Author: W. S. Deffenbaugh

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-02-11

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9780656361755

Excerpt from Administration of Schools in the Smaller Cities The usual method of choosing school board members is election at large. In 417, or per cent, of the 516 cities reporting, the board is elected by the people; and in 99, or per cent, it is appointed by the mayor, city council, or commission. Of the 99 boards appointed, 32 are appointed by the mayor and 67 by the council or commission. Most of the States having general laws regarding the method Of choosing city school boards provide for election by the people. (see p. Students of school administration almost without exception favor an elec tive board, especially in the smaller cities. They say that appointment by the mayor or city council places the schools too far away from the people, and that the people take more interest in the schools if they elect the board. It is pointed out that in some cities where boards are appointed the mayor or the members of the city council control the schools to a very great degree, so' that anyone seeking an appointment or a contract needs only to Obtain the approval of the mayor or the members of the council. In brief, an appointive board is too often the tool of the mayor or council, many times not working for the inter est Of the schools but for the interest of party. If the council appoints, there is temptation on the part of its individual members to dictate policies to the school board and to influence it to elect such janitors and teachers as they may suggest. In other words, appointment by either the mayor or city council tends to entangle the schools in petty city and ward politics. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.