Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-03-18
6antatiuHaI.
0FFEcE OF SUPERENEEHDEET OF Com !
MON SCHOOLS or N. CAROLINA.
A. u ..

MON SCHOOLS or N. CAROLINA.
To the Board Of ,Supeyinsendents of Com
mon Schools fov The several Counties IN |
he State
GENTLEsfES. at the late session of the /
General Assembly of the State an act was /
passed which, among other provisions, re-
neals the part Of the Common School Law
which requires the proceeds Of the School
Fund, in each County, to be divided equal
ly among the Districts.
As you are all aware, il was found im-
practicable generally to enforce this Law Il
and instead of this provision another was
passed, which think viii meet the appro-l
bation of every experienced and intelligent
officer of our system.
The mode of division is now left to the
discretion of the board. Of. coanty superin-
tendents in each county and the onlyl
legal restriction on their discretion in this
matter. is that they shall act under the ad-
vice of the general superintendent, and
divide the fund in such way as to secuns,
as far as possible, equality in facilities for
education, among all the white children of
the county.
The great. end to be obtained Is thus
clearly defned by the Law, to wit, equality
in facilities for education and it is left to
the county boards, familiar with the char
acter of the counties, knowing their geo.
graphical features, the manner in which
they are peopled, &C., to decide how this
end is, best to be attained.
1t is my duty to advise With youin re-
gard to this important subject; and / de-
sire, in the discharge of this duty, to call
your especial attention to certain general
principles applicable to every section Of the
State,
In the first place it must be remembered
sAat ID is still necessary, and win always
be necessary, to be careful in the arrange
nent of the districts. Under any system
of division of the fund, large districts, in
tended for several schools, are an evil and
/ there is an express provision of the law
requiring all districts to be Of size not too
large nor too small for one school. This
provision was inserted two years ago when
the school laws were all re-enacted for the
new revised code and while there may
possibly be cases where it cannot be i'm
Imediately carried out, it is to be enforced
i as far. as the nature Of things viii permit.
i Leteach board, therefore, make it fixed
rule to keep a constant eye to this subject,
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continual Efforts 10 render the districts oi
) thee county Rore compact, more conxenieut,
and more uniform in size
4 In the second place il must be borne IN
j mind that equality IN money, among dis
, triets or among children, is not always
equality in facilities for education.
| Is it not just to divide equally among
: the children? To give to each school the
same amount of money operates unfairly
! to the larger Districts and to divide the
fund according to the number Of children
is unjust TO the smaller districts ss
For example: It may be necessary, on
account Of some natural obstacle, as river
mountain, or swanp, to lay of very small
district with, say 20 children. Now, where
there are fifty children in district, no,
more than 30 viii generally attend school
and the average attendance will not, per
] haps, exceed twenty Eve. Where there
e are twenty children not more than twelve
or fifteen will regularly attend One teach
e Ter can instruct twenty-five or thirty sehol
2 ars as well as twelve OF, fifteen and there
' fore where twenty-five or thirty scholar
attend school, only one teacher is needed
and whore only twelve or fifteen attend ont
!, teacher is still needed. But If the func
J were divided equally among the children
I or according to the number Of children
Il the school could be kept open twice as Ions
e in the larger district as in the smaller, anc
d the facilities for education to the children
e In the former be twice as great as to tn,
J. children IN the latter.
!, The proper course, therefore, is as fol
b lows: Let all the districts be laid of al
e nearly equal as circumstances will permit
e and never too large for one school. Then
n when it is necessary, as it frequently vii
!. be, to have few very small districts, le
e the children in these be considered a
i. amounting to some given number, say thir
ol ty, thirty-fye or forty.
vi That is TO say, allow each district to b,
y considered as containing certain number
+. of children, whether it actually has tha
n many or not. The board IN each count,
d can fix its own number: I suggest that
v be not less than thirty nor more than fort,
or forty-fve.
8 If, for instance, the number be thirty
five, then, if there be two districts contain
4 ling less than thirty-fve, each one would, i
the division Of the fund, count thirty Eve
" and then let the fund be divided accordin
q, to the number Of children. In this cas-
ID the districts containing less than thirty
it. Eve children would each draw the amour
in due to thirty-fve children-and all cor
n tanning over this number would draw az
be cording to the number of children.
urged this method Of division on th
boards Of county superintendents sewers
be years ago and wherever it was adopted
10. gave satisfaction, aud in one instance, pr
an an end to disputes which had lasted for
in long time and caused good deal of mi,
e"lry.
ng Finally, by the act of the last session
ali the General Assembly, changing the metl
in cd Of dividing the school fund in the coul
ofI ties, the several county boards were Al
n lthorized to empower their chairman to Wis
" IAN, or part Of the schools in the count
and to pay them a reasonable compensate
for time and expense.
CHI Each board can do this or not, at its d
the cretion and it viii be well, in every cou
nth ty, to send cut the chairman, on such tol
II