Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1923-10-25
GIVES SOME REASONS AS
TO PRESENT SCHOOL LAWS

We do not believe that the Ohio
legislature is going to make any
4 great change in the school laws
soon, for the following reasons:
First: In Ohio it costs only $2.16
more per year for each child to Sc
cure the greatly expanded and mod
ern school training than it did to Sc
cure the limited education or 1890.
Second: Ohio high school enroll
ment year ago was IFS ,473; thirty
years ago it was 26,734 Third:
I The school laws of every state in
the United States provide for su-
pervision of rural schools. The
supervising officer in IS of the
states is called county superintend-
ent; in eight district or union su-
perintendents; and in Cne, parish
uperintendent Ohio was one OF
the last to adopt this system. DO
you not believe it would be unwise
for a little county of only about
400 square miles and less than
Is, 900 population to undertake to
set up an independent school sys-
tenn such as Ohio had so years ago?
No subdivision of the United States
less than state could do such a
thing, and it is altogether unlikely
that any state would want to do 1T.
What do Mr.. Finley and Mr..
Strong hope to accomplish by their
reactionary policies? They have no
constructive policy for the schools of
Morgan county; or, If they have,
they withhold it from the public.
Their only policy seems to be to op-
pose and tear down. What are they
going to substitute for the high
schools? The only things which they
favor so far as we have been able to
discover, are the. adoption of Nc
Guffey's readers and the employ
ment of teachers not 'for where they
have BEEN" but since a county
board of education has no authority
in either the adoption of text books
pr employment of teachers, except
when a local board fails to ac,,
which has never, occurred in our
county, we fail to. see how Mr.. Fin
ley and Mr.. Strong could accomplish
any more along these lines as mem
bers of the county board than they
can where they are.
Two years ago three men who were
opposed to certain parts of the
school program in this county were
elected to the county board of edu-
cation. They discontinued the pO
sitions of assistant county superin-
tendents, thus reducing the number
of employees of the county board by
two and reducing the expenses by
about $4,000. Did you notice any
difference in your taxes? No, and
there can be no difference until the
cost of education in the county is re-
duced more than $65,000, the
amount which the state is furnish
ing. Each teachers salary would
have to be reduced at least $500.
AS the average salary of elementary
teachers is less than $1,000 per
year this would reduce it to not
more than 5000.
The law provides, however, that
three-eighths Of the salaries of
teachers shall be supplied by a
state tax provided such salaries are
not less than $500 per year. A
board of education couf0 not receive
any funds from this state tax to
help pay teachers salaries which are
less than $500 per year. Therefore,
if such salaries are reduced below
$500, they would have to be reduced
to less than $500 before the district
would realize any saving.
Do you believe boards Of educa
ti0n could employ teachers at sal
aries of less than $500 year? 1t
was difficult to find teachers for all
the schools this year at the present
salaries, then talk about employing
teachers not "for where they have
BEEN" We are glad to get them no
matter where they have been.
Mr.. Strong and Mr.. Finley would
have you believe that they will re-
duce school taxes if they are elected
to the county board of education