The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-01-09
: SCHOOL TRUSTEES
IMPORTANT FACTORS

n n y y n 4 y y n u 4
To the Editor of The State:
In the State there is not a set of
men who more nearly give their time
and labor in exchange for ingratitude
and abuse than public school trus-
tees. They get absolutely no remu-
neration, and to perform their duties
well requires much time and no little
annoyance. The trustee that con-
ScientiouSly perform his duty is en-
titled to be classed as a truly patriotic
citizen. Under our law as written in
terpreted and administratred district
trustees are charged with almost
everything pertaining to the exist
ence of the public schools-looking
after the school revenues, building
and furnishing school houses, select
ing and employing teachers, deter
mining the length of the school term
and the school day, keeping gen
earl Oversight of the teachers and
pupils. To do all these things sue
cessfully requires a versatility of a
rather high order and a few trustees
do them with mastery through
ness.
But there are several varities of
trustees. Some are capable earnest
and active; some have the capacity
duties or are too engrossed in their
own business; some have school en-
thusiasm but lack capacity and in
sight; and a few others can be best
described as marvellous misfits. To
sum up, we have the fits the un-
fits and the misfits. But when
1t is remembered that we have in the
State 1884 public school districts
and over $500 district trustees, 1t is
not hard to understand that the var
iteties Of the genus school trustee are
numerous and that some are below
par Need we be surprised at the irrat-
ional and freakish performances Of
some school boards?
John Stuart Mill once said that the
weakest characteristic of the Amer
that everybody was futed for any
thing That everybody is fetted to be a
school trustee seems tc be accepted as
a truism. We have not come to real
ize that schools like every other mod
ern business are not be run by the
rule of thumb. One of the most diff
cut tasks Of school trustees is the Sc
lection OF competent teachers. The
trustee even of capacity and eXpe-
rience can not be expected to have a
very wide acquaintance among avail
able teachers and he is frequently
sadly disappointed after the most
careful search for one. The indifferent
trustee usually picks up. the. first ap-
plicatiOn with pocRetfYl Of testimo-
malls. The parsimonfous trustee is al
way one whose looking for bargainsin
teachers, and he usually finds one
cheap in every sense OF the word. The
ignorant trustee generally shows a
preference for second and third grade
certificates. The 9ver-modern trustee
gives his vote for a raw and inexpe-
rienced school girl over a teacher OF
tested ability. The paternalistic trus-
tee always votes for his daughter or
his niece or his cousin. The chief bus
ness of the contentious trustee is TO
keep the district in a tarmoil over
something-the peculiarities OF the
teacher, the way she teaches georgia
ply, where she shall board, whose
children she must correct or the
length Of the children lessons.
Under our present system in one
end OF given country are to be found
good school houses fairly we'll
equipped competent and fairly we'll
paid teachers and we'll advanced
pupils, while in the other end OF the
county are dilapidated school houses
without equipment incompetent
teachers with beggarly pay and pupils
lounging around without a particle of
Joy or interest in their work. The diff
ference is lapsely due to the difference
in the trustees. One set has capacity
fitness and ideals; the other set lacks
these qualifications. Is not the dis
trict system one OF demonstrated
weakness? Under it is IT possible
to develop the schools of a county TO
a definite level? The same type and
class OF public school ought to pre-
vail throughout a county. The valley
districts, the ridge districts and the
sand hill district ought all to move
upward together as a unit. A county
of 75 school districts has rs school
units administered by rs independent
boards with almost as many ideals.
w IL HAND