Smyrna times., 1923-01-24
SCHOOL CODE REPEAL ASKED
IN BILL OFFERED THURSDAY
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY WANTS
SCHOOL SYSTEM CHANGED
Representative Nelson Presents Bill
To Cut Salaries of School Heads
and Save $4,000 a Year

eral Assembly to solve the State S
school problem became more cloudy
Wednesday when Representative Mel
son, Democrat, of Frankford, intro
duced a bill in the House slashing sal
aries of officials of the State Board of
Education, eliminating some of the Of
fees now operative under the present
school system and providing for heavy
reductions in the office force of the
State School Board. To make the sit
uation more complex, Representative
Gray, Democrat, of Frederica, intro
duced a bill in the House Thursday
morning to repeal the act of the Gen
eral Assembly two years ago, which
amended the school code enacted in
1919, throwing the whole school sys-
tenn back in its status prior to the en-
actment of the code. ri
See $4,000 Saving in Salary Cuts
The Nelson bill, it is claimed, would
cut down the total expenses of the
State Board of Education about $780,
900 a year. 1t provides that the sal
ary of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction, now held by DR.. H. V.
Holloway, would be reduced from
$4,000 to $3500 a year; two assistant
superintendents, John Shilling and w.
P. Jump, from $1,000 to $4,000 each,
and the business manager, j. o.
Adams, from $4,000 to $2500. 1t
abolished the Office of statistician, now
held by H. B. King, who is paid $4,000
year, and provides for one supervis
or in each of the three counties at
salary of $4,000 year instead of two
in each county at a salary of $4,000
year, and an additional one in Sussex
county at $2100 a year. At present
in the State Board of Education office
there are a secretary to the superin-
tendent, six stenographers, one book
keeper and two clerks, whose salaries
total 1890 a month. The bill allows
for four stenographers at an aggre-
gate salary of $400 a month and one
bookkeeper at not more than S10O a
month. This would really eliminate
two stenographers, the superinten-
uCll = SCClGLd1y anu lWO CAOIhos AAC
salaries of the present stenographers
and clerks range from SIS to $40 a
month.
Clerical Force Cut Thought Needless
The Nelson bill would cut out the
Office of clerk in each of the three
. counties now held by Ella B. Martin
- No1,y Coe+la oouptxr. To,oa. II E,ua1.
EFT, in Kent county, and Edith Jone!
f in Sussex county, whose salaries are
$100 in New Castle, and $50 month
in each of the other two counties, anC
also eliminate the office of stenog
rapher in Sussex county held by Eliza
beth Curry, whose salary is $75
e month. The offices of State super
visor of agriculture, State supervise
a of home economics and State super
n visor of trade and industry, held b,
( L. c. Armstrong, Elizabeth Amer,
= and A. f. Anderson, respectively
|. would be abolished under the new bill
0 The first two receive a salary of So
: 500 a year and the latter $4,000, bu
n the State has been paying but half o
S that, the remainder coming from tn
+ Federal Government, under the Smith
t Hughes act. The Nelson bill woul
a also do away, with four visiting teach
O ers who receive a salary of $130
J. month each. 1t is claimed that it ha
n largely been the work of these visit
" ing teachers that has brought tn
,r average school attendance up from 9
r days to about 134 days a year. Som
lie of the cost of these teachers has bee
id paid by the Delaware School Auxi
r iary. The bill introduced Wednesda
is would also abolish the office of colore
Id industrial supervisor, there bein
to three of them at salary of $50
,e month. In addition to the above CT
E. down it is also claimed the bill woul
E. save the State considerable in mileag
he and other expenses.
n Country Districts Want Home Rule
Id Much of the controversy over tt
S present school laws, it is said, it
re the feeling that the act of the Gener
Assembly of 1921 deprives many {
the school districts throughout II
= State of the autonomy or self-goverl
> ing powers they held under the O
commissioner and country superntel
'r dent system. On the other hand, Il
proposed bill of Representative Ora
its opponents claim would interfe
with the plans of the State Board
=, Education, which derives its pow
a under the new law, from renderir
- - efficient state aid to local district
- The bill, it is said, as provided wou
~ upset the consolidation plans of {
70 Board, undo the progress made
~ solving the problem of transportatio
and the ground gained in improvil
- the educational facilities for t
10 school children of the state wou
- have to be travelled all over aga