The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1920-08-26

M T., viaw of the Ilct thdt the present |
stional system in vogue in the |
~ az Idaho, particularly as admin |
5000 IN rural communities and small |
.ns,,as is being criticized, and the |
.atsr of n more adequate system be !
,liscussed and the promise of legis (
n H. candidates to devote their eff !
- far the establishment of uni |
Nm man would relieve the Difficult /
4 =. INV encountered, through the Of |
.a az Miss Margaret Sweet, county
snaribfeadent Of schools, we CLEAN the
Iollowing excerpts taken from the "Ad- /
,inistrafion Of Village and CoQsolidat-
n SCHOOLS which clearly and con-
,selV state what is being accomplish
a and what the need Of the rural
nj village schools are:
The County Unit
NE reorganization of the local ma
hinery for administration of schools
one of the most urgent problems in
Ianeation. The present arrangement
entirely inadequate and unsaiisfac
srv both frcm the standpoint of fl
,aneing and of supervising the schools
Tha area or unit is often too small
This can be illustrated by supposing
SIS case of a small mining village
where the school population is excess
i've and the people poor. The yalua-
ion of taxable property III such a
kTinage win be too small for the pro-
,er support of the Schools Lying all
hout this village there may be a rich
ftCultural area, the land having a
market value Of two or three hundred
5ollars per acre. The number of child
IN of school age in such rural town
hin might be very small, so that the
ax rate necessary for the support of
he schools would be very low indeed.
trhere are large numbers of just such
illages as this in the state Of Illinois,
tof' Idaho ALSO and the school facil-
Flies are VIGOROUSLY unequal. Such a
Eituation is desperately in need of a
Remedy. In the second place, the sup
eryision of schools in the rural dis
ricfA-and small villages is egregiously
Epadeuuate. AS has alrady been stated
hhp usual political method OF selecting
county SUPERINTENDENT makes it eX
Eceedingly difficult for the office t
kecure and retain person OF real edu
Rational efficiency; and, even so, the
amount of supervision expected of one
superintendent is impossible. The un
professionai character of the office is
however, the chief obstacle to its eft
Uficiency.
Educational experts now universal
IL agree that the county should be tn
limit of local organization for the ad
ministration of schools. At the hea'
OF the county school system Their
n should be a county board of education
corresponding to the board of educa
lion IN our larger cities. The mem
bers of this board should be elected b
the people, but they should have II
other political responsibility than tn
control of the schuols. IN other words
the county board of education shout
consist Of five or seven, certainly ne
more than nine representative citizen
q the county, chosen at large by til
Nh Deople; but their selection should i
MI divorced entirely from party polite
This county board should have IA fun'
ton analogous to that of the cit
M hoard. The county superintendent
should be chosen by this board ON th
81 basis of his personal and professions
merits only, and the board should |
at liberty to 90 anywhere into the ma
ket Of the country to find its man. h
such an arrangement as this the cou
tn superintendency would be put on
Professional basis The tenure Of o
flee should be made secure. and the /
chmbenf given an opportunity to VOL
out an adequate educational policy f
the county.
This would permit system OF su
ervision of the village and rur
schools of the county approaching
excellence that already worked out
Gle cities. In fact, our city schoC
hove succeeded in solving the probe
Of administration to fairly cred
able degree. while the rural schoS
lag far behind in this respect. L
Reorganization Of the county is
outstanding lesson that the count
nav learn from the city so far
schools are concerned. 1t is soul
moreover, from the standpoint of
litical theory. for all modern exp
fence g0es to show that the people IN
be trusted to select representatives
legislative and general Administered
functions, but not technical eXpei
This county unit plan would also n
to solve the problem of school supp
by giving the larger area OF taxat
50 much needed. 1t would also SO
the problem of enforcing the ST
laws relative to attendance. At pl
eHt the superintendent reward for
forcing them vigorously and C
scientiously is, liable to be the loss
bis office at the next election An
r3iIited superintendent, if given a
onate authority, could enforce IL
without fear.
It may be objected that this scht
Is in vogue in few northern ST.
and has not always worked out
Indiana may be cited as an exam
There the hoped-for elimination
Politics has not resulted; but the
son is Obvious. The county boart
composed of the political leaders
each township. instead Of being c
rased of men elected on non-pi
SIN ballot. and instructed with ed
tanal functions only.
The reorganization of education