THE 1920 PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE SAU IN NEW HAMPSHIRE (Supervisory Administrative Unions) From: MMayo@ed.state.nh.us .........Legislative Assistant for the Office of Legislation & Hearings Subject: SAU Purpose and History Date: July 18, 2005 9:00:47 AM EDT To: HomerMay@charter.net ...."Please see attachments for the documents you requested."
C.C. To: Lori J. Kincaid - LKincaid@ed.state.nh.us ...........Public Information Officer New Hampshire Department of Education
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FROM THE 1920 REPORT Of The State Board of Education
BEING THE SIXTY-FIRST REPORT UPON THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
FRANK S. STREETER, Chairman E. W. BUTTERFIELD, Commissioner of Education.
"Growth of the Supervisory Idea. The belief in the necessity of expert supervision for all schools in New Hampshire has been one of slow acceptance. The first step was made in 1855, when the city of Manchester employed a superintendent of schools. This example was followed in other cities of the state as follows: Nashua, 1869; Concord, 1874; Dover, 1881; Portsmouth, 1885; Keene, 1889; Laconia and Rochester, 1894; Somersworth, 1897. These superintendents supervised the schools of the cities only, as the law of the state did not permit the union of districts for the employment of an expert superintendent. The advantages of supervision were so apparent that in 1899 the legislature passed the first law which made it permissible for districts to unite for this purpose. As soon as possible, three unions were formed, the first three in the school history of the state. They were those composed of: 1. Marlborough, Troy, Fitzwilliam. 2. Newmarket, Durham, Alton. 3. Salem, Hampstead, Fremont. Year by year additional districts voted to unite for supervision and the progress of the acceptance of professional supervision is shown in the table which follows where is given the percentage of school membership under supervision for each year, beginning with 1892:
1892....23% 1906....57% 1893....26% 1907....62% 1894...28% 1908....63% 1895....28% 1909....64% 1896....29% 1910....67% 1897....31% 1911....72% 1898....32% 1912....72% 1899....31% 1913....75% 1900....33% 1914....77% 1901....35% 1915....75% 1902....35% 1916....80% 1903....37% 1917....81% 1904....42% 1918....84% 1905....48% 1919....100% Towns In Above SAUs Click Here
Growth of the Supervisory Idea. The belief in the necessity of expert supervision for all schools in New Hampshire has been one of slow acceptance. The first step was made in 1855. when the city of Manchester employed a superintendent of schools. This example was followed in other cities of the state as follows: . Nashua, 1869; Concord, 1874; Dover, 1881; Portsmouth, 1885; Keene, 1889; Laconia and Rochester,1894; Somersworth, 1897. These superintendents supervised the schools of the cities only, as the law of the state did not permit the union of districts for the employment of an expert superintendent. The advantages of supervision were so apparent that in 1899 the legislature passed the first law which made it permissible for districts to unite for this purpose. As soon as possible, three unions were formed, the first three in the school history of the state. They were thos composed of: 1. Marlborough, Troy, Fitzwilliam. 2. 2. Newmarket, Durham, Alton. 3. Salem, Hampstead, Fremont. Year by year additional districts voted to unite for supervision and the progress of the acceptance of professional supervision is shown in the table which follows where is given the percentage of school membership under supervision for each year, beginning with 1892. The law of 1899 was, therefore, operative for twenty years and by the union of districts gave the advantages of expert supervision to about 60 per cent. of the school children in the state. This is in addition to the 23 per cent. of school children who resided in cities that before this had adopted supervision. The growth of the supervisory idea and the general adoption of the principle was largely due to the work of Henry C. Morrison, during these years superintendent of public instruction. Before many audiences, he emphasized the need of supervision for all schools and the several biennial reports of his administration plainly brought to the attention of the state the advantages of supervised schools. It was early seen that the law of 1899 was defective in several important particulars and because of this there was presented to the legislature in 1913, and in the two sessions following, a bill which proposed to correct the defects of the former legislation and to provide for all children state-wide supervision. This bill failed of acceptance but was the basis of the supervisory features of the law enacted in 1919. Defects in the Law of 1899. The three chief defects of the bill related to financial, administrative and personal features. Its financial defect was that it placed upon towns of small population, scattered homes and low valuation a financial burden which prevented its adoption, even though the district greatly desired improved schools. A result of this was that economical unions could not be formed, since they must result from the union of such districts as had voted for supervision. This frequently meant the union of districts which were not contiguous. In 1919 there were 112 of the 256 districts which because of geographical or financial reasons had not been able to make provision for the supervision of their schools. The law of 1899 was defective in that it did not clearly outline the duties of the superintendent. He was not a state officer and in his work had only such power and such responsibility as had been given him by the school boards in the different districts which formed his union. This prevented any unity of work and in many instances made impossible the efficient administration of schools.' An additional, defect had to do with the personnel of the supervisory force. The law so placed the choice of superintendents that incompetent men could be employed. The law provided no way by which unqualified superintendents' could be dismissed from the profession. The result was thai;. although the majority of the superintendents were highly competent there were at all times a few superintendents in' service in the state whose work and whose personality tended to discredit supervision. The Law of 1919. The law of 1919 aimed to correct these defects. From the beginning, it was clearly seen that professional supervision was the corner stone of the educational structure which was to be erected. The law, therefore, provided that the supervision of all public schools should be in the hands of a highly trained body of superintendents whose duties and responsibilities should be expressed in the law and in the regulations of the State Board. The law, therefore, erected qualifications for superintendents, made them employees of the state and required that their entire time should be given to the improvement of education and child life in New Hampshire. This report will show that the work of the last year in "health, in buildings, and in child welfare would have been impossible except under the plan adopted. "The Economy of the Law." At the time of the passage of the law, 144 districts in the state were grouped into 45 unions and 112 districts, widely scattered, were without supervision. These unsupervised districts were so located that had