The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-03-27
WANT CO. SCHOOL BOARDS
Plans Suggested by the Commission,
Which Went Deeply Into the Matter
Of Country Schools May Find Favor
With the Legislators at Madison.

i
Legislature at the present time seems
to be largely centered on the PROPOSE
tion for the creation of county school
boards of education. Although so far
very little has reached the floor on
this issue, there is smouldering a pros
peet for bitter fight over the oues-
tion, and it is probable that before the
! session is over some of the debates
marked with the greatest amount of
personality will be over the question of
the creation of county boards of edu-
cation. The idea Of the county board
of education is, of course, to do away
with the present elective school super
intendent. There can be little ques-
tion on that point, as all the bills for
the creation Of county boards Of edu-
cation provide for their control of the
county superintendent of schools and
the selection by these boards of the
| supervising officers Of the schools. An
issue is made right here.
There is no question that great
many people in the state feel, and feel
with a great deal of sincerity, that the
county boards of education with the
power to elect the supervising officers
of the schools would take away one Of
the strongest rights which the citizens
have in the county, that of the selec-
tion by their ballots of a county super
intendent. In other woI dis, the people
want to retain the pow er of electing
their county superinten lent and do
not desire that the power shall be pass
ed over to any set of persons no mat
ter how selected, or that it shall be
taken from them. There are many
earnest, sincere legislators who are un-
doubtedly representing their constitu-
ents honestly in their support of this
position
One of the strongest of the members
of the Legislature who entertains this
opinion and is very strongly opposed to
the county board of education bill is
Speaker Hull, and all the Influence
which he can exercise in the assembly
is being exerted against the measure.
In fact, most Of the members repre-
senting purely agricultural districts
are opposed to the bill.
On the other hand the university in
terests, rightly or wrongly, are being
connected up as supporters of the bill,
and in a way this fact is not tending
to increase the popularity of the Uni
versity Of Wisconsin before this legis-
lature. The principal argument for the
bill is that at the present writing the
Wisconsin common schools are admit
tedly in some counties not up to the
standard which they should be, and it
| is claimed that the common school con-
ditions can only be bettered by better
supervision. The friends of the county
board Of education bill claim this bet
ter supervision can only be obtained
through supervisors selected by county
boards of education, and that so long
as the elective method obtains for the
selection Of county superintendent
there will be some county schools
which will not be up to the standard
because of not receiving the proper
supervision.
Incidental to the fight over this
county board of education bill the
excerpts from the report of the state
board of public affairs on the subject
of the county schools, which have
been printed and which in a way are
severe criticisms Of the Wisconsin
country schools, are being discussed.
By the majority of country members
cognizant Of school conditions in the
state this report of the state board
Of public affairs upon the country
schools is being severely criticised as
being totally unfair to the state. It
is claimed that a few unusual in
stances are being quoted as the nor
nal country school conditions in the
state, and that as a result people out
side of the state are being given an
absolutely wrong idea Of the condition
Of the Wisconsin schools, and that not
only could the conditions be found in
any state which were discovered in
Wisconsin by the Investigators who
made the examination into country
school conditions for the state board
Of public affairs, but that in the main
Wisconsin country schools will rank
higher than the country schools of
many of her sister states. It is said
by the men who are much wrought
up over the state board Of public
affairs report on the country schools
that the trouble is not lack of super
vision in Wisconsin but the fact that
IN some individual school districts the
citizens have not taken the trouble
themselves to meet with the require
ments which are now demanded for
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