Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-05-31
The Essex School Report.

Efii0r Free Press and Times:
Truth il better than fiction in the support Of
any worthy cause. Facts and not fsnoies are
what people need, snl what ultimately they de-
mand."
Ia the communication signed Taxpayer,
in your issue of May 10, we find the above tr4-
isms. to which we give our csriiA, approval, AMI
regret tbst " Taxpayer " psi3 40 l;tle regard
to them in sppending his statements thereto.
lie processes to present to 1.-The people Of Essex
and others interested, certain "faeta aud not
fiotions. by which to judge of the utility Of the
town system as compared with the district sys-
TEN - Of schools. unfortunate as he thinks it
is for the reputation Of the Essex Bosrl Of
School Directors that they have teen "iegui'ei
into the use Of fiction in order TO present "a
favorable report for the town systsm,'' we
think Taxpayer is more unfortunate"
still, since Whist he presents as " facts" bearing
upon the utility Of the tFo syttems, sre ''de;iou'
throughout, not having even ''tbe baseless fabric
Of a yi,ion" on which to stand
Il is true that the Essex Board Of Schoo! d.
rectors did present "a favorable report for the
town tyttsm, 50 and they believed themselves ful-
" justified ia 20 doing By the 'i.cts before them.
They believe their report, aside from few typo
graphical errors incident to haste in printing
to be ttrciy correct, and they are willing to a.
sumo all tire riss to their reputation, which
its presentation to their fellow citizens involves.
They inG nothing in it which they feel called
upon to retrsct, Notwithstanding tie furious
ontlsught Of Taxpayer" upon ii. and they
haye the satisfaction OF having performed, TO the
beet Of their ability, large amount Of gratui-
tous labor IN the interest OF free education for
every child of rchcol age in town, Of which sat
isfAction and qualification "Isx-payer' cannot
deprive them
..Tsx-payer " ssvs at is not true thst
/ one hundred different scholars received tuition
/ thirty-three weeks at the high school - II Is
/ true that - one hundred different scholars" are
enrolled in the register Of the high school; that
there were three terms Of eleven weeks each,
aud the register shows that there we're iorty-ive
/ inlatteadauce during the Fail term; forty-seveu
/ in the5W inter and tWenty-nine in the Spring
/ terms. The entire cost OF the high school was
/ $40, the full appropriation Of the board not
having been used.
Taxpayer" says again, sit is not true that
there is gain Of lOl scholars over the previous
| year" The school registers, from which the item
Of attendance is made up, show that during the
past year there were 5l2 different scholars in
/ the various schools. taxpayer says the
number in attendance the previous year was 1858.
I Subtrscting one from the other mskes E
( larger gain than the board claimed, snd proyes
=. Tsx-payer's'' Z" fact - to be " felton," out
| of his own mouth. Tax payer" says again,
il is not true as stated IN the report, that the
expeuse per scholar wss s 10Y less than the pre-
yious year. Tie Board reaffrm their state
meut that the schools cost Sl.O1 less per schosr,
under the town system than during the previous
wear. Itis fair to state in this connection, that
under the town system there hss not been as many
week, school, as during the previous year The
Board followed their best judgment IN the loca-
ton Of the schools, not deeming 1t advisable 10
place schools, where less number than ten
scsolsr. could be gathered. But " Tax payer
does not give correctly the number Of weeks oil
school under either town or district system.
Moreover the " weeks under the town system
have been weeks without any allowance for holi-
days, teachers associations, or institutes, WHICH,
under the district system, these Items have de-
Quoted largely from the length. and the interest
of the school And yet in aggregate and IN
average attendance, the schools under the town