Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-03-09
From the Montpelier Freeman
The Town School system.

By an act of the Legislature, passed last
fall, which has quite recently been pub.
lished in all the State papers, the public
are, or ought to be informed of proposed
change in the common school system of
this State. 1t is to be presumed that
some towns have taken sufficient interest
in the subject to cause to be inserted in
their warning for the coming March
meetings the required notice, to direct the
action of the voters to a consideration and
decision of the question. The nea1neSS of
the proposed change, or the want of fam
ilfarity with the details and provisions of
the law, may operate against it's adoption,
but that there are merits in the town,
over the district system in some parti-
culars, has been well demonstrated in the
neighboriug State of Massachusetts,
State that it is no humiliation to quote
or copy in relation to school matters. And
the Free Press well says, in speaking of
the proposed change
1t is not an untried experiment. 1t is
not an abolishing of public schools-any-
thing but that. 1t does not necessarily
involve lesseuing of the number of the
schools in town. 1t is not proposition
to control the rights of the people. It is
nothing that will lessen the privileges of
any scholar. 1t is not plan-desirable
az some such plan might be, as we look at
the caae-to compel the people to spend
more money on the public schools 1t is
none Of these"
The law provides, in the first place, that
towns may vote to abolish the district
system, and that the selectmen must put
an article III the warning for that pur-
pose. Then, il the town votes to abolish
distriots, the voters are to elect from
three to six directors, az a central
board, who takes the place of the old
prudential committees of the districts,
and have like full powers in the employ
ment of te cheers and care of the school
property, and pay the expenses by draw
ing warrants therefor on the town treas
ury They also decide how many schools
shall be maintained, and where. They
are sworn to faithful discharge of their
duty, and all except one of their number,
who is to discharge the duties assigned to
town OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to serve with
out pay, the chairman to receive the pay
allowed uperintendents, with such addi-
ton as the town sees fit to vote him.
The directions for the appraisal of the
property of the existing districts, which |
becomes the property of the town, are
simple and we'll defined, and all questions
that can arise from the union of districts
lying in different towns, are provided for.
If the town system is adopted, the nine
cent school tax now required by law will |
not be assessed, but in lieu thereof tax
for schools not less than twenty-five cents,
and not more than fifty cents ON the dol
lar, will be assessed by the selectmen. 1t
is optional with a town whether it spends
more money than this on its schools or
not. ... .. .......... .a..
1t is claimed for this system that it will
bring into this central board, which is to
have the control of all the schools in
town, class of men better qualified than
could be expected to be found in all cases
upon the prudential committees of school
districts. OF course each town has the
matter in its own hands, and will decide
as to it seems best.