The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1916-02-25
HOW SCHOOLS
ARE CONDUCTED

The school board has a respectable
family history" behind it, extending
back over ap eriod of two hundred
years. Like manw other things SO
vital in our civilization it had its
origin in New England. In the Massa-
chusetts Colony, at first, school bust
ness was a simple matter and was
transacted in the town meeting. The
next step was to delegate this busi-
ness to the electmen. Gradually the
representative body was developed
whose sole function should be the
management of public education. Thus
has the school board grown firmly in
to the community life as an agency
for keeping the schools close to the
/ people.
Upon the ground that democracy
demands the widest representation
the first boards were very large, 500
members in one instance and 234 in
another Such large numbers were
unwieldy, and common sense, together
with the modern forces of organiza-
ton and concentration, have reduced
the size of the boards In progressive
communities to 3, ) or ! members. In
large boards the tendency is to create
superfluous subcommittee and APP
propriate to themselves some of the
duties and powers of the executive
agent of the board.
Why do we have school boards COM
posed of laymen instead of school eX
perts? This is criticism often level
ed at those chosen by a community TO
represent them in public educational
matters. Troubles in school admin
istration may often be due the inef-
ficiency of school board members, as
DR.. Draper tersely puts it, Ito arise
fl ON a disposition, which men have,
to direct matters the most, which they
know the least" The real rea son.
however, for lay control comes from
thief act that people regard the schools
as a purely local matter, and because
there is in our makeup a tendency
TO resist any suspicious-looking signs
of Capitalization of authority in many
public activities, particularly IN
education. So il will probably be
many a long year before We discover
any other democratic way than select
ing here and there men and women
from the laity to run the public
schools.
The functions of the board are leg
islatiye and the exercise of general
supervision. The board employs the
superintendent or principal and he be-
comes the legal, educational and
financial adviser. of the board. lie
is the executive officer of the school.
He attends the board meetings but
has no vote. He recommends and the
board adopts or rejects as the case
may be. In the ideal system the
principal nominates the teachers and
the board elects them. He assists
the board in preparing the annual
budget, advises as to teachers salar-
les, and is the agent in purchasing
supplies for the school. The Douglas
County Board holds its meetings ON
the last Saturday of each month, un-
less otherwise ordered, when all bills
signed and forwarded by the secre-
tary. The proceedings of the meeting
are spread upon the minutes, bills are
filed and accounts Systematically kept.
The biggest problem confronting the
board is the selection of the principal.
Through teachers agencies, by direct
choice is finally made, usually from a
large number of applicants. Where
the distance is not too great applica
tion in person is requested If good
principal is selected and the board
delegates to him the professional
management of the school, there is
usually but little cause of complaint
from those who believe that the school
should be managed in the interests of
the children.
TIL principal is responsible to the
board for the educational sentiment
of the community Though not di-
rectly elected by the the people he is
equally amendable to them. He is the
medium between the board and the
people, the link that binds the parents,
the pupils. the teachers with the
board of education. In matters
strictly educational therefore, he
should be given freedom and author
ity. 1t is not the preogative of the
board to interfere in these matters,
but is obligatory on the board to lend
an approving hand and show real in
terest in their success and final ae-
complishment
The faculty is the largest factor in
the success of the school and the re-