The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-23
J. NJ. MCCONNELL MAY NOT BE
STATE SCHOOL HEAD
BOARD HELDITS SESSION
No Superintendent Was Chosen;
Salary Is As High As S..
600 Per Year

If men of educational quail
fications and experienced in pub
lie school administration who
are willing to accept a position
on siX-year contract at a
maximum of $4,000 a year will
apply to the State Board of Edu-
cation, the Capitol, st. Paul,
Mimi. they may learn something
to their advantage.
So far as known. no such "per-
sonal" as the foregoing mas yet been
inserted in any newspaper by the
state board of education, a body
created by act of the recent legisla :
ture, but the suggested draft is re-
puted to present just about the frame
of mind the board members are in
says The Minneapolis Tribune.
The board held it's first meeting
yesterday. The main business before
it was the selection of commission
er of education to take the place a
the s,slfe stl06f M al II "a afioss
No selection was made A1ter di5-
cussing the subject without agree
ment on any one, it was decided to
meet again Monday, June 2, at which
time selection is to be attempted
School People Interested.
School folk throughout the state
are reported to be keenly interested
in the situation. Discussion is cur
rent that the boards failure to ap-
point ]. NJ Mcconnell, state super
intendent of education, to the COM
missionership was an Indication of a
disposition on the part of members to
name someone else.
Mr. Mcconnell was appointed by
Governor Burnquist to succeed G. G.
Schulz as state superintendent, as
Stunning office the first of the year.
He had been member of the faculty
of the state normal school at Man
katO. and, before that, superintendent
of the Mankato public schools.
The state board of education takes
over the old state high school board
and the library commission, and is
vested with a wide range of jurisdic-
ton over public elementary and Sec
Ondary education.
George E. Alton of Grand Rapids,
formerly state inspector of high
schools, is chairman Other members
are Thomas E. eastman of Owatonna
w. d. Willard of Mankato. Julius
Borass of ST. Olaf's college of North
field, and Mrs. r. F. Musser of Little
Falls.
Wonder As To Changes.
With the replacement of the state
superintendent of education appoint
ed by the governor with a commits
sioher of education appointed by the
board, to take place in August, the
entire force of assistants in the sup
erintendent's office and of graded
and high school inspectors under the
high school board will likewise come
under the jurisdiction of the new
board. Comment in school circles also
stresses the question whether the
board will make changes in that
force.
1t is pointed out that there are
about fifty subordinate positions to
come under the boards control. in
Guiding one at $4,000 year, five at
$4,000 each, four at $4,000 each and
about three at $4,000 each.
Two names other than Mr.. McCon-
nell's are said to have been definitely
tefore the board Monday for the
commissionership, neither of which
met with favor. The law specifies
that the commissioners term shall
be six years and that he may be
paid not more than $4,000 a wear