Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-02-11
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
The Question of Public Eudcnsion Dis

cuSscd-IIigher Education in Vermont
TO the Editor of the Free Press:
Are the people OF Vermont ready to
surrender all control Of their Schc"ls
and establish an absolute monarchy
with the State Commissioner of Educa-
tion as Car of the system? Tha Is what
they will do il they enact the education-
al bill into law. Not only Will 1T 40
this but II will place the commissioner
not only beyond their control, but also
beyond the control of the governor UNI
less he should he elected for more imam
one term. This is the way II VIII nc
done.
Chapter /, Section ., in providing Tor 2
State board of education, states that the
members shall be appointed for a term
of five years. And no member on salh
state board shall be otherwise employci
in educational service, or otherwise con
nected with educational institutions ~
other special educational interests
Section > says these members can only
be removed for some misperforinance of
duty. . Consequently, II Is beyond the
power even of the governor to change a
majority of the state board during ms
term of office.
Section provides The member of
said hoard shall serve without pay
Section ~ provides: THE chief execu-
| tive officer Of said board shall be a COM
missioner of education. who shall be APP
pointed by the board for an indefinite
term, and he pubject to removal only upon
a ma iority vote of the entire board.
This practically gives a life position t."
the commissioned of nducation. at such
salary az the State board may determine
t'ould a Jaw he moro skillfuIly draw
to give absolute power to any mar than
this? A state board is appointed FOR
five years by the governor This board
In placed beyond his rower of removal,
excep. for disability. The governor is
prohibited from appointing anyone con-
nected Nfth any educational institution,
eduoationGi interests ~ educational SER
ice. This bars every person with % p"N-
fessicnal hnowiclre of education. every
prominent mal W"nan who is ~:ruste"
for any college. aoademy, seminary or
institute ana mirht be construed
to bar even those who over gave n dollar
as endowment to any school. Perhaps
the folly of this prohibition may best
he shown by the question. Is there any
other business under heaven, in which
it's board of directors would he restrict
ed. absolutely. to persons. who knew
nothing about the work which they were
supposed to manage? The evident intent
of this provision can only he com. AIRED
5 with that of the attorney who insists
that to qualify for a jurylnan. n man
must declare he has ncverhcard of the
case. does not read the papcrs, consc-
5 quently has no opinion in the matter
. Furthermore, the fact these mon ara t.
serve without compensation now very
little is expected of them, except to briul
the commissioner of education into being
9 and then act as an agency to cudors'
0 and register his DEGREES. Tine restrictions
A surrounding the appointment of thi.
board ensures the commissioner of oduca
ton being supreme. 1t prevents every
possibility of there being any person OF
the State board who can intelligentll
8 %criticise his plans from the professions
standpoint, and was probably so intend
ed.
, Do our people want a State board o
education so ignorant of the professional
side of education as to be incapable o
an opinion on the commissioners plan
until they nave been tried or may b
resulted i'm a costly failure?
At least one member of the state boar,
Of education should have Ii Thorough
i, knowledge Of the professional side o
~, education.
49, While nominally the educational inter
~, csts of the State ar" under the coutr,
of the State board, in reality they are i
-, the hands Of tn" state commissions
-. And this commissioner is beyond til
10 power of the people To- reach SO far a
No removal is concerned whether they lk
:. his policy or not. inasmuch as his al
- pointment is thrice removed from then
Should the present bill become a la
the state commissioner of education
should he be SO inclined. can SNAP h
fingers in our faces If "" do not Xix
what he is doing and ask us: "Wha
can you do about it?" and we could d
nothing. He couldn't he removed if I
ty acted in good faith and was of zoo
mt character, even by the State board, an
e. if he did wrong it would require a m;
r. jority of the entire state board to "
of move him. 1t would he Impossible for
at governor elected expressly for that pu
pose to change a majority of the sra
board during his term, Therefore II
en- state commissioner could DEFY tho 20
st ernor. He has only L. satisfy his boa
- and his position is ~imprcrndble 10 y
he want a state commissioner 50 intrench'
en- ns to defy the entire state 7r do we wa
o. him amenable to the majority of 81
r people? But, say the ctonds of IN
it scheme, a man big enough to be cor
RS missioner of education will bc above su'
a thing. But is this true? In all hum;
history has a single man appeared. wi
showed 4 to be safe or wise to entru
him with absolute power? No, not on
- But 1t may he urged there is the sta
board. But the state board is pow.
less to remove him so long as they CT
-. get nothing more than an error OF Jud
ment against him, And is "a state boa
-. to be trusted with absolute power? '
:. formed a state commission to invcstiga
our school system. Did they do it? \
.n Foundation. Likewise with their recol
mendation for changes in our schC
system, and to be consistent, / am TO
"a, had this bill. drawn In the same pla'
800 1t may be further urged that he "
" fear the wcrking force in our scho'
throughout the State, but this "
amount to nothing as the new bill plaC
the entire teaching force In his han
1t would surprise Rome to read the lett'
her rave received from superintendel
md and teachers, since this matter /
urn been under discussion, expressing tn
the hostility but asking that their 60
munications be considered confident
a v. last fhAzs lpro thafp rnuitfAnc ~ tho ~