The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-11

tary, including rural, for the same per
iod.
Figures submitted at the last state
teachers convention showed the increases
to be as follows, for a single year, 1870
q, as compared with 1919-20:
Rural school teachers ......... 1880
Graded school teachers ....... 43 ID.
High school teachers .,........ AZ 10
High school principals ....I.. 43 20
Superintendent ....... l.3Gn
When we consider that the public
school system costs in the aggregate over
$4,000 o a year and that salaries paid
to teachers in the elementary. schools
alone amounted to S1,313,157. 80 in the
year ending June 80, 1919, with a con-
pert supervision appears reasonable. 1t
amounts TO about five per cent of the en-
tire school cost and II per cent of the
aggregate salaries of elementary school
teachers.
when / hear complaints in regard to
the iron-clad system that puts everything
into the hands of a salaried state ma
chine and robs the people and the com
munities of their right of local control
in school matters, l usually find that
they emanate from sections where some
Jealous and Woodworking superintendent
is running his legs off or wearing out
his Tin Lizzie doing for the local school
authorities what they are supposed to
do themselves, but have shunted onto a
willing state official. Isn't this so?
For example, the hiring of teachers
is the duty of the school directors and
the superintendent is required by law
merely to approve of the selection, but in
many towns this system is entirely re
versed. The superintendent finds them,
makes the deal, advises the committee,
who breathe a sigh of relief, and it is the
superintendent who gets the blame for
the failureS-the superintendent and the
iron-clad system.
Where is the legal obligation that de-
wolves upon superintendent the duty
of ordering text books and school sup
plies and distributing them to each and
every school over a wide area, while the
local directors go about their own private
business Yes, the much abused super
intendent would be missed if he were
abolished, even if only for the non-pro-
f%essional and wholly gratuitious things
be does that somebody has to do for the
rural towns.
I'VE should not lave districts so large
that the superintendent cannot easily
and often reach every one of his schools
and be in constant touch with it,. Nor is
there a natural division of duties so. that
the clerical work can be wholly entrusted
to an assistant. The plan of the su-
lClN ANtus pIlitiDdI may WOFk well LOT
the central school, but il disrupts the
district. cuts out a valuable and necessary
portion OF it and leaves a fringe of rural
territory that cannot we'll be handled by
whOmever is left in charge. As I said
before, these are my own ideas, and |
do not speak for the board at this time.
Not less helpful. in it's way, to the
rural schools especially, is the provision
OF the act of 1915 for state pay for ele-
mentary teachers engaged in rural school
work. Under IL teachers in these schools
paid BY the towns at the rate of at least
IS a week receive 50, SO or 81 a week adj
ditional from the state. depending on
the kind of certificate they hold. which
in turn depends upon their preparation.
training and the length of their teaching
experience. The pay does not go d.
rectly from the state to the teacher: but
is rebated to the town. which takes il
with the teacher. and at the end of the
year receives the amount back from the
state.
at was recognized that rural teachers
had a special claim to an increased wage
that many of the smaller towns could not
meet il, and that in the interest of the
general educational advancement desired
the state should extend a helping hand
in this way. 1t has been of decided ben
eht. Without 1t many OF the weak towns
would have been seriously handicapped
during the past few years. The aggre-
gate of payments made for the year 1919
under this provision was $121,07S. 30.
Il. am of the opinion. and believe it
is the opinion of the board, that the state
pay for rural teachers should be some
what increased, in keeping with the move
ment of the times. and because it is de-
served. No effort should be spared to Sc
cure and keep a high quality of teach
.ers in the rural schools and enough of
them to man the schools so that none are
closed for lack of a teacher.
With an increased wage. tile state
can fairly demand a somewhat better
groundwork and preparation on the part
of the teacher, and by graduating the
scale of pay may provide an incentive for
proficiency. A stagnant teacher is a
clog in the wheel.
while our method of certification is
open to the objections hat can be made
against any systcm-that it, is too rigid
and does not fit every worthy case-yet
on the whole l believe it has thoroughly
justified itself. Since 1916 none but
trained teachers has entered the public
schools of Vermont, except in a relatively
few cases for urgent temporary service.
No teachers examinations have been
held, | am glad to. say, and l hope none
will have to be.
The two normal schools and training
classes in high schools have provided the