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 organiz-
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 twenty-three counties of the State in 1930-31 enrolled in school
over 165,300 pupils in 1,783 schools in charge of 5,026 teachers. Over
29,200 of these pupils were in the 179 high schools distributed in the
twenty-three counties of the State. In the same year the counties
expended on schools approximately $8,852,000 for current expenses, of
which $2,387,000, or 27 per cent, was received by the twenty-three coun-
ties from the State of Maryland, and the Federal vocational fund. Balti-
more City received $1,379,000 from State and Federal school funds for
the maintenance of schools and the retirement system for teachers.

White high school enrollment and attendance in the counties increased
last year 9 and almost 10 per cent, respectively, necessitating 102 addi-
tions 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 *9,913 graduates from county white elementary schools
and 4,204 from county white high schools in 1931. Of the white girl
graduates from county high schools, 8.6 per cent entered the Towson,
Frostburg and Salisbury Normal Schools. These normal schools had
an enrollment in the fall of 1931 of 892 students. This enrollment
includes 348 from Baltimore City at Towson.

Approximately 42 per cent of the high school graduates of 1930 con-
tinued their education beyond high school in colleges, universities,
normal schools, hospitals, commercial schools, etc., in 1930-31.

Towson, Frostburg and Salisbury Normal Schools gave diplomas in
1931 to 410 young men and women, of whom III were from Baltimore
City. Of the county normal school graduates, 47 per cent went out to
teach in one and two-teacher schools in the fall of 1931. Just 42 per
cent of the county graduates returned to teach in their home counties.
In October, 1931, 96 per cent of the white elementary teachers held first
grade certificates, 3 per cent second grade certificates, and only I per
cent third grade certificates. In 1920 one-third of the teachers held
first grade certificates, one-third second grade certificates, and one-third
held third grade certificates. In the financially poorer counties, which
cannot carry the minimum requirements of the State program on the
county school tax rate of 67 cents, the State provides the additional
amount necessary through an Equalization Fund. This. fund will grow
until all county teaching positions are filled by professionally trained
men and women.

* Includes eighth grade promotions in junior high schools.