The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-03

f at public expense. A brief in favor of | this measure has been prepared by the | state department of education and may be
 had upon request.
 10. Requiring boards of education to
 admit pupils who live more than three
 miles from any high school to any pub | lie school, and requiring the teacher, if competent, to teach such pupils any high school subject
 | Because of the sparse population of ] some rural districts, the high school | facilities are far removed. and in such | instances this measure looks toward giv- | Ing advanced pupils the benefit of train- ing near home provided the teacher IS | competent to give the instruction desired anG there is no high school within three miles of the pupils home.
 II. Amending the textbook commission law.
 There are some towns in the state wn:ch furnish free textbooks. This measure is to enable them and such other school districts as may desire to do so, to pur- chase the adopted texts directly from the publishers. thereby saving the dealers com missions
 | 12. Requiring private, denominational | and parochial schools to make reports | Most of the above schools cheerfully | furnish the information asked for by the | department of education from year to year. In few instances the requests | have been ignored and this has operated ! to deprive Alabama of certain credit to
 which she is entitled in official publica- | tions. This law, therefore. is to require i all schools to make such reports as may | be asked under the law.
 1 13. Compulsory attendance beginning | October 1, 1917.
 The measure is a mild one. The ages are from eight to fifteen years, and the | term is 80 days unless reduced to 60 days | by the county board of education. Per | sons who are unable because of mental or l physical defect or poverty are excused | from it's operation. Attendance officers | are provided to enforce the law and par | ents or others violating it will be sub ject to fine and imprisonment Hahbitual truants may be committed to custodal institutions maintained by the state.
 IA. Changing the plan for the holding Of teachers institutes
 l Heretofore institutes have been held only
 during the summer months. They car
 now be held at any time during the year
 and all teachers holding state certificates must attend unless excused by the state
 superintendent of education his repro
 sentative. All the schools of a county in wkich an institute is held must bt 1 suspended during the term of any in.
 stitute. and those teachers whose schools
 are suspended with authority of the coun | ty board of education may receive pa, |
 under the new law the institutes vii
 be prepared to give more practical hell
 to the teachers in the solution of tn, concrete problems with which they ar,
 dealing.
 The Rural Schools 15. Providing for an annual appropria
 tion of $134,G00 for the erection repai } and equipment of rural schools.
 The state has heretofore given aid il } the erection and repair of school build ings to an amount not to exceed $20O l This has encouraged one-room school ) and discouraged larger ones, inasmucl l as the amount granted by the stat } was the same, no matter what the sig of the proposed building. The new law
 gives aid according to the number O classrooms, $500 being the maximum fo , a one-room school. s450 for school witt two classrooms $500 for a school witt
 three classrooms, $500 for a school witt 5 four classrooms and 5000 for a schoo
 with five or more classrooms. Aid cal , also be granted to an amount not t. T exceed $200 for an amount ranging iron $50 to $200 for the equipment of schoo 3 buildings. In every instance. the com : munity must have raised at least g fo every $1 donated by the state. The i'm
 provements are under the absolute direc tion of the county board of education an, , must be made according to plans am specifications furnished by the state de partment of education. The law insure e the wise expenditure of funds and i
 proportion to the contribution a com l. munity makes to provide reasonable ed e ucational opportunity.
 l. Taken all in all, these laws are whole O some, well attested by experience an l. will give Alabama a mighty intellectua V impetus. All who have watched the his l. tory of education in Alabama for mor f than a quarter of century will | V pleased that the measures for which tn .- educational leaders in Alabama contend n ed for so long, have become Twin