Indiana daily times., 1921-08-27
ISSUE
WITH BAND ON
AMENDMENT.
Dunn Says Claim of Edu-
Gators Association Mis-
statement.
EXPLAINS SAGE PLAN

Jacob ?. Dunn. who has given the pro
posed constitutional amendments and
their effect on the State thorough study,
in a statement given out today, takes
issue with the Educators Association
which is sponsoring the amendment
which would make the State Superintend
ent Of Public instruction appOintive in
stead of elective
Mr. Dunn's statement is as follows:
"My attention has been called to some
resolutions of the State board Of educa-
tion favoring an appointive superintend-
ent Of public instruction, in which the
following statement is made
Fourteen States have changed their
method of choosing their State superiu-
tendent from election on a State ticket
by popular majority, to appointment"
MISsTATEMENT
ASTOUNDING.
so astounding a misstatement, from
such a source, and at this time, when its
only possible effect can be to deceive the
voters of the State in the pending cleo
ton. cannot remain unchallenged. The
State board cannot possibly verify this
statement. As a matter of history, nofe-
Of the fourteen appointive States ever
had the elective system. The changes by
progressive States have all been in the
opposite direction.
In reality the appointive States are
merely survivals of the early period of
American history, when the great ma
jOrity Of offices we're appointive Until
1851, the only State officials elected in
Indiana were the Governor. Lieutenant
Governor, and members Of the LegisIa-
ture. all the others being appointed or
chosen by the Legislature. The treasurer
Of State, who was chosen by the Legis-
lature, was eX-officio superintendent Of
public instruction, but, in reality, paid
no attention to the schools except keep
ing account of the school funds This
condition was general throughout the
United States until the middle of the last
century.
There is absolutely nothing progress
sive about this proposed change. Thirty
four Of the American States have adopted
the elective system, and only three of the
States that remain appointive are West
Of the Alleghenies. In the appointive
States the school system is under full
control Of the Legislature: and in nearly
every enc Of them the office Of superin-
tendent of public instruction has been
abolished at various times by cranky
Legislatures
SAYS SCHOOLS
SLANDERED.
an this connection it IS also impor-
tant to correct a SANDER on the in
diana schools that is being indUstrously
circulated by representatives of the So
called Educators Association,' to the
effect that our schools rank seventeenth
in the United States In efficiency. This
prepOsterOus statement is tased on the
hnrT Of he
Foundation a collection of intellectual
highbrows who have evidently little ac-
quaintance with the principles of math-
ematics. Any educator who does not
detect the falIacy Of their results ought
to have his Hcensce as teacher re-
voked
The Russell Sage index number is the
average of ten statistical proportions. Of
which FIVE are called educational compo-
nents' and five financial components,' as
follows:
Educational components: /, per cent
of school population attending school
daily; >, average days attended by each
child OF school age; 3, average number
Of DAYS schools weer kept open; per
cent that high school attendance was OF
total attendance; 5, per cent that boys
were Of girls in high schools.
lQdQCl3l COUpODe0JS. b. average an
nuaI expenditure per child attending; 7,
average expenditure per child Of school
age; s. average annual expenditure per
teacher employed; 9. expenditure per pu-
pill for purposes other than teachers
salaries; 10, expenditure per teacher for
salaries
by these figures the Indiana schools
rank very high in educational features.
it being the fourth State in the Union.
and surpassed only by California, Ore
gon and Iowa. But in expenditures it
ranks down TO the average. being the
twe't-y third State in financial compo
nents and the average of the whole
makes it seventeenth. California, which
is put first in educational features, sur
passes Indiana only S per cent; Oregan
and Iowa surpasses Indiana less than
per cent in educational results. y
INDIANA GETS BEST
RESULTS AT LEAST COST.
These sage Russell Sage experts rank
Montana first in the United States. BY
their figures Montana is slightly below
Indiana in educational results but her
schools cost 66 per cent more than those
of Indiana, which brings up her index
number" California. whose school ex
pense is IS per cent greater than Indiana,
is given second rank. What the Russell
Sage figures actually show is that with
the exception of Oregon, Indiana Is get
ting better educational results, at least
expense. than any other State in the
Union. If that is due to sn elective su-
peri1tendent of public instruction, In
diana has no cause of complaint
Anybody ought to have sense enough
TO know that the test of efficiency is get.
ting the bets results at the least expense,
and instead of advertising Indiana as be-
ing in a disgraceful condition N school
affairs, that portion of the educators"
who have any conception of the meaning
Of statistics ought to be singing the
praises of the Hooser State The worst
reflection on our schools that has come
TO light recently is the apparent delusion
Of SO many educators" by this Russell
Sage rubbish"
n Ha-nnnSEACK