprehension is felt in edu-
cational circles that appointments
made in school boards throughout the
State may upset the condition of
things in the educational system.
Close observers of the system de-
clared and apparently not without
foundation. that unless some means
are devised to make each of the county
school boards bipartisan. the school
system of the State will soon be
seriously disrupted.
This assertion is based on the fact
that during the administration of
Governor Goldsborough the terms Of
office of enough Democrats will ex-
pire TO make the boards in all coun-
ties two-thirds Republican. Mr..
GoldsborOugh will naturally appoint
Republicans to vacant places unless
the law is changed, and the Repub-
lican boards will turn out. il is de-
clared, the county superintendents
who are now in charge. The turning
out of these superintendent, close
observers declare, would mean the
thorough disruption of a compara-
lively efficient school system, which
has required twelve years for it's
making and for which the superin-
tendents now in office have been re-
sponsible. Friends of the present
system say that the counties now
face exactly the same situation as
did Baltimore city when the efforts
were made to Oust Superintendent Van
Sickle, except that it is declared by
Z he
ing unpopular with the teachers the
present superintendents, as a rule
are not only efficient superintendents
but are popular with their respective
teaching forces.
Most of the superintendent now in
Office were appointed after the admin
istration of Governor Lowndes had
ended. With their appointment
serious effort was begun to bring the
county schools up to some standard of
merit, and to take the schools out of
politics by assuring the superinten-
dents that if they proved fit for their
positions they could expect to be re.
tanned in Office during successive ad-
ministrations.
There is bill now before the Edu-
cation Committee of the Senate, in
troduced by Senator BELLS, of Anne
Arundel county, which was drawn by
Attorney General Straus. This pro-
vides for an equal division on all of
the twenty-three boards, two Repub-
licans and two Democrats, or three
Republicans and three Democrats, de-
pending on whether the board is com
posed of four or six men.
No attempt had been made to get
this bill out of committee, the Dem
ocrats themselves not being able, ap-
parently, to agree on the exact de-
tails of the bill. AS the measure now
stands, it provides that the State
Central Committee of each party
shall nominate to the Governor the
names of commissioners and he 8 hall
select from that list.
The serious objection to this point
is that the County Central Commit ttee
is a political body, and yet the advo-
Gates of the measure say when asked
about this that it simply legalizes
custom already in vogue. All of the
suggestions for school commissioners
made to Mr.. Goldsborough have come
from County Central Committees,
whose recommendation is regarded as
the most powerful influence in secur-
ing any county position.
There will be several amendments
offered to the bill during this week.
One simply provides that women
shall be allowed to serve on boards
and the other allows the Central Com
mittees to name Independents if they
like
Unless a law is passed making the
boards bipartisan, so as to prevent the
superintendents from being turned
out, it is regarded as inevitable that
Governor Goldsborough will be called
upon to appoint Republicans, and
the fear is that among the first Off
cial act of the new majority will be
to vote for the dismissal of the
present superintendent.
This was done during the admins
| tration of Governor Lowndes. and il
/ is said that the men in the counties
who are now preparing to make fight
for membership on the school boards
are not the kind that would counte.
nance holding superintendent who
happened to be of the opposite politi.
cal faith.
Among the county superintendent
Of public schools who may be affected
by the change is Superintendent Sam
uel Garner, of Anne Arundel county. 3
former instructor at the Naval Acad
emy, and graduate of st. john.
| Collepe