Evening journal., 1915-02-02
HIlATNIIE NJ. SEDNWIIN
Wilmington, Del, Jan 81, 1915.
DISTRICT SYSTEM
MOULD RE BAD.
70 the Editor of THE EVENING
JOURNAL.


70 the Editor of THE EVENING
JOURNAL:
Sir II was with great pleasure
read in your paper of last THURSDAY
the stand taken by the Alumni As
sOciation before City Council. in that
q stood, and stood firm. for a small
Beard of Education elected at large,
and refused to cOncede to any method
that would recognize any artificial
boundaries from which members must
come To do otherwise, and to recog-
nize arbitrary divisions as a proper
method of selecting a Board of Edu-
cation, would be a step, not 10 adj
vancemont. but would be TO sanction a
method that would bring about a
situation that could be more per-
nicious than the present system. For,
II the number of members rs 10 be
reduced which Council favored. and
| they are to he elected from limited
/ areas, is II not possible that more
power. the number of members being
! less. would be placed in the hands Of
men, selected on the same basic meth
cd that has been the cause In bring
ing about the present dissatisfaction
The Alumni Association has taken
the right stand. and should. dsre-
sardng the suggestion of Council,
continue its fight for the only cor
rect method of selecting a Board Of
Education.
This body is an administrative one.
and has no powers of legislative
nature. as other bodies have If IL
did, then it might be we'll argued that
assured representation for all parts
of the City should be granted The
only duty OF this Board is TO pro-
vide the best educational system that
can be secured. and in bringing this
about u can do nothing more than
efficiently administer what is given
IT, It's funds are received entirely
from Council and the General Assem-
| bly,. which bodies arc representative
Herein is the check on a Board cleo
leo at large Should the Board at
| tempt 10 favor any section of The
! city in preference To another. Coun-
Gil and the Assembly. with It's mem
bers representing all sections can
withhold an appropriations and can
demand and oversee the specific ap-
/ plicatiOn of these funds.
BY the spoken word of the Gen
I oral Assembly. the school districts.
which formerly existed In Whining
ton. arc united into one. and all divl-
sion lines we're destroyed In the
/ face of this fact. Council would once
/ more divide this school district into
seven parts i'm order TO guarantee
! representation of all sections. no
matter whether the best man avail
able resided there or not The school
district is a consolidated one, and
should not be divided No restric-
tions. as to residence should be
I. placed upon it's members other than
/ providing that the best man, no mat
ter where he resided should be se-
lected.
The endorsement of Council was
indeed a real endorsement Ii was
all, and more, than could be eXpcc-
ted Such sanctiOning was given by
men, who arc elected on a ward divi-
sion basis. and IL is even surprising
TO note that they favored system
| that would no longer recognize these
arbitrary boundrics. In sanctionina
a Board of seven members. less thar
the number of wards they, while dc
Claring themselves in favor of SINAI
Beard, also declared themselves in
4 favor of electing them al large. a,
though afraid TO come out and thu.
n declare, but having voted against
. system the same which many IN
q doubtedly have to thank for thei
4 election. endeavored TO save them
selves from those few constituent
8 that demand recognition Of war
" lines. To do this Council forced mo
a Tie Alumni Association an amend
q ment 10 recognize legislative district.
81 And then, IL appears that COunc
q failed to consider how a board {
q seven members. one for each Of IN
d FIVE representative, and one for eac
n of the two senatorial districts, coul
q be elected. especially in the manne
81 OF voting and the term of Office. Sue
y arrangement does not permit of an
s satisfactory sequence of terms. tn
3 Board should be made democratic an
81 10 correspond TO the demands of N
q popular Will. so that at every ele,
y ton. the majority Of the board will I
elected. This is most excellent
4 worked out in the present Alumr
q BILL and should be retained Ho
q such can be worked out on the bas
i. a. n.