Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-02-27
The Town System of Schools

a"o ho"l oyotouIot SSssoSss
4 AS the warning for town meeting
= contains an article "To see if the tow
will vote to adopt the Town System o
Schools" and as this question shout,
be thoroughly understood by ever,
voter, we devote a portion Of. our spac
to synopsis of the main features 0
> the law. This provides that whel
towns vote to adopt the town system
the school districts shall cease TO exist
except for the purposes .of settling
their pecuniary affairs, and that thu
school houses and other school property
belonging to the districts shall be ap
:. praised by three persons, appointed by
the assistant Judges of the county court,
and the amount of the appraisal placed
to the credit of the district, and the
school property shall become the prop
crty of the town. When fractional
districts exist, provision is made for
payment to each fractional part its pro-
portional part of the whole valuation.
The town pays for school property
by placing it as an offset for taxes
raised on the grand list of each district.
That is: the town takes possession of
the school property of the town, and
each district becomes part Of the
town system upon an equal footing
with each other district. 1t is no loss
to one district that it has a good school
house, nor gam to another that its
school buildings are poor. Whatever
it has, it is paid for.
The management of school matters
is entrusted TO a board of three or six
school directors, one third of whom
shall, when the town first adopts the
system, be elected for one year, one
third for two years, and one third for
three years; at every town meeting
thereafter, member or members shall |
be elected for the term of three years.
If vacancies occur by resignation, or
otherwise, they are filled by the select
men till the next town meeting, when
the town elects director to serve for
the unexpired term. On or before the
first of April of each year, the direct
ors elect one Of their number as chair
man, who shall have the powers and
duties Of the town superintendent