The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-11-26
Additional Testimony.

Some new testimony relating to the
practical working of the town system of
schools was given at one of the public
hearings recently by the representa-
tives of towns which have adopted the
system. Senator Hobson told the COM
mittee how the system had worked in
Brighton, where after five years trial
it had been re-adopted in full town
meeting by nearly unanimous vote,
two only voting very feebly in the neg
alive. The tax under the new system
of management had been nearly the
same as under the district system, but
they had done great deal more with
the money. Better schools, more weeks
of schools, larger attendance and
new school-house in nearly every dis
trict had been provided with the money.
Men that were originally opposed to
the. system were now its strongest
| friends. Distrust and dissatisfaction
arose originally among its opponents,
especially in the back districts, from
fear that they were not going to like the
system, and that the village was going to
get some advantage. After trial the back
districts had found that they were the
ones whose condition had been most
improved, they demanded and had
their rights, having better houses, bet
ter and longer terms of schools, at less
expense. There are fifteen districts in
his town. Representatives ID. Savage
of Waitsfield gave the experience of
that town, where the system adopted in
1871 had become thoroughly rooted and,
by its merits, had overcome opposition.
1t had wrought so great a change in
public sentiment respecting the schools
that the people have ceased to care
about any difference, one way or the
other, in the mere matter of expense
between the town and district system.
AS an instance he cited the fact that a
year ago one of the school houses was
furnished with the best improved school
furniture and this year the town voted,
without word of opposition, to put
new seats into all the school-houses,
and the buildings had been painted,
papered and put in good condition. A
practically unanimous public sentiment
demanded these improvements. Longer
terms, better and permanent teachers,
and decided elevation of the school
standard had followed the adoption of
the system. Representative Stone of
Eden said his town adopted the system
three years ago. There was an increase
in the total attendance of. from 1925
weeks in the last year under the district
system to 49, S5 in the first year under
the town system. The aggregate cost
for the last year under the district sys-
tenn was 1927; the first year under the
town system, 1862. The tax for the
first year, when they built one new
school-house and repaired the old ones,
was forty per cent; for the second year
thirty-iive per cent; for the third year
twenty-five per cent. Under the old
system some districts had paid taxes
as high as one hundred nine per cent
and one hundred twenty-four per cent.
Under the new system the tax had
not exceeded forty per cent, and now at
twenty-five per cent there was money
left in the treasury. The town has thir-
teen districts. More weeks of school,
better schools, permanent teachers,
schools in districts which had been with
! out schools under the oldI system, the