The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-06-06
DUPLICATION OF
FUNCTIONS OPPOSED
State Department Of Education Says
the Present Condition Is AnoHai-
Gus.

BOISE, Ida.-The announcement BY
Miss Mccoy that she will not be a
candidate for reelection to the office
of state superintendent calls atteu-
ton again to the fact that the present
legal situation in Idaho involves du-
plication in the executive office of tho
state educational system, says a press
bulletin of the state department OF ed
ucation. The law passed in 1913
creating the present state board OF
education, reads as follows: 1T shall
have power and it shall be its duty To
appoint, for such time and at such
salary as it may designate, a com
missioner of education The
plan contemplated the abolition OF tho
office of state superintendent. but al
] though a resolution was drawn for
this purpose, both in 1913 and In 1875
no action was taken by the legislature
and hence the office of state superin-
tendent still remains as one OF the
| constitutional offices of the state
It should be clear to all citizens OF
the state that harmony and efficiency
so necessary to the welfare OF the
state, is in no way guaranteed by the
present legal status, but is dependent
entirely upon the person who is elect
ed to the office of state superintena-
ent being in the first place fayorablY
disposed in the matter, and, in the
Isecond place, competent and efficient
to do the work.
Even before the law of 1915 was
passed, providing for the present or
ganization, the school code of Idaho
lays the final responsibility in most
educational matters upon the state
board of education. In this respect
the Idaho code differs from that OF
many other states, in which the state
superintendent is the final authority
The plan of giving to the state board
of education the power to employ its
own executive officer,-namely, the
commissioner of education, to act up
on all educational policy, and direct
the execution of all the educational
work, is really entirely in accord with
the general character of the Idaho
school code.
The very essence of the Idaho plan
of state school administration, as pro-
vided by constitutional amendment in
1912, and statuted in 1913, is the unity
,, and common interest of all the educa-
tional affairs of the state, from the
primary school to the university The
) new plan puts the control of all these
. various parts of the educational sys-
tenn into the hands of the state board
of education, and definitely requires
that board to administer in such a way
that there shall be harmony, and eff
cheney, and cooperation throughout
If the plan is to be a success, and fui-
fill its purpose, it is obvious that the
head of the state school system must
be one who is familiar with the entire
field of education, and he should he
= chosen with the same discerning care
that it exercised in the selection or a
= city superintendent or the head OF n
state institution.
= The only thing which is needed 10
f complete the legal status of the new
e plan is to eliminate the duplication
e at present existing owing to the over
o tapping of the duties of the commits
y sioner and the state superintendent
e The way will then he open for COM
e plete unity, and hence efficiency, and
e will be guarded against dangers which
# now exist of duplication, conflict
), waste and inefficiency.