Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-12-26
The nineteenth annual report of the State

whole educational plan, and its various IN
situations of learning, from the primary
school to and including the university, not
excluding the tuition and education of the
deaf and dumb. Together with his report,
he submits series of reports from county
superintendent. This particular feature
gives evidence of the labor imposed
upon the State superintendent, owing to the
comparative little assistance derived from
these officials. The report clearly indicates
that the superintendent has been to great
labor and research to furnish the public
with comprehensive and valuable report.
The report opens with the important and
timely suggestion that in the present report
of the department of public instruction to
your honorable body, it should recognize the
twenty years. Previously to this there was
years. The educational history of that
period and of the first fifth of century in
our State life, ought to be written. At least,
the educational data of those times should
be colIated for some future historian, before
they become too remote and obscure to yield
any consistent meaning.
If such historical research is to be at
tempted, the sooner the better. circular
issued to county superintendent of schools
soliciting facts respecting first school houses
and schools and early educational endeavors,
has secured almost nothing. The reply
often is, no educational records of early
times have been kept, and the memory of
the earliest inhabitant is frequently treach-
erous respecting events Of which he was only
an Indifferent observer.
References in the territorial council and
house journals to educational legislation, are
fe Y and often very indefinite. The reports
OF our early superintendent are meagre and
provoking in their omissions, and every year
that passes renders them more difficult of in
terpretation. To neglect the collation. of
these already obscure materials for few
years longer would be to render the work an
impossible task.
The superintendent then partially, and
with evidence of great and laborious research,
supplies the omissions of former superln-
tendcnts and their allies in giving con-
densed statement Of the several codes under
which our schools have been supported, and
provided for the education of our youth.
In referring to the present plan of school
districts, the superintendent has many stric
lures to make, but has the remedy at hand
and suggests it:
Under the ever shifting plan for consti-
tuting school districts, there is a constant
effort on the part of some to avoid school
taxation by securing for themselves set off
from districts in which school houses are to be
built, into others where they already exist.
A certain clique wants to be by itself, and a
scheme is carried through for changing
boundaries so as to leave out certain fam
lilies. A quarrelsome or ambitious man, de-
terlnined to have new organization, finds
sympathizing neighbors ready to help him,
aud he splits the old district and becomes
grand manager of new one with too few
pupils for successful school. The provis-
ion that no petition can be presented with
out ths Endorsement of the county superin-
tendent, Is not sufficient safeguard. Some
superintendent lack moral courage, and
the. issue. Some boards of commits
signed by the requisite number. In many
instances if commissioners refused to grant
petition, its authors would refer the case
to the legislature, and the member from
their part of the State would put it through.
As a consequence we have many districts in
the State containg not over two sections of
land. One county has twenty eight districts
averaging one section and four-tifths each;
| another county has fifty three districts aver
aging three and one fifth each; and in sew
eral IF the Oldest counties the townships
have on an average nine school districts.
The inhabited part of the State has been cut
up into 1892 districts, and still the sub
division continues.
TO remedy this evil we must have for
school districts some clearly defined terri
tory, and there must be no power in any
man OF board of officers to change it's
boundaries. Township lines, fixed by the
United States survey, are the best divisions
that can be selected.
In view of the established custom of petty
districts, legislation toward genuine town
ship system should be cautious. A law re-
quiring this system at once all over the
State, would be unwise. 1t was secured in
Massachusetts,, where, as in Minnesota, they
began wrong, by law setting forth its ad-
vantages and requiring towns to vote upon
its adoption. Many of the leading towns at
once voted TO adopt the plan; then it was
put in such form that unless towns voted not
to adopt it, they became the units of school
district organization. Finally when most of
the towns dad concurred in the plan, a law
was passed making it universal in the State.
We might safely begin with our Oldest
counties and offer certain inducements to
voluntary organization of their townships as
school districts under board of trustees
empowered to provide central graded schools
when possible, and as many other schools in
diferent parts of the township as might be
needed, with some efficient plan for convey
ing children to and from school in winter
and bad weather. As long as the questions
of special taxation, the building OF school
houses, and the length of schools, are SUBJ
mitted to the residents upon only two or
thres sections of land, we shall continue to
have from 600 to 1000 petty districts in
which no special taxes will be voted, no
suitable school houses built, and no schools
of much value held.
THE SPECIAL CODE SYSTEM.
The special code system as applied to St.
Paul, Minneapolis, ETC., is discussed at
length. and its errors noted. Under this
head he says: In most of our cities it is
unwise to make taxation depend on the con-
current action of two bodies, as board of
education and city council, or to give
either power to override an estimate or de-
cision of the ether. Obstinate collisions are
are objections to referring the rate of taxa
ton to city council. The members of such
councils are elected by political parties, and
oAAOy AA0y 10 VoAJ NAAAA0AANAy3 w FAOAAS
schools, and fail to represent the safest and
best type of educational views In the COM
munity.
There are many considerations in favor of
the Minneapolis plan of vestiug the power of
taxation in the board Of education. Il
-a&e 49, 1919 sa" TAXATION. ~>~S "'~S'% S<-
The subject of taxation for school pur-
poses is referred to in very extended manner.
BE favors the allowance of more extended
special taxation, and in referring to school
taxation in general he makes the exhibit that
the taxes are with difficulty collected, etc.
The election of county superintendent by
popular vote is approved.
~ zS,151aGssAa3 #ftSscHooL LANDS. , = ! IN
The national grant of school lands 10
100000 acres, and history Of the means
adopted to acquire the liberal donation is
recited, Of this amount 81 1884, 554 acres have
been sold for $3,128, 1913