The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-12-24
T0TTEN GANG IN
ANOTHER DRIVE
ON MISS NELSON
Recommendation of Educational
Commission Ignored in Grab
bing New Job
KANE is GIVEN LET-DOWN
Liessman Succeeds President of
University as High School
Examiner
1ANE IS GIVEN LET-DOWN

Another source of power over the
common school system Of the state
has been concentrated in the hands Of
the board of administration, which
body has removed from the president
Of the state university the position
of state high school examiner and
has conferred this honor upon
Charles Liessman, secretary of the
board, to be exercised by him as the
board directs. Although the board
OF administration took this action
November Is, the first knowledge of
the matter which reached Miss Min
ME j. Nelson, state superintendent
Of public instruction, and one of the
two members of this board elected by
the people, came in letter received
December Is, from the office of the
former state high school examiner.
This letter advised Miss Nelson that
under orders from the board of ad-
ministration all records and files of
the state high school examiners Of
flee had been transferred to the Sec
retary of the board of administration,
whom the former state examiner was
advised would take over the duties
Of this office.
Finally Shown the Minutes.
Upon receipt of this information
Miss Nelson applied to the secretary
of the board OF administration for
enlightenment and he then dug up
the minutes of meeting of the board
of administration November Is,
Of which Miss Nelson had been
given no notice. At this meeting
the board of administration reversed
an action by its own educational COM
mission in meeting at Minot on
November 7, when it decreed by
unanimous vote that the state high
school Inspector A. l.. Shafer, an
appointee of Miss Nelson's, be made
state high school examiner. 1t was
the opinion of the educational COM
mission, composed wholly of educa-
tors selected by the board of admin
istration because their expert knowl-
edge of school matters, that the two
positions should be combined, and
that the high school inspector was
| logically the official who should eX-
anime high schools for classification.
At the November Is meeting of the
board of administration, which
neither John N. Hagan, commissioner
of agriculture, or Miss Nelson, the
only two members of this body elect
ed by the people, attended, Chairman
Totten and Members Muir and Casey
voted to approve the action of the
educational commission at Minot,
Except the approval of the request
concerning the making of the high
school inspector also high school ex-
aminer, for the reason that the board
feels that the work of the high school
examiner can be more properly and
efficiently done through the office of
the secretary of the commission
the secretary to at once take the
work of the high school examiner
and to be authorized to secure suffi-
cient clerical help to do this work,
the same to be charged to and pro-
rated between the high school and
rural school funds.
Gives Board More Money.
This action places under the con-
troll of the state board of admins
tration the examination for classifi-
CdIloH VI dll HlSH SCHoolS Ill IAe SIdte
and gives the board control over
thousands Of dollars of additional
school moneys. This pro-rating is
objected to in school circles princi-
pally because it takes funds from the
rural schools to be applied to the
expense of examining city schools,
something which never before has
been done.
The action of the board of admin
istration has developed the fact that
it's educational commission is endow-
ed with no original authority, that
the minutes of its meetings and its
every act are subject to review by
the board of administration, and that
the latter reserves the right to ap-
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