Smyrna times., 1917-01-10
AGITATION FOR REVISED
SCHOOL LAWS EXPLAINED
CHAS. A.WAGNER, Commissioners
OF EDUCATION AND J.E. CARROLL
Visit BaVVew School Near Smyrna and
Explain Need for Better Laws,
Letter From State Board


E. Carroll, of Dover, were in Smyrna
Tuesday evening of last week and ad-
dressed Parent TeaC hers Association
at Bayview School. They explained
the proposed school laws. On this
much talked of subject we give space
to the following letter from the State
Board of Education: "Why a Com
mission to revise the school laws of
the state is needed. 1t is as fol-
lows: 1--WE shall appreciate your
public spiritedness and your disposition
to help the State Boards campaign if
YOU can accord publication to this
communication. The State Board of
Education believes. and this belief is
based on experience and knowledge
and not on have heard it said state
ments, that the existing body of
schools laws is lacking in unity, in
consistency, in harmony and adequacy.
To illustrate the reason for this belief
one or two cases will be cited from
the rather large number of such in
stances that have arisen in the Boards
efforts to see the law sympathetically
and intelligently interpreted and ap-
piled. For instance: according to the
general school act of 1898. "It shall
be the further duty of the said County
School Commissions, to act as Sani-
tary Commission over any and all
school property in the County under
its supervision: ''By the act of 1911
creating the new State Board Of Edu-
cation it is provided that the State
Board shall prescribe rules and re-
gulations for the sanitary equipment
and inspection of school buildings.
No method of procedure is provided to
make the State Boards rules binding
upon the County School Commissions
and no penalty imposed if the Com
missions disregard the rules and regu
latiuns of the State Board.
No Unity About Existing School Laws
Again: due to the fact that exist
ing school laws have been enacted at
different sessions and under different
auspices, the laws are not a unity.
When the office of Commissioner of
Education was created it was over
looked that certain duties which every
where and Enthusiastically belong to
that office had been assigned to some
other state officials. The State Treas
urer is now saddled with administTa-
tive computations and details in the
matter of ordering textbooks, in the
computation of apportionment of the
shares of the state dividend, and in
the matter of computing payments due
school districts for the attendance of
non resident pupils. These duties
were assigned to the State Treasurer
when there was no Commissioner OF
Education. The assignment was proper
and wise when made, of course. Hav-
ing such an official as Commissioner
of Education, however, the unificatior
and harmonization of the school sys
tenn will demand that these duties b.
assigned where they logically anC
necessarily belong. to the Commits
sioner of Education. Again: in tn
general act of 1898 it is required tina
School Districts in New Castle ant
Kent Counties shall raise by taxation
the sum of one hundred ($100) dollar
for white schools and fifty ($50) dol
lars for colored schools; and in SUISSE
County the sum of sixty ($60) dollar
for white schools and thirty $3.50
dollars for colored schools. In tn
act of 1901 prescribing the metho
of apportioning the State DivideD
among the schools these requirement
are stated: "In order to entitle an
school district to receive a share {
said money so apportioned such dis
trict shall have raised by taxation, {
subscription for school purposes durin
the previous school year, if whit
district, at least one hundred dolla
for each teacher employed, and, if
colored school district, at least fift
dollars for each teacher employed.
In practice, as is everywhere know
the latter requirement is obeyed: tn
intelligence and desire to qua
against misconception and misunde
standing on the part of the many nj
men who are becoming School Col
missioners, the two provisions shou
agree.
Reconstruction of Laws Badly Need
These are not by any means all
cases that could he cited: they 1
single instances. Revision of th'
and other incongruities soon fort
him who attempts harmonization
the realization that what is needed
not revision, but reconstruction so
to exclude contradiction and disagr
ment among the various acts, and
introduce simplicity. harmony {
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