The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-10-31
Why Not Eliminate Expensive and
Unnecessary Boards
BY C. p Cary
II LCnnIinnnd frn1,, lnrt INA IL

Continued from last we k)
Referring to the root house again, /
am told that last year the people al
River Falls Normal actually wanted tc
build a root house to store their fall
crops gathered from their land, but
they did not get authority until along
toward spring to do it. In the mean
| time the root house had to be built in
order to save the crops and this was
done, but not according to law. 1t goes
without saying that the regents of the
normal schools and the board of re-
gents of the university know vastly
| more about what the needs of the in
stitutions are than a state board can
know without taking a great deal OF
time and going to a great deal Of ex-
pense to visit these institutions, thus
duplicating the work of the board that
has immediate control over the insti-
tutions, and which is naturally just as
honest and just as capable as the state
board.
The State Board of Education in per-
sonnel is as good board as one could
expect to have, but it would take years
of study and close contact with these
educational matters in order to inform
themselves of the actual conditions as
they exist No board can by any pos
sibility do all this without devoting its
entire time to the work. 1t is rumored
that this State Board would like to
employ a high-priced educational lad
visor" to tell them what to do. 1t Is
perfectly plain to anyone, and l think
to the board itself, that there is no
place in our educational system for
such a person or for such machinery,
An educational advisor could not him
self, without taking months or even
years of time, become sufficiently fa-
miliar with our educational situation
to safely and wisely advise board
such as this is. Furthermore, it would
be employing counsel that would ulti-
mately bring utter confusion and dis
traction into our educational affairs.
Such man would be a state superin-
tendent in disguise.
If we must have a board over the
board of normal regents and the uni
versity regents, logic calls not for an
educational advisor" but for another
board over the State Board, and so on
ad infinitum. The board is really a
budget and finance board and nothing
more, but its function in these respects
formal rather than real, for the
tate board of public affairs must, or
many, at least, review the work OF the
State Board, and finally the legislature
makes its review, which is anal
The fact Is that there is nothing for
he State Board of Education to do ex-
cept to attend to business belonging
properly to somebody else. This is no
criticism of the individual members of
his board. / simply mean to say that
The situation in which such a board is
placed is little short of absurd. 1t
should not be overlooked, however,
that there Is In the state board idea
The germ OF endless conflict and con-
tention.
Suppose, for example, that this
board, backed up as 1t might be at any
time in tho future by politicians and
busy-bodies, should undertake to build
lup a department duplicating over
tapping the state department of
education, which has an elective
constitutional officer at its head
This is no fsr-off surmlse, be-
cause that very thing has already been
talked among some of the politicians
who would like to get control Of the
entire educational situation through
an appointive system.
Or suppose that such board should
fall under the control Of the normal
schools or of the university and thus
develop antagonisms that might work
untold evil for years Again, this Is
not n ere surmise because that mans
ears are dull who has not already
heard strong intimatlons Of just this
| thing. Some men are, by current re-
port, now engaged in planning such q
program. Needless to say, the present
board is innocent OF this.
There are some people who think
that the normal schools and the uni
yersity could be "harmonized" II they
were brought under one board. Any
one who has had the slightest knowl,
edge Of public affairs knows that by Mt
such hocus-pocus Of single board car
| harmony be brought about The strug
gle to control single board that might
have actual control of sucn institu
tions would be bitter, relentloss anC
never-ending, though at times the con
liict might be concealed from public
| view.
Wlsoonsin's educational system II
not built on the principle OF having
state boards of education. Every schoo
and every institution In the state hat
its own board The reason why stat,
boards do not fit into the situation Il
that they are tackled onto the system