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 Board 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 1940-41 enrolled nearly
179,000 pupils in 1,145 public elementary and secondary schools in
charge of 5,282 teachers. Over 45,000 of these pupils were in the
last four years of work of the 184 high schools distributed in the
twenty-three counties of the State. In 1939-40 the counties expended
on schools approximately $10,753,000 for current expenses, of which
$4,582,000 or nearly 43 per cent, was received by the twenty-three
counties from the State of Maryland and Federal vocational funds.
Baltimore City received $953,000 from State and Federal school funds
for the maintenance of schools but because of over-payments in pre-
vious years, $492,000 due the Baltimore City retirement system for
teachers did not have to be appropriated in 1940.

There were *12,483 graduates from county white elementary schools
and 7,043 from county white high schools in 1941. Of the white girl
graduates from county high schools in 1940, nearly four per cent
entered the Towson, Frostburg, and Salisbury Teachers Colleges.
The three teachers colleges for white students had an enrollment in
the fall of 1940 of 953 students which included 277 enrolled from
Baltimore City at Towson.

Nearly 32 per cent of the white county high school graduates of
1939 continued their education beyond high schools in 1939-40 in
colleges, universities, hospitals, commercial schools, and other insti-
tutions.

Towson, Frostburg, Salisbury, and Bowie Teachers Colleges offer
a four-year course to students preparing to teach in the elementary
schools. Through the training of the teachers colleges, which until
1935 were normal schools, it has been possible to fill 98 per cent of
the positions in county elementary schools with teachers who have
had from two to four years of professional training. The financially
poorer counties have been able to finance the higher salaries for these
trained teachers through aid from the State Equalization Fund. Any
county which could not carry the minimum requirements of the State
program on a county school current expense tax rate of 67 cents plus
other forms of State aid received the additional amount necessary
through the State Equalization Fund from 1923 to 1933. As a result
of legislation in 1933, the 67-cent county school current expense tax

* Includes eighth grade promotions in junior high schools.