Barry and his fellow commissioners, David R. Murray, John R. Witherspoon, and John Pope, were appointed to “digest a plan of schools of common education, suited to the condition of this state” under the terms of an 18 Dec. 1821 act to establish a literary fund (A Digest of the Statute Law of Kentucky: being a collection of all the Acts of the General Assembly … From the Commencement of the Government to May Session 1822 … [Frankfort, 1822], 871–2). In the enclosed report, which was presented to the Kentucky Senate on 30 Nov. and to the House of Representatives on 2 Dec. 1822, the commissioners called for the establishment of a system of public schools supported by a combination of public and private funds. The select committee of the House of Representatives appointed to review this report was chaired by George Robertson, who delivered its conclusions on 7 Dec. 1822. The committee endorsed the goal of providing common schools that would teach both wealthy and poor children, but it could not settle on a plan to be carried into execution. It instead recommended publication and dissemination of the report for consideration by the public (Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky [1822 sess.], 225–48, 253–83, 327–32 [2, 7 Dec. 1822]; Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky [1822 sess.], 163–86, 189–219, 267–8 [30 Nov., 2, 7 Dec. 1822]).