The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1917-03-01
THE GENERAL EDUCATION Law

The GENERAL EDUSAIIDN Law
Bills have been introduced into the
legislature to radically modify the
general education law, which has been
in successful operation for several
years. This is one of the. best school
laws ever enacted in Tennessee and
any bill to modify or weaken it should
be most carefully considered.
Digests of the bills to modify this
law follow:
Senate Bill No. 260. This bill pro-
poses to reduce the annual appropria-
ton to the University of Tennessee
and the State Normal schools, and
provides that no work shall be done in
the Normal school now included in the
course Of study for elementary or
high schools or the state university,
and further that no student below the
grade of graduation from first-class
high school shall be permitted to en-
ter the normal schools except persons
over twenty-one years Of age. This
bill provides further that certain
funds shall be set apart for equalizing
high schools, to be expended only in
support of standard first-class high
schools.
Senate Bill No. 261 This bill pro-
vides that the 10 per cent. equalization
fund shall be used for the express pur-
pose of equalizing and lengthening
elementary school terms in certain
counties, and withdraws state aid in
the building of consolidated schools
and in providing supervisors. 1t also
cuts off the state supplement to the
salaries Of county superintendent.
Senate Bill No. 266. This bill pro-
vides that 81 per cent. of the general
education fund shall be apportioned
to the several counties of the state ac-
cording to the scholastic population
and, further, that in no county shall
any part of these funds be used for
building purposes. This bill will do
away with the public school library
work.
Senate Bill No. 305. This bill pro-
poses to take out of the hands of the
State Board of Education the author
ity to fix the salaries of the state SUI
perintendent, high school inspector,
clerk Of the state superintendent, gen
eral bookkeeper for the normal
schools, members Of the grading COM
mission, the presidents, deans, book
keepers head teachers, regular teach
ers, assistant teachers and instruct
ors in the normal schools; to fix these
salaries by legislative enactment, and
also to prescribe the number of hours
a week the teachers in the normal
schools shall work.
All Of these bills named would, in
effect, be an injurious modification Of
the general education law. They
would do much to disorganize our
present system Of education, would
certainly impair the usefulness of
some parts Of the system, and, because
Of reduced appropriations and changes
in the entrance requirements and
courses Of study, would virtually de-
stroy the state normal schools.
The bill requiring that the equali-
cation fund shall be used only for the
express purpose of equalizing school
terms in certain counties provides
that this aid shall go to no county that
1evies tax of less than 40 cents, but
does not take into account the differ
emit county school levies in the various
counties, or differences in salaries
paid teachers. In other words, coun-
ty levying 40 cent tax and having a
ninety day term might get aid, while
another county levying so cent tax
and having term of 100 days, be-
cause of the higher local levy, would
get no aid.
The bill proposing that the legis-
lature shall fix the salaries of school
officials and the teachers in the state
normal schools and the number OF
hours they shall work each week with
draws from the State Board of Educa
ton authority that should rightly be
exercised by an educational board. In
keeping with this bill similar situa-
ton would be created in each county
if the fixing of the salaries of the
principals and all the teachers of pub
lie schools should be withdrawn from
county boards of education and vested
in county courts. Such law would,
from first to last, prove disastrous.
These bills are not supported by
public opinion. They have never been
presented to the Public School Officers
association, and have never been dis
cussed before the people of the state.
They should be presented, item by
item, to the people of Tennessee and
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