Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-02-02
CHANGE ELECTION
Of COUNTY sUPT.
HEAD OF RURAL SCHOOLS WILL
BE CHOSEN IN MONTH OF
APRIL.
ALTER OTHER LAWS
Manner Of Selecting Officers In City
And Town Independent District
Is Different; Also Require
Normal Training.
ALTER OTHER LAWS

With the election Of the county sup
erintendent Of schools in Wapello couh'
ty. as we'll as all others In the state
of Iowa, not far away, general interest,"
begins to center upon that subject
Under the new law. as passed by the
last general assembly, the first election
will be held on April 6, 1915 and the
new superintendent takes the OF
fee on September /, 1915. Under tne
old law the term Of Mrs. EilzaDeth
Burgess, the present incumbent III
Wapello county would have EXPIRED on
January / but according to the new
regulation she holds over until next
Sertember. Should she be reelected
in April then she will continue IN ner
work from SeptAmber for a term OF
three years.
An excerpt from the law reads: "On
the first Tuesday in April in the year
of 1915 and each third year thereafter
and whenever a vacancy occurs IN the
Office of county superintendent OIL
schools. a convention shall be held at
the county seat for the purpose OF
electing a county superintendent OF
schools. at which convention each
school township, city, town or village
inGenendent district and each lndepen-
dent consolidated district in the county
shall be entitled to one vote. Where
congressional district is composed
in whole or in part OF rural indepeh'
dent districts, then such rural mdepeh-
dent districts shall be entitled 10 one
vote. The convention may, by a ma
iority vote. select a committee con-
sisting of five members, whose duty II
shall be to investigate the various can
didates for Office and report to the con-
vention at a subsequent day, to which
the convention may adjourn; or by
three.fourths vote of the convention
this committee may be authorized to
elect a county superintendent and ME
it's election with the auditor and SAID
person shall be deemed duly elected to
Office"
There are enough districts in Wap.
clio county to make a convention OF
twenty-two delegates. The law pro-
vjfles for a change in the time OF the
beginning of the superintendent
term: it now being from the first day
in September and the present officers
hold over until next September.
Change School Officers.
The thirty-fifth general assembly
also made very decided change in the
method OF nominating school officers in
The city and town Independent dis
tricts. In the future, prospective can
didates in these districts will be nom
mated by petition. This plan, however
does not affect the selection of officers
in rural districts, but applies only to
the city and town corporations having
five or seven directors. According to
the present law, the secretary is the
only authorized person to print ballots
and he shall enter in alphabetical or
der only such names as are presented
to him by petition. However at the
polls electors may vote for other con,
didates by writing in their names. In
the future those who would become
school treasurers or school directors
should file with the secretary Of the
school board not later than seven days
previous to the day of the election a
nominating petition, signed by at least
ten qualified voters of the district. The
state department of education is sug
costing, at the present time, that the
county superintendent take this matter
kup with the school officers and ask