The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-01-16

she information Of so much value to ths
General Assembly as we'll as to the PEG
pie, ! respectfully recommend the estabi
lishmenb BY Law, Of Bureau Of Stats
sics, a. anthorized aud suggested BY the
pf6slsfon referred to. IEIs neither In
oonformity with sound policy nor with
SAe dignity of the State, to rely entirely
upon the decimal reports Of the Federal
Goverment for a knowledge of our own
and progress
The State of Ohio is justly disfin-
guished for a liberal aud enlightened
system of public instruction. Contem-
plated BY the territorial legislation OF
Congress, Il was undertaken by the pen.
pie Of the State as soon as the exigen-
eies Of =. frontier aud the exposures of
war would allow, and has encountered
less obstruction aud more encouragement
from the public sentiment than has usu-
ally been observed in the progress of
similar systems elsewhere. Generated
ucatioD is recognized by the Constitution
of 1851 as duty of Government no less
than a parental obligation, aud the law
of March IA, 1858, not only furnished
ample provision for schools of every
Grade, but will be memorable in our an
nails for establishing the principle that
they are open to ali-Free or Common
Schools, in the fullest sense of the term.
Instesd of q mixed State and County
tax ofa mill and q haiffo their support
the act in question directed q State
School tax. aud that its proceeds be dis
tributed from the State Treasury in pro-
portion to the enumeration ofzyouth of
school age IN the respective counties.
Every township was constituted a dis
trict, and entrusted In q Eoard of Edu-
cation consisting of representative from
each snb-district, who are authorized to
make or alter such sub-districts, to as
sess taxes for the construction of school
houses and the extension of school terms
and 70 exercise whatever general super
vision of educational interests as may be
consistent with the duties epjoined up.
on the local dir ectors IN each sub-distriet.
Afand Of one-tenth ola mill yearly was
appropriated a for the purpose of fur
nishing school libraries and apparatus
20 all the common school of the State, y
and the supervision of the system was
ooufided to a State Commissioner
elected by the people. In other re-
spects the present school law is a digest
Of previous legislation. and was intended
to relieve the public mind from the con-
fusion aud uncertainty caused by fire.
qaent and inconsistent amendment.
A sufficient period has COW elapsed
fox ysu to determine Whether the people
are generally Eatis6ed with the present
Law, or in what respect il requires mod
ii~cation. There has been some COM
plains as to the manner of distributing |
the State School Fund. Those counties
which include populous cities are assess
ed with greater mounts than the emu
meration of youth entit1e them to receive
and in one instance the amount received
is only about oDe-half the sum eontribu-
ted to the State fund. Still, it is easy
to see that If VIC consider the child as
the object of public regards a ward
of the State for a certain. degree of in
struction-that the direct application of
public boanty to the youth of the conn
ties In proportion 20 the annual enumer-
alton, is neither illegal nor inconsistent.
It presents a fair subject. however, : for
the consideration Of the General Assem-
bly,
The organization of township Boards
Of Education, which to the extent of
their powers and dutics. reduced the
authority of focal directors, was a cen
traiizing measure, aud has undoubtedly
produced a greater degree of uniformity
and efficiency but it is a grave question
whether the division of jurisdiction be-
tween those bodies has not led to disa-
greenent and confusion, and whether
the power of taxation rested in Boards
of Education has not been ipjudiciously
exercised
Ideem it highly important that the
school act should accurately define the
powers aud duties of these officers, re-
spectively although it Is quite possible
that former uncertainty in this and 9TH
er respects, has been removed by the
opinion aud advice of the State Com
The present system owes
much to the habitual ard judicious ex-
positions of that Office.
Boards of Education arc required to
furnish schools for seven months of the
year, aud they are authorized to direct
assessments " for school purposes other
tAan for the payment OF teachers, - un-
der which head the item of school house
construction is included They may
also direct assessments not exceeding
two mills on the dollar for the support
ofcentral or high schools, when legally
esta blished, aud 81 for the purpose OF
.prolongiBg after the State funds have
been exhausted the terms of the several
or primary schools in the
township There dces net seem to be
any li:aitation of the power of taxation
q for school purposes other than the pay
ment OF teachers"
The taxes assessed for local school
purposes in 1854 amounted to $f,295,
424, and In 1855 to S ,246 ,346, amounts
equal to the State school tax of
; mill aud a half on the grand dupli-
Gates. Phe largest portion of these as
sessments were doubtless for school house
and to proiong the school be
yond the period of seven months, and 2
may be regarded as extraordinary ex-
Why should not the propo-
to incur them be submitted to the
consideration Of the people of the town
As the services of members of
of Education are gratutious, !
those officers are usually ardent friends
IF education, and there is Danger that
heir zeal in it's behalf, however honora-
,ie to them, individually, many some
ines fail to be sustained by public opin-
on, q state of things certain to produce
IN injurious reaction and to impair the
lsefulness of our school system. It
sonld be better to distribute a certain |
of educational progress over sew {