The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-12-16
MUST OBTAIN APPROVAL OF
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT
state Department Of Education
Boise, Idaho
To County superintendent:
Dear Superintendent:

To County SuperlntenuehtS:
Dear Superintendent:
In accordance with our proposal sub
mitted to you some time ago, and hear
tily approved by all the superintendent
who expressed an opinion on it, the
State board of education passed the fol
lowing rule:
| Districts with three teachers or less
which desire to carry on work above
the Sth grade must obtain the approval
of the county superintendent. This ap-
proval shall not be given if in the opin-
ion of the county superintendent the
Elementary grades would suffer from the
attempt to carry high school work.
| The basis of this rule is the belief
on our part that intimate knowledge of
the situation such as the county super
intendent possesses is necessary for the
| formation of a wise judgment concern
! ing these schools.
| In view of the many inquiries from
county superintendent, and for the pur-
pose of securing reasonable uniformity
Throughout the State, we call attention
to the following points, which should be
considered III passing upon the applica-
| ton of these schools:
~. 1t seems to be the unanimous
belief of county superintendent that
schools with one teacher should never
undertake high school work; indeed
some of the superintendent have re-
quested that rule be made by the
State board to this effect.
(2). 1t is evident that geographical
situation should be taken into consid-
Grafton. If school is situated within
easy distance of good high school, it
is usually far better for the high school
pupils of the district to attend the stan
olard school under the provisions of ar
ticle XXIII.
ca. 1t is proper to take into account
the number Of pupils and the number of
grades in the elementary school, al
though one should be careful not to lay
too much stress upon this, inasmuch
as these conditions vary so much from
year to year.
a.. OF course the number of pupils
ready to take high school work should
be given much weight.
(5). The financial ability of the dis
trict should also be taken into account.
In some cases if the district is able to
employ an additional teacher high
school work might be authorized when
otherwise it would be undesirable.
(6>. Note particularly that district
may offer one or two or three years Of
high school work, and take advantage
of article XIII for pupils who desire
to go beyond the course offered
T. You must help to make trustees
and people in these smaller districts see
that they defraud not. only the elemen-
tary pupils but the high school pupils
themselves when they keep up the emp
ty form of high school, without any
adequate equipment or teaching staff.
This is emphasized in the high school
bulletin, No. ], page II.
| (S). The smaller district near large
high school should see that it cannot
possibly give even fair high school
opportunities cheaply as it can get them
under section XXIII; especially when
they think they are getting the high
school work for nothing. BY having
their regular teachers do it they are of
ten paying a heavy price-neglect of the
elementary grades-and getting nothing
for it.
Please make the fullest possible use
of high school bulletin No. l. We shall
be glad to send you additional copies of
this bulletin or to send them direct to
any addresses which you may send to
us. Sincerely yours,
EDWARD 0. SISSON,
Commissioner of Education