Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-25

ton an Il In ow organized and as IL
conducts It's work In out nf ilne with
tho progressive thought and practice
OF tho time In four important rnrtlcu-
lars: ut II In too large To be effective;
cd its mmbarH represent wards ana
local constituencies rather than the
entire city: ta) IL in not independent
of the city council as II should bo I'm
tho matter of financing the schools,
and tp Il does not coufine itHelf. In re-
lation TO It's control of the department.
to Legislative and judicial functions nS
Il properly should. but spends much
OF it's time In dealing with executive
details which should properly be left
with the boards executive ofiicers.
Tho commissions views OF each of
these points, briefly stated. follows;
The Board In Too Large.
The experience of business firms is
that small boards are the most effec-
tive. Likewise cities are finding in ad-
nniatering their schools that email
boards are much more effective than
large boarda. There was peroid In
the development OF city school aysteu1s
when large boards prevailed. Indeed,
boards Ell from 90 to so members were
not uncommon n few years ago. Phila-
deiphia probably held tho record with
bb9 members. In the last few years.
however. most of the cities having
these large, unwieldly boards have re-
organized. substituting smaller boards.
for the most part OF 8. I or . members,
Cubberley has niieet--ctly stated the
CHae Tor The small board as Il ia now
viewed by progressive administrators:
The small board Is far less tailsative,
and hence handles the public business
much more expediously; II is less able
10 shift responsibility for it's actions;
it can not 80 easily divide itself up into
small committees, and works more
efficiently and intelligently as com
mittee of the whole; and It can not and
will not apportion out the patronage In
the way that large ward board can
and will do. large board ia un-
wieldly and incoherent. 10 seldom tran
sacta the public business quietly and
quickly II tends too frequently TO he
come a public debating society. where
small or politically inclined men talk
loud and long and play 90 the gal
leries' and TO the press; while personal
and party politics. and sometimes lodge
and church politics, not infreuuently
determine its actions. II is almost al
ways divided into factions, between
whom there is continued strife and
rivalry. and important matters are ua-
ually caucused in advance and put
through" by the ma aiority at that mo
ment in control a reduction In size
10 a body small enough to meet around
q single table and discuss matters in a
simple, direct, and buslnesaiike manner
under the guidance of a chairman who
knows how to handle public business
and then take action as whole. Is
very desirable.
The commission rs Of the opinion
that hoard Of members rather than
one of Of Of 2 ia best suited 10 the
needs of Wilmington. With a board 81
IL ia too easy for 70 pair of on
questions Of policy leaving to the fifth
the balance of power. With board Of
Z a uniform alignment u members
which permits single individual to
determine the boards action is not So
easy.
The Members shonld ne Elected At
large.
The ward method nf electins school
board members comes down from the
time when city wards were indepen-
dent school districts. The practice is
very rapidly fiaapreariuE for it has
been found over and over again that
no surer method can he Devised for rer-
petuating in the management of the
schools all the evils Of personal and
political control than 70 retain the eys-
tenn OF elecfinR school board members
by wards In 1909. % Of 81 Of the larg-
est cities of the country elected or az
pointed school board members by wards
or districts In 1916. OF these same 81
cities, ali had changed except 2 New.
four years later. several of these have
changed from a ward basis to that
of election at large
The evils growing out OF ward repre-
sentstion are again well summarized
by Cubberley:
The tendency Of people Of the same
class or degree of success ia life TO
settle in the same part or the city is
a matter of common knowledge. The
successful and the unsuccessful. the
ones who like strong and good govern
ment. and the oncs who like weak
and poor government. the temperate
and the Incorporate elements. and the
business apn the lahoring classes
these commonly are found In different
parts of a city. Wards come TO he
known as the fighting third. the red.
light fourth" the socialistic ninth.
or the high-brow fifth; and the char
acteristics OF these wards are fire.
quently evident In the composition oi
the board of education. The young and
ambitious politician not infrequently
moves into an open ward IN the hope
Of securing an election there. and. whsr
elected, makes the school board step
ping-stone TO the council and highoi
political preferInent. Not infrequent3
/ the school janitor. appointed in the frs
place as a reward for political services
| becomes the ward boss in turn and die.
/ tates the nomination of the sChoo
/ board members.
! One Of the important results Of tn,
! change from ward represention to elec
ton from the city at large in any city
/ Of average decency and intelligence Ii
that the inevitable representation from
! these poor wards" is eliminated. anC
/ the board as a whole comes 70 partak,
Of the best characteristics Of the citl
as a whole The members represen
/ the city as a whole. instead of wards
| they become interested in the schoo
/ system as a unit. instead of parts of 1t
and the continual strife in board
/ caused by men who represent a con
| stituency instead of a cause, and who's,
| efforts are constantly directed towart
securing funds, teachers. and janitor
for the school or schools they repre-
sent" is largely eliminated,
Under the ward system or represen
tation, too, IL is a matter of common
| knowledge that men are nominated
and elected from wards who could no