they been combined into additional unions at least 37 new unions would have been needed. With the assistant superintendents required for the cities, there would of necessity have been in this case 87 superintendents employed in place of the 69 now in service. Since the average salary of the superintendent is about three thousand dollars, the expense of supervision, if the old plan had been carried to completion, would have been fifty-four thousand dollars per year more than is now the case. With the new law, a complete redistricting was possible and we were enabled to join together contiguous towns which would permit the superintendent to do his duties without the expense of time and money which unnecessary travel produces. Efficiency of Operation. By the law of 1919, the superintendents are employed by the state and are agents of the State Board. Twice during the year all superintendents are gathered for ex-tended conferences with the State Board upon the details of the administration of educational policies. In this way, difficulties can be met and unity of administration secured. . In addition general letters of suggestion and direction are sent to all superintendents of the state as occasion demands. In order that the state might secure the services of superintendents of a high class, the State Board of Education adopted regulations which set forth the qualifications necessary for supervision. These regulations are given upon page 60 of this report. The first regulation is that superintendents must have a full general education and accordingly no superintendents are employed who are not graduates from registered colleges granting the bachelor's degree. No equivalent education is recognized by the regulation. Many of our superintendents have added post-graduate courses to their college graduation. The second regulation is that superintendents must be successful teachers who by experience know the problems of the schoolroom. This regulation must be met by at least five years of successful experience. The greater number of our superintendents have had experience longer than this and most have had in addition a number of years of experience as superintendents. The table of New Hampshire experience is given on page 87, Appendix. A third requirement is that the candidate's professional and personal record must be thoroughly satisfactory. The examination made here is not perfunctory but includes a study made of the success which the candidate has reached in the position which he has held in the community and the respect in which he is held by those with whom he has worked. If the investigation of the. candidate's record is not satisfactory, he is denied admission to the examinations. The fourth requirement is that the candidate must show his familiarity with his profession by passing examinations in professional studies, together with the school law and school programs of New Hampshire. The examinations are sufficiently severe so that ordinarily only about one-half of the candidates are successful. A final requirement is that all certificates shall be regarded as probationary at first and all may be revoked for cause. During the year the status of the profession has been raised by refusing examinations to unsatisfactory candidates, by the failure of incompetent to pass the required examinations and by the revocation of certificates where this step seemed necessary for the protection of the schools. Under the 1899 law so large a portion of the superintendent's salary was paid by the local districts that the salaries of superintendents in unions composed of rural districts was small, in comparison with the compensation offered in unions composed of larger and wealthier towns. This meant that new superintendents would begin their work in the towns of small population and with increased experience would be under strong temptation to move as often as .opportunity came to new and larger positions. The result of this was that many superintendents remained in their union not long enough to reach a maximum of efficiency and the poorest towns, those where supervision was most necessary, were constantly served by the least experienced and matured superintendents. The law of 1919 remedies this defect. It enables the unions of the smaller and poorer towns to pay as high salaries and to secure as good superintendents as the other towns and cities in the state. This payment of adequate salaries means also that the superintendent instead of serving two years in a union will remain, without feeling the necessity of a change, until his work becomes effective. . That this statement is not a theory but is borne out in practice can be seen from the fact that a -very considerable number of superintendents during this year have bought their homes and assumed .the full duties and responsibilities of citizens and taxpayers in the town where their work lies. It is believed that this will be one of the most beneficial results of the law, that it will permit the residence in many of our smaller towns of a thoroughly educated, highly-trained man whose interest will be in the towns of his union, an interest which will be shown by participation and leadership in the life of these communities. At the initiation of the law, the unions commonly showed themselves desirous of securing thoroughly competent men and women for superintendents and recommended liberal salaries. At the end of the first year almost without exception the districts throughout the state indicated their satisfaction with the services that they had received and requested that the same superintendents remain with them. In nearly all of our unions this feeling was expressed by a recommendation for a salary increase so that the average salary paid for the present year will be about three thousand dollars. We have secured a peculiarly competent body of men by erecting qualifications which surpass those of the states around us. Other states are rapidly raising the qualifications required and with this increasing the salaries paid, so that soon they will come into open competition with us. In the consideration of these salaries it must be borne in mind that the superintendent's expenses are large. In all cases an automobile is necessary and, added to this is .the expense of winter travel. The estimated average expense of superintendents while in the performance of their duties was for last year $450. It is to be remembered also that the superintendent is employed for twelve months in the year and may have no other occupation than his school work. The superintendent has regularly but a two weeks' vacation during the year and the pressure of work has been so great that many of our superintendents found themselves unable to take even this amount of time from their summer duties. It is the belief of the State Board of Education that the superintendent's position must be made sufficiently attractive to hold in the work entirely competent men. This means that the salary schedule must be such that the superintendent has the same permanency of position and the same financial recompense for his work as other professional men, lawyers, doctors, dentists and the like, in the union to which he is assigned. Your attention is directed to Appendix, page 82, to the table which shows the superintendents employed for the various unions and the salaries for the past and the present year." ###
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