Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1920-10-20
STATE VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION UNDER THE
SNIITH-HUGHES LAW

SMITH-HUGHES LAW
The original plan for the or
ganization and administration Of
the Smith-Hughes act, adopted in
1917, has been revised for all the
Smith Hughes schools of the State
of Oregon. At present Il. E. Ell
lott OF Salem Is the state direc-
tor. He has two assistants
Frank Shepherd of the Oregon
Agricultural College is superyis-
or OF trades and Industries, and
Miss Bertha Davis Of Corvallis is
supervisor OF home economics. Mr.,
Elliott, himself, has direct charge
of agriculture as well as director
Of the entire vocational education
of the State of Oregon. The state
superintendent of public instruc-
| ton is the executive officer
The whole law Is administered
upon an agreement. between the
several states and federal board
of education at Washington. The
laws makes provisions for each
state to adopt the act under GER
tain conditions. When these con-
ditions, which are not inflexible.
are met any community in the
state may come under one of the
activities Of the Smith-Hughes
law.
The different schools, which
may be established under the
Smith-Hughes law are. (1) ag-
ricultural education, (2) trade
and industrial education, CD
Fart time school, (4) teacher
training, and CD home economics
The state board for vocational
education plans the courses OF
study which must be administer
ed locally by a teacher who meets
the provisions of the requirements
of the federal board OF education
When all these requirements have
been met the federal government
will distribute to any state GER
tain sum Of money, which sum
will be increased from year to
year till a maximum sum is reach
ed in 1880. This appropriation
made by the federal government
must be matched by an equal
amount from the state. The whole
sum of money then is divided by
the state board Of vocational ed
ucation among the different kinds
OF schools that may be established
under the law into a certain ra-
ito for each school to the whole.
In this way only a certain num-
Der of each kind Of schools can
be established in each state.
When the state beard mas reach
ed the limit of its appropriation
for any sort. of school, then no
others of that kind can be estab-
liched till adequate funds are Sc
cured At present it is the pol
icy of the state board to establish
one of each kind to a county At
present Medford has vocational
agriculture and Ashland home eco
Monies.
Ashland has applied for a teach
er OF agriculture under the Smith
Hughes act, but will have to watt
till the state board can see its
way clear to finance the schol.
In the year 1919 and 20 the
federal governments appropria-
tion for vocational schools in Ore
gon was $40,S13.1S, the same sum
being allotted by the State of Ore
gon, making a total for vocational
education in Oregon of SS1,625.36.
The policy of the state board for
vocational education in Oregon at
the present time, is to pay to the
local community two.thirds OF
the cost of the teacher in any OF
the vocational classes,
Due to this favorable attitude
of the Oregon state board for vo-
cational education, the vocational
schools have been established in
all parts of the state. Many com
munities are upon the waiting
list. AS the funds from the fed
eral government grow, more and
more towns will come under the
provisions of the act. Thus. it
seems that Oregon will take its
place alongside Of California and ,
in establishing vOca- {
tional schools for its children.