Evening journal., 1917-01-03

THE SCHOOL LAWS or THE
STATE Is NEEDED.
To the Editor OF THE EVENING ,
JOURNAL.
Wilmington, Del.
Dear Sir-We shall appreciate your
public spiritedness and your. dispo-
sition to help the state Boards cam
paign if you can accord publication
10 this communication.
The State Board of Education be-
lives, and this belief is based on eX-
perience and knowledge and not on
"have heard it said" statements, that
the existing body of schools laws is
lacking in unity. in consistency, in
harmony and adequacy. To Illus
trate 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 syni-
pathetically and intelllgently inter-
preted and applied
For instance: according 10 the
general school act OF 1898. 1T shall
be the further duty OF tho said Coun-
ty School Commissions, to act as
sanitary 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 reg
ulations for the sanitary equipment
and inspection Of school buildings
No method OF procedure is provided
20 make the State boards rules bind
ing upon the County School Com
missions and no penalty imposed if
the commissions disregard the rules
and regulations OF the State board
Again, due to the fac. that existing
laws have been enacted at different ses-
~ions and under different auspices the
laws are not unity When the office
of Commissioner OF Education was
created II WAS overlooked that certain,
duties which everywhere and unmistak-
ably belong 10 that office had been as
signed TO some other State officials.
The State Treasurer is now saddled
with administrative computations and
details in the matter of ordering text
books in the computation of apportion-
meut Of the shares OF the state divi-
/ dend, and in tho matter OF computing
( payments duo school districts for the
.
These duties were assigned 10 the state
Treasurer when there was no Commits.
sioner of Education. The assignment
was proper and wise when made, OF
course. Having such an official as
Commissioner OF Education, however, tho
unifcation and characterization of tho
school system will demand that thes'
duties be assigned where they logically
and necessarily belong, to the Commis
sioner Of Education. Again in th'
general act of Isas it is required that
school districts in New Castle and Ken
counties shall raise by taxation the sun
OF one hundred iSl00l dollars for white
and fifty $50 dollars for colore'
schools: and in Sussex county the sun
of sixty ,S6O) dollars for whit
schools and thirty lS30l dollars 10
colored schools In the act Of 1870
prescribing the method Of apportioninl
i the State dividend among the school
these requirements are stated
"In order TO entitle any schoo
! district to receive a share Of said none,
so apportioned such district shall hav
+ raised by taxation. OF subscription TO
school purposes during the previou
r school year. II a white district, al leas
one hundred tsl00l dollars for eac
r teacher employed. and. if a colored schoC
D district. at least fifty 1850 dollars 70
2 each teacher employed.
IN practice rs is everywhere known
+ the latter requirement is obeyed; the
3 Intelligence and a desire to guard agains
{ misconcnption and misunderstanding o.
the part Of the many new mon who ar
4 Incoming School Commissioners, the tw
provisions should agree.
These are not by any means all th'
cases that could be cited; they are
: single instances. Revision Of thcs'
. and other incongruities soon force
, him who attempts harmonization 4
. tho realization that what is needle
{ / is not revision, but reconstruction 81
p as TO exclude contradiction and dis
I agreement among tho various acts
and to introduce simplicity, harmon,
. and completeness by making the part
l conform 10 the general principle o
!, or nization OF the entire system
J Here perhaps. We come upon the rea
. difficulty.
AS constructed. law after law fror
1929 up to 1911. the ruling idea an
p purpose was to leave as much powe
. and authority in the trust of loca
-. school committees and to put as littl
: as possible into the trust of any cen
?. trail board OF authority. The act O
!. 1911. by which the State board wa
r. reconstructed. marks the definite be
l. ginning OF the policy Of putting int
+. trained and experienced hands thOs
5. duties and offices which should b
performed by some one special
trained and experienced in that kin
Of duty. The act creating the ofiic
e OF commissioner of education Is
4 still further application Of the prin
s ciple OF authority centred and powe
+ placed in the hands Of a central bod!
e to FIX rules and regulations in ma
c ters where special knowledge an
!; skilled judgment are needed. Thi
!. does not mean that all power an
II authority shall be taken from th
!, local districts or from the loc;
% school committees. All matters whic
can and may be decided by the con