Licking Valley courier., 1921-03-10
THE SCHOOL LAW
Some of the Difficulties and Needs of
the State,


past Twelve years, and it has foun,
tAat8e have failed TO elect the bes
mtn 70 office. and in great many in
stances the schools were sold and bar
tered and given to teachers on account
. of some political prestige or even SOLD
! pptright.
* Now l don't mean to condemn all
the. trustees for this, for we have had
quite number in the State that are
very highest type of men and that
\ were more interested in the schools
than. they were in their personal affair
and this kind has always been in the
majority in Morgan county am proud
to say.
Now, the General Assembly of Ken
tucky saw fit to change this law last
year In an effort to better conditions
in our schools and to put us in the
front rank as an educational state, so
In their efforts to work out some plan
they have given us Il county board of
five members to take the duties of the
5000 trustees that will go out of office
on the Nh of next March, this means
that the employment bureau for the
teachers of Kentucky is reduced from
5000 to 600 in the state, and these 600
officers divided five to each of the 12O
counties of the state will have charge
of the employment of teachers, and
superintendants as well as they viii
have the supervision and the spending
of over $6,000,000 Of school f. IDS each
year, $3,Q00,00O from the State Treas
ury and $3,0O0,000 raised by local tax
alton, so their task is not a small one.
So every citizen should get behind
theI county board of their rcSpr rive
counties and try to help them III ihi.'
senormous task Of starting the new
system into cation in the proper way
We could not all get the man or the
men of our choice on these boards
but we live in democratic govern
ment where we abide by the will of
the sovereign people, that is, the legal
voter, and believe in majority. There.
fore, we have the new boards with us
and 1t is to be continuous body. one
member being elected in each county
every year and two every fourth year.
SO we, as citizens of this common
wealth, owe it to the rising genera
tlon to put this school law in effect
next March, and if there are changes
that are needed, we should urge our
representatives in the General AS.
sembly to give us the needed changes. |
but in the meantime try to get the
best out of what We have.
The new law has raised the quail. |
ficatiOns Of the teachers of this com
monwealth so that even teachers
teaching in the district schools vii.
have to have 4-year course in some
accredited high school before they ar
eligible TO take the examination for
teaching, so as we have to pay more
taxes under this system, we will also
get better qualified teachers, and the
neyer-do-wells will be licked out of the
profession or will have to prepare
themselves for their positions.
Now, that the law leaves i open for
the board to elect q superintend ,ht
for each county for period Of orr.
two, three or four years, think that
the superintendent, like the teacher
should be only elected for one year
and If he fails TO do his duties, and
they are many under this new law
then he, too, should be kicked out of
this system as one of the never.do.
wells, and the board put in progres.
sive man in his place.
i, like many Of you, would like to
have several changes in this new law.
but my suggestions might prove as un.
successful as many that have been
tried in the old law. So / say, do the
best with what we have and try to get
the better things done, when criti.
clsms should come and not blame the
ones that are asked and empowered
by lay to put this sysem into action.
LYNN u, WELLS,
N the LeElngt9q Herald,