and acting without expense to the parties concerned in all controversies
and disputes involving the proper administration of the public school
system, lie carries out the educational policies of the State Board of
Education. He conducts conferences of school officials and teachers,
issues teachers' certificates, passes upon proposals for the sale of school
sites and buildings, and the plans for the construction of new build-
ings. He directs the taking of the bi-ennial school census, prepares
courses of study and an annual report. He also issues bulletins from
time to time on the conditions and needs of the schools.

Either in person, or through his assistants, he has general supervi-
sion over the educational conditions in the counties and co-operates with
county school officials in welding together school interests in a State
system. He certifies to the Comptroller each year a list of schools
entitled to receive State aid, and the amount due each county in part
payment by the State of the salaries of superintendents, supervisors
and attendance officers. He audits the accounts of the county boards
of education and sees that their expenditures conform to the law. His
approval is necessary in the appointment of county superintendents,
supervisors, and attendance officers by the County Boards of Education.
The State Superintendent is a member ex-officio of the Board of Trus-
tees of the State Teachers' Retirement System, and also performs the
duties formerly entrusted to the Maryland Public Library Commission,
giving advice and counsel to all public and school libraries and organiza-
ing traveling libraries.

All communications pertaining to the supervision and administra-
tion of the State School System (Baltimore City not included) should
be sent to him either as State Superintendent of Schools, or as secre-
tary to the State Board of Education.

Work of the State Department of Education.

The twentv-three counties of the State in 1928-29 enrolled in school
over 160,000 pupils in 1,950 schools in charge of over 4,850 teachers.
Over approximately 25,000 of these pupils were in the 176 high schools
distributed in the twenty-three counties of the State, in the same year
the counties expended on schools approximately $8,165,000 for current
expenses and $2,323.000, or 28.4 per cent, was received by the twenty-
three counties from the State of Maryland and the Federal vocational
fund. Baltimore City received over $1,000,000 from State and Federal
school funds.

White high school enrollment and attendance in the counties in-
creased last year 7 and 6 per cent, respectively, necessiting sixty ad-
ditions to the teaching staff. The larger amount of State aid provided
annually merely takes care of this necessary and normal increase re-
quired by greater enrollment.

There were *9,928 graduates from county white elementary schools
and 3,395 from county white high schools in 1929. Of the white girl
graduates from county high schools, 15.4 per cent entered the Towson,
Frostburg and Salisbury Normal Schools. These normal schools had
an enrollment for 1928-29 of over 1,000 students. This enrollment in-
cludes 347 from Baltimore City at Towson.

Not quite one-half of the high school graduates of 1928 continued
their education beyond high school in colleges, universities, normal
schools, hospitals, commercial schools, etc., in 1928-29.

Towson, Frostburg and Salisbury Normal Schools gave diplomas in
1929 to 431 young men and women, of whom 115 were from Baltimore
City. Of the county normal school graduates. 65,9 per cent went out to
teach in one and two-teacher schools in the fall of 1929. Over 65 per

* Includes eighth grade promotions in junior high schools.