The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-03
DUTIES PLACED ON SUPER|NTE MI [ MI ARE NOW GREATER
Combined Salary Is Same As That Fixed By Legislature
 For Next Quadrennium
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU [
 THE AGE HERALD

The state board of education in a statement issued today, replied to criticisms of it's action in allowing compensation to the state superin- Aendent of education as executive officer of the board. Attention is called in the statement to the added duties imposed upon the state super intendent by the school code of 1913 which made him executive officer Of the new board of edrcation.
 "As an instance of the new duties and responsibilities imposed upon the superintendent as executive officer may be mentioned the fact that under the law antedatfng the school code the superintendent was member of the state normal school board and of each of the agricultural school boards with no more responsibility than oth- CT members, while under the school code and the regulations of the state board he, as executive officer, IS chiefly responsible for the policy and program of the six normal schools and of the ten secondary agricultural schools, it was stated.
 This is also true of the A. & NJ institute at Normal. While not bear ing the title of president, he, as ex- ecutive officer, is in fact responsible for many of the major duties ordl- narily devolving upon the presidents of similar institutions"
 Attention was called to enlarged work devolVing upon the state super intendent as executive officer in the complete reorganization of the state department of education and the added administrative duties growing out of this reorganization. Mention was made in the statement also or
 1r1 INr 0 state superintendent as executive ol- ficer in the matter of matching fed eral appropriations under the smith Hughes and Smith -Bankhead laws for vocational education and for re- Mobilization. Tn fact" the statement declared, "al1 of the regulations or the state board relative to the man. agement of all the institutions ant services under it's control are exc cuted through the executive officer Salary Raised By LegisISture.
 Attention was further called to the fact that the combined amount HOW paid pr. Abercrombie as state super- aintendent and executive officer Is the same as the salary fixed by the recent legislature for the next quad rennium, which confirms the board in it's opinion that the compensation allowed the superintendent as eN- ecutive officer is reasonable and not eXhorbitant, as has been alleged" It is further stated that the state su- perintendent, considering his duties, is less well paid than almost any other school official in the state that his compensation is considerably less than that of several other educa- tional officials. Mention is also made that his compensation as eX- ecutive officer has been paid under an opinion from the attorney general holding it to be legal. Referring to the contingent fund for the depart ment of education, the board stated that such appropriations have been made from time immemorial by the legislature and that "the fact that the travelling expenditures by the present superintendent have been less than such expenditures by hls predecessors for the last decade, not withstanding the increase of travel Ing gexpens es~i incident to the war pe-- riod, is proof positive that his Tequi- sitions upon the state auditor haVe not been excessive"
 < It was stated further that duties imposed upon the state superintend- ent by law and by regulations or the board necessitate telegraphic and telephone messages properly charge able to the contigent fund; and that a check by the chief examiner or public accounts to october 1, 1923, shows that for all expenditures there is on file a voucher as required by law, and that every expenditure has been legally made.