The State Superintendent of Schools is the executive officer of the
Board. The members of the State Board of Education and the State
Superintendent of Schools are ex-officio trustees of the State Teachers
Colleges.

State Superintendent of Schools.

The State Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the State
Board of Education for a term of four years and is ex-officio secretary
and treasurer of the Board. He is the executive officer of the State
Board of Education, which, m addition to having general control of the
State School System, is charged with the duties of interpreting school
laws and acting without expense to the parties concerned in all contro-
versies and disputes involving the proper administration of the public
school system. He carries out the education 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 super-
vision 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; for books and materials; for
reduction of taxation; on the basis of children enumerated in the
school census, and for days of school attendance; and from the Equali-
zation Fund. He audits the accounts of the county boards of educa-
tion and sees that their expenditures conform to the law. His approval
is necessary in the appointment of county superintendents, super-
visors, and attendance officers by the County Boards of Education.
The State Superintendent is a member ex-officio of the Board of
Trustees of the State Teachers' Retirement System.

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

Work of the State Department of Education.

The twenty-three counties of the State in 1936-37 enrolled nearly
174,000 pupils in 1,316 public elementary and secondary schools in
charge of 5,065 teachers. Nearly 38,000 of these pupils were in the
last four years of work of the 176 high schools distributed in the
twenty-three counties of the State. In the same year the counties
expended on schools approximately $8,993,000 for current expenses,
of which $3,655,000 or nearly 41 per cent., was received by the twenty-
three counties from the State of Maryland and Federal vocational
funds. Baltimore City received $1,483,650 from State and Federal
school funds for the maintenance of schools and the retirement system
for teachers.

There were *l0,995 graduates from county white elementary schools
and 5,470 from county white high schools in 1937. Of the white girl
graduates from county high schools, over 4 per cent. entered the
Towson, Frostburg and Salisbury Teachers Colleges. The three teach-
ers colleges had an enrollment in the fall of 1937 of 810 students,
which included 271 enrolled from Baltimore City at Towson.

•Includes eighth grade promotions in junior high schools.