Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-01-28
CONSTRUCTIVE, DEMOCRATIC
AND FINANCIALLY SOUND
The School Code Is 80 characterized
by Prof. A. $. Burrows-Vote
OF Audience Endorses 1t.

o huulenCe Endorses 1t,
The school code was champloned
by Superintendent A. S. Burrows Of
King county and secretary Of the code
commission, before an audience that
filled the United Church last Sunday
evening. who outlined in detail some
OF the conditions found in the state
and the effect Of the proposed law in
meeting some Of these.
The commission" said Superin-
tendent Burrows, through its work
reached the conclusion that it is the
calm judgment of the people Of this
state that the present public school
system Is not functioning to a degree
at all commensurate with the great
expenditure OF time. energy and
money now being devoted to it, and
improvement is possible and neces-
sary now. With 10000 teachers and
215.000 pupils engaged in the enter
prise at an annual outlay OF $23,-
100000, expended under $500 school
c;iicers, there is room for economies
OF worthy magnitude and for the
profitable redirection OF this great
work through we'll considered, con-
structive changes in school admins
tration and policy.
"The salient feature Of the pro-
posed revision is reorganization to-
ward efficiency in administration.
Every effort has been made to so
mold or present educational reorgan-
ization as to afford more nearly
equal opportunity to the children OF
all the state. to insure the most ef-
fective expenditure Of the financial
support of the schools. to distribute
the burden of that support equitably
and at the same time foster and en-.
large he interest of the people in
their schools through real improve.
ment.
"The present state department is
weak, because, first, the multiplicity
Of boards dealing with educational
work; second, the dependence for
funds upon biennial appropriation
ty the legislature; third, an elected
educational expert leadership with
insecure tenure and salary limited to
$4,000; fourth, a state board ex-
ofticio. altogether professional having
very limited powers and practically
directed by the officer who is to exc
cute its orders. The code corrects
these faults, which are almost axio-
matte.
THE county district plan is the
second large proposal, dealing as il
does with the states weakest con
structive link-rural and village cd
ucation. The education ladder Is rs
strong as its poorest rung. Average
or relative excellence Of the state as
whole does not help the boy or girl
without. chance. Russell Sage
Foundation reports are sometimes
misleading. Are our rural and vi
lage schools functoning satisfat 10
riiy? What are some real conditions ?
Two hundred and fOrty-six districts
maintain schools for five or fewer
pupils; 1919 districts have 90 or
less in attedance in all; 10 districts
in one county employ two teachers
for from 81 down to IL pupils each,
and two of these are less than two
miles from we'll graded consolidated
schools, In village schools some
teachers have more than so pupils In
one room; 100 districts maintain
one-room schools.
"The variation In per capita cost
runs from $25 in one district to $91S
in another. The state average Is $685.
vet we find 552 districts spending
less than $50 per pupil. while on the
other hand 100 districts can and are
spending from $500 to 1913. The
range of levies runs from 0 to u
mills; the state average is 9.S mills;
524 districts are levying mills or
less. while 603 districts have to levy
from II to 90 mills for current costs.
School supplies cost the small dis
trcts of King county 1882 per pupil
the Seattle district 1924 per pupil.
Salaries vary from $5S5 to $2,400;
4,S2O teachers, nearly half OF all our
state corps, average $1,000 or less
What is their relative training, expe-
r,orca and ability as compared with
the other half? Where are these
teachers working?
eve find Al 900 of our children In
ona. two, three and four-room schools
without supervision. but with un'
trained or under-trained teachers