The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-01

have said The first thing you know,
the school people will make the once
of superintendent of schools 30 tech
meal and professional that no one
but a school man can I'LL It. 1t ap-
pears now that his words were at
least prophetic.
Salaries Fixed by Law.
"Of course, 1t was impossible to
secure technical supervision without
an adequate salary. and the next step
in developing the professional life of
division superintendents was made
when the Strobe bill was enacted at
the 1908 session of the legislature.
That bill provided that the minimum
salary OF division superintendents
should be 5000 a year, supplemented,
If deemed advisable. out of local
funds. Under the provisions Of this
bill boards of supervisors and school
boards have supplemented the sala-
ries Of the division superintendent
so that good supervision might be Sc
cured.
I'm 1909. when superintendents
were chosen for the first time under
the Strobe law. 1t was found that in
some cases an adequate salary had
been provided In divisions where no
local applicant measured up to the new
'tN lAlSD ny HILL bIAC
board was governed. Under these
circumstances the State Board of Edu-
cation in several instances elected
Virginians from beyond the borders
of their home counties. This was
called importing superintendent and
raised such a storm OF protest that
the board has not since that time
elected a division superintendent from
beyond the borders OF n county except
in cases where local sentiment seemed
to demand 1t.
Provide Expert Supervision.
The next step in the march towards
professional supervision was made in
1915 when the State Board OF Educa-
ton. on account of the remarkable de-
yAopment of the State high school
system and the resultant growth Of
tho higher institutions of learning. as
well as of the elementary schools. de-
clared that liberal provision for close
expert supervision was an economical
means of increasing returns upon our
annual investment for educational
purposes. The board also went on
record In favor OF selecting rs division
superintendents OF schools those whose
training and experiences showed that
they possessed the necessary admins
trative, scholastic and professional
qualifications. This regulation Of the
board received legislative sanction In
the Valentine law OF 1915. Mr.. valen-
tine himself being a former superin-
tendent of Brunswick County.
The Valentine law provides that the
board shall not consider for supertn-
tendent any man who does not hold a
state teachers license the equivalent
OF a frrt-grade certificate. or who has
not already held the once of division
superintendent, or who has not been a
teacher for such number OF years as
the State BOARD Of Education may
designate The Valentine law also de-
clares that the state Board may pre-
scribe such additional minimum quail
fcatIons as It desires to promulgate.
College Men Demanded.
Acting under the Inspiration and
sanction of the Valentine law. the
board has adopted regulations In ac-
cordance with Its resolution of Janu-
airy ~. 1913. And II may be OF in
terest to add that similar rules. some
OF which go even further than the
Virginia regulations. have been adopt
ed in q large number of the States
Of this Union.
"Our new regulations limit the field
of eligibility TO those who have been
actually engaged In educational work
during the past ten years: and unless
the applicant In a full graduate of a
standard college. or has taken two
years OF college work. embracing at
least three hours OF education per
week throughout each session. II is
provided that he must have had at
least three years OF experience as
teacher, school supervisor or principal
within that period
superfntenAents Studied Problems.
Tn the second place. ! desire to en-
phasize what the division superinten-