Glacier County chief., 1939-02-24
Supt. Rose Mcclure
Writes on School Laws

| IL VIC HiteHu " heep our pIeSe1ll
system of grade schools, we must
make some improvement in the
school laws or in the enforcement
of those laws. Perhaps the wiser
plan would be to improve our whole
elementary school system by max
ing changes to eliminate the causes
for some of our present difficulties
Our present school laws are no
better than the poorest school
management which they allow. And
if what legally is done in Glacier
county is a fair sample of what
legally can be done by trustees
throughout the state, our present
school laws are entirely inadequate
or there is something wrong with
the Interpretation or enforcement
of them.
Laws which make it possible for
forgers to cash warrants issued to
other people and then for the trus-
tees to silence the people whose
names have been forged by issuing
new warrants under the pretense of
paying transportation, thereby cost
ing the district Sl70 to pay the or
iginal S85 bill, are certainly not
laws to protect unwise expending
of school money. When trustees
may pay for work which has not
been done, goods which have not
been delivered, trips by trustees and
clerks which need not have been
taken-and in some cases not taken,
transportation payments month in
advance - when there is a chance
that the children may not even at
tend school during that month,
there is something wrong. Furth-
ermore a law which allows the
trustees to employ two attorneys at
$500 plus an additional $50 for trav-
cling and communication expenses
| to do the work which other districts
have done by their clerk and the
county attorney for nothing is diff
ferent law from which we would
! expect any honest, intelligent legis-
lator to favor
We have law which states that
school trustees shall have no pc
cuniary interest, either directly or
indirectly, for erecting, warming.
ventilating, furnishing. or repairing
school houses. 1t further states that
trustees shall in no manner receive
money for furnishing supplies for
the maintenance of the school or for
| their services rendered as trustees
If such law is in effect. why is it
so flagrantly violated?
Some may say that the above
mentioned cases cannot legally ex-
| list under our present school laws.
Well. they do exist and all attempts
TO stop them have failed. Some say
a grand jury would do the work. but
there seems to be a question as to
the ACCESSIBILITY of that procedure.
Personally, do not see that a grand
jury would cost the county any
more than the continuance of such
unchecked graft. AS for other pub
lie officers objecting to grand jury
investigation, of their offices, why
should they object if they are har-
| boring no corruption? If they are
harboring such, they need their Of
fees Investigated.
If the present laws are strong
enough to check such undesirable
school management as cited above,
then there j. something wrong with
the enforcement Of these laws. An
irregularity is polctC out and moth
ing is done about it. Someone will
complain to the county Superinten
dent of schools and she will say. Il
know that it is wrong, but l have
no power to stop it."
The dissatisfied taxpayer will
then go to the county attorney and
complaint. They will agree that
the whole thing is wrong but feel
that they can do nothing about it
since the responsibility lies with the
taxpayer. Just who is responsible
for keeping "chiseling," crafty
school trustees in line? If this
shifting of responsibility continues
unchecked, there will be an increase
of undesirable school boards be-
cause il will be paying PROPOSE
| ton.
If fear of losing social favor or
political prestige is responsible for
anyone refusing to accept the re-
sponsibility of checking these lille
gal procedures, then we should at
tempt to remove our schools from
such controlling factors. l am tired
of the word diplomacy" It's an
overworked word l am tired of
people saying, You have no politi
cal sense, or you would never arouse
the antagonism of that group"
What is political sense compared to
political integrity? My job doesn't
mean so much to me that l can sit
calmly by and see the price of dis
honesty and graft paid by school