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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1960)
V '4 County School Superintendent's Office To Face Problems, Mekvold Says in Brief l MAIL TRIBUNE, Mcdford, Of. i Sunday, Jan. JO, 1960 9 A study of the intermediate unit or county school super- mtenaenx s o 1 1 1 c e snows a number of problems made it difficult to operate in the past, and some serious prob lems are expected in the fu ture, according to a brief com piled by Alf B. Mekvold, coun ty school superintendent and chairman of the legislative committee of the Oregon As sociation of County School Superintendents. One of the chief problems in the past has been its piece meal growth, according to Mekvold's brief. When founded, the county office was largely for the scat tered one-room schools and a simple program. The county superintendent was an elec tive office requiring minimum qualifications. The original law which au thorized the county school su perintendent's office gave the superintendent's duties as: Visit Schools In County "Visit the schools taught in his county at least once a year. Seek to aid, instruct and inspire teachers to employ the best methods in teaching, governing and. conducting their schools. Procure the proper classification of pu pils, enforce the course of study prescribed by law and the care and protection of school property. "Study to awaken among parents and children a deep er interest in the public schools, to secure improved attendance, deportment and scholarship and more fre quent visits of parents and school directors. Carefully ob serve the condition of school houses and surroundings. Note all defects and notify the board of directors of same. Hear, examine and decide ap peals from district officers, and teachers, without cost to the appellates and subject to an appeal to the superinten dent of public instruction. "Advise and consult with the district school boards rela tive to the construction, warm ing, ventilation and arrange ment, of schoolhouses, the im- RECEIVE CHECK - A check representing funds collected in the Medford Moose lodge's Christmas tree pick-up is turned over to Mrs. B. Brandt Bartels, second from right, and Mrs. Edward Collins for the Junior Service League's kindergarten for hard of hearing children. Presenting the check is Bob Trimble, chairman of the tree project, while watching is Billy Dean, pre late and acting governor. -(Knackstedt Photo) I J! I FOLDING I l i I standard and custom EVEREST I JENNINGS WHEEL ! CHAIRS ii ALSO WAIKEM CROTCHES f AT1CNT IIPTS COMMODES Rentals Sales HUDSON'S PHARMACY 613 E. Main Ph. SP 3-5345 Open Daily Till 10 P.M. Sundays 1 0 to 9 P.M. proving and adorning ot school grounds, methods of instruction and discipline in the school and condition of the schoolhouse, sites and out buildings and appendages of the district generally." -. More duties were added lat er. These included member of the county school district board, member of the county board of health, secretary to the non-high board, county testing program, consolidation and election proceedings, en forcement of compulsory at tendance law, recommenda tions for emergency teaching certificates, apportionment of funds, the county institute and in-service programs, some work in the area of the stand ardization program, curricu lum study groups, distribu tion of materials and forms and others.. New Law Provisions When the rural school law was passed in 1947 it was not aimed at reorganizing or im proving. The county school superintendent would be hired indirectly as secretary to the rural school district board, ac cording to the new law's pro visions. Since the rural board now had budget review pow ers, the county school super intendent's position became more important, Mekvold's brief noted. The rural school law . of 1957 provided for the superin tendent's appointment and es tablished his qualifications The law also stated that the rural district would cover the county, which made the rural board a county board. "Not given too much legal status, compensation or ade quate personnel, many super intendents did a commendable and professional job," Mek vold wrote. Four Kinds of Offices There are now four kinds of county superintendents in Oregon's 36 counties, Mek vold noted. They are: (1) five county units, where the coun ty district superintendent is a. qualified administrator ap pointed by the county unit board; (2) four counties which Machinery Firm f o Get Portland Branch Cal-Ore Machinery com pany, Medford, recently an nounced plans to establish a new branch in Portland. The company distributes mill and logging equipment and con tractors' machinery. The new branch will be lo cated in a building to be con- F. Baker, Vancouver, who recently purchased the site, will build the structure and lease it to the Medford firm. Land and building will rep resent an investment of about $75,000, according to Baker. The building will include of fices, parts storage and a re pair shop. are all in the rural district operating under provisions of the old rural school law and where the superintendent is appointed by the board; (3) Morrow county, now an ad ministrative district under the reorganization law, although operating as a county unit; and (4) all others, about 20, changing from elective to ap pointive offices as terms ex pire or the incumbent super intendent leaves. Differences in O r e g o n's topography and population patterns cause another prob lem. A f lexible pattern is needed for the intermediate unit to meet different situa tions, Mekvold pointed out. Bills Introduced Two bills were introduced during the last legislative ses sion. One would have weak ened the position of the coun ty office and the other would have more clearly defined its function and those of the ru ral board. Both bills failed. Legislative act cannot change the picture before the 1961-62 school year and maybe not even the next year, Mekvold pointed out. What will determine what the county office can or will be doing, however, is more apt to be how professionally competent the office is, will ingness of the taxpayers to approve the necessary budg ets and what services are needed. The county school office is an intermediate unit between local school districts and the state department of education in most states. Exceptions are 12 county-unit states and Dela ware and Nevada which have no intermediate district and New York and the New Eng land states where the inter mediate unit consists of sev eral towns. Among those having county boards of education are Ar kansas, California, Idaho, In diana, Iowa, Michigan, Missis sippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wash ington and Wisconsin. Establishes Districts New York changed its laws to establish 65 intermediate districts in place of 181 super visory districts. In 16 of the 65 intermediate areas, propos ed boundaries corresponded roughly with those of the county. An Illinois study revealed that some type of intermedi ate administrative unit is needed to provide specialized services and leadership, and that the intermediate unit has a unique function of leader ship to perform even after school district reorganization. The study was conducted af ter the Illinois local districts had been reorganized, Mek vold noted. A poll of Illinois school su perintendents revealed they thought some sort - of inter mediate administrative unit is needed and the county is not necessarily the best area to provide such a unit, he wrote. They said in some" cases it is too small and in others it does not conform to the appropri ate area to be served by such a unit. Believe in Services Washington superintendents generally believe an interme diate unit's services are need ed. More of the larger school districts thought so than the smaller ones. An Indiana study conclud ed preferred size of interme diate units would be" to cover from 4,000 to 5,000 pupils in five to seven districts. Local school administrative units could be provided better and more economically at the in termediate level. The New Jersey county su perintendent is more of an arm of the state department of public instruction accord ing to method of appointment and source of money, Mek vold's brief noted. New Jer sey is noted as one of the first states to provide a well organized, carefully planned and adequately staffed pro gram of county office super vision. Current Problems Among current problems are those brought by the pres ent operations of the rural school district as revised in 1957. These include inequita ble distribution of the rural school district funds, conflicts D3S&WB"D"(3)I Stereo Newsmaker ' ' THE MARK XX H. Stereo Hi-fi "Victrola" to rated TV! "look-alike" fo The Montgomery TV. 2-in-l system ploys stereo as one compact unit, or with TV for added spread of sound. 24 watt dual amplifier. 4 speakers. Balance Control. Diamond stylus. Tape recorder, tuner jacks. 3 finishes. Model PM22. - $249.95 With Free Record Package JANUARY SPECIAL FKEE $100 Record Package (19 STEREO ALBUMS) With the Purchase of Any One of the Stereo Consoles Illustrated with the basic school support law, regarding the school dis trict reorganization and hav ing no legal status spelled out for services from the rural school district. "It has been pointed out further that the present pro vision of the rural school law which makes the budget of the county office and the county rural board the first charge against any tax re ceipts is not proper," Mekvold wrote. "This provision was written into the first rural school law in 1947 and was not changed in the revisions made in 1957." "The budget of the county office and the rural school board should be subject to the same budgetary limitations as the budgets of any other tax-1 ing unit," Mekvold stated. j Based on Average Apportionment of funds in counties operating under the revised 1957 law now is based on estimated average daily at tendance. Figures in s o m e counties show this is not the best basis of distribution, Mek vold pointed out. Some people feel that the county equalized levy under rural school law has conflict ed with the basic school sup port law ever since enactment of both laws. A local district may receive state funds under the equalization provisions of the state basic fund law. How ever, the same district may be a comparatively wealthier district within ; a county and in turn would contribute' to county equalization. General Provisions The 1957 rural school law, as originally written, provid ed that the county should be considered as a unit in ap portionment of school funds. If the county were considered as a unit when receiving state funds there would be no con flict, Mekvold pointed out. The 1957 revisions of the rural school law made only general provisions on the le gal status of a rural school district. The legal status and functions of the rural school district office or the county school superintendent's office should be spelled out more definitely, Mekvold suggested. Should the county rural board be discontinued the county superintendent, ap pointed by the board, and other county staff members could not be appointed. No provisions would be included for financing and administerr ing a county program of serv ices, Mekvold said. PUT SUNSHINE IN YOUR HOME - PLUS - SIGNAL OIL GO. SP 2-5275 HI CORN REMOVER CJves intrant relief from pain and pael tiehs removes hard corns, soft mm between th toes, callouses, warts, papillomas, ctufc nofli. It contains sev eral different eds that soften, loo and does nor cause the irritation at do strong acid mixture. Whe l others haw failed try this one. Try our twnion Relief, which relieves pom, soreness, swelling first or second application. Roth remedies toW many back oworontee. Exclusively at WESTERN THRIFT ROGUE VALLEY STATE BANK MEDFORD . . . OREGON CONDENSED STATEMENT DECEMBER 31, 1959 RESOURCES LOANS AND DISCOUNTS Less Reserve for Losses United States Bonds .$1,867,355.19 18,649.49 Municipal Bonds and Warrants Banking House, Fixtures and Equipment Cash and Due From Banks '. Stock in Federal Reserve Bank ' - TOTAL Capita! Stock Surplus Undivided Profits DEPOSITS LIABILITIES Interest Collected, Not Earned TOTAL $1,848,705.70 2,730,007.19 337,402.41 99,386.02 989,529.23 7,800.00 $6,012,830.55 S 150.000.00 110,000.00 32,517.47 5,682,808.19 37,504.89 $6,012,830.55 (INCLUDING BRANCH OFFICE AT 701 EAST JACKSON BLVD.) 3 Interest Paid on Savings Accounts OFFICERS Clarence H. Young Ron E. Cordon. Ralph E. Pierce Neal A. Curry President .Vice-President .Vice-President Cashier .Assistant Cashier .Assistant Cashier Gertrude F. McCorkle Raymond E. Rieger Glenn Lusk Manager, East Medford Branch Two Offices DIRECTORS W. H. Young, Chairman Clarence H. Young Leonard Bradshaw Ralph E. Pierce Frank P. Farrell J. H. Stanley 1109 Court Street and 701 E. Jackson Blvd. Serving Jackson County Since 1911 Local Ownership and Control Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Member Federal Reserve System THE MARK XVIII. 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