DIAGRAM 18.-State expenditures for higher education in Washington compared with total

State expenditures.

Chapter III.

STATE OFFICIALS AND ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY.

A well-coordinated State system of higher education may be secured either through the control of administrative officials charged with the duty of overseeing the State's educational policies as a whole or through the common agreement of officers of individual institutions who deliberately join forces for the formulation of a State policy. It is worth while to inquire how far either or both of these conditions prevail in Washington.

The administration of Washington's higher institutions is intrusted directly to six different boards. Indirectly two others are concerned in the financial management of the institutions. The six boards are the State board of education, the board of regents of the State university, the board of regents of the State college, and the three boards of trustees of the State normal schools. One State administrative officer exercises ex officio a certain measure of authority over higher institutions, namely, the superintendent of public instruction. The constitution and the functions of the boards mentioned are very briefly summarized below.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The State board of education consists of the superintendent of public instruction, the president of the University of Washington, the president of the State College of Washington, the principal of one of the normal schools elected by the principals of the State normal schools, and three persons appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be superintendent of city schools, one a county superintendent, and one a principal of an accredited high school. The appointed and elected members hold office for two years. The members of the board receive no compensation except when on special committee duty. In general, the powers of the board are: The approval of entrance requirements for State higher institutions, the approval of teachertraining courses in State higher institutions, the accrediting of higher institutions whose graduates may receive teachers' certificates without examinations, the accrediting of secondary schools, the prescription of the course of study for the common schools and the rules for the government of such schools, and the preparation of examinations for teachers' certificates and for graduation from the graded schools. The law also provides that the board shall investigate the work required as a condition of entrance to and graduation from normal schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education. Apparently this provision is intended merely to facilitate the accrediting of higher institutions, but possibly it is susceptible of a broader construction.

BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.

The board of regents of the university consists of seven members appointed by the governor each for a term of six years. Broadly, its duty is to control the university and its property. Its powers extend to the appointment of all officers, teachers, and employees of the institution, the prescription of courses of study, the conferring of degrees, and the management of its finances. The board serves without compensation. It is required to meet quarterly.

BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE STATE COLLEGE.

The board of regents of the State college consists of five persons appointed by the governor for terms of six years. The president of the college serves ex officio as secretary of the board without vote. The governor of the State is ex officio an advisory member without vote. Each regent must give bond in the sum of $5,000 and the treasurer in the sum of $40,000. Briefly, the powers of the regents are to control the funds of the college and experiment stations, to employ and fix salaries of all officials and teachers, and to grant degrees. The board is expected to meet annually. It serves without compensation.

THE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OF THE NORMAL SCHOOLS.

Each of the three normal schools is under the control of a separate board of trustees consisting of three members appointed by the governor for terms of six years. The secretary of the board is not a member. The powers of each of these boards extend to the election and dismissal of all officers, teachers, and employees of their respective schools, the adoption of textbooks, the management of school property, and the purchase of supplies. Each board is expected to meet twice a year and to make a biennial report to the governor prior to the meeting of the legislature.

THE STATE BOARD OF FINANCE AND THE STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION.

Upon the State board of finance is conferred the authority to invest the permanent funds of any State educational institution. The State board of equalization is charged with the levying upon taxable property in the State of the millage tax for the support of the higher institutions.

THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

The State superintendent of public instruction in his capacity as president of the State board of education comes in contact with certain phases of the management of the State higher institutions. As has been indicated above, the board exercises a larger measure of authority over normal schools than over the other higher institutions. Its jurisdiction over the State university and the State

college is limited in practice to the approval of entrance requirements and the work of departments of education.

As is usual the various boards of regents and trustees deal merely with the affairs of their respective institutions. The powers and duties of the boards of normal school trustees are prescribed in one act and in the same terms for all three boards. Their functions, while similar to, are not identical with those of the boards of regents of the university and the State college. Neither are the latter two boards exactly the same in constitution and functions. The Washington State Board of Education is in its constitution almost unique. It will be observed that it is a board of experts. But one other State, West Virginia, has an expert board of education, although the State boards in Arizona and Indiana are composed mainly of experts. The prevailing theory in administration favors the lay board working through expert executives, on the assumption that by this means the desires of the public will best be represented and will reach their accomplishment in educational practice. However, there is nothing fixed and immutable about administrative procedure. The pragmatic test is after all the final test. Within the limits of its past and current activities the Washington State board of education appears to have met this test. It is universally well spoken of. Nevertheless, the committee is inclined to believe that it has not fully realized its possibilities. It seems to have confined itself to the somewhat mechanical discharge of the functions prescribed for it in the law. In particular it has failed to perform-perhaps circumstances of which the committee is unaware have prevented its performing-one great educational service which the State of Washington sadly needs. This service is discussed and certain constructive suggestions are offered in the following chapter.

Chapter IV.

THE FORMULATION OF STATE POLICIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. It is evident from the discussion in the preceding chapter that there is at present no machinery for the formulation of State policies in higher education. The result of this lack is painfully apparent and has in fact given rise in a large measure to the difficulties which the present survey is designed to remedy. A State's educational institutions exist primarily to furnish training for those activities which must be carried on by the citizens of the State. They grow in response to definite public demands. Their expansion and the development of new courses follow in general the existence of a public need for specific types of training. Yet the correlation between the demand and the facilities provided for training in a given line is not

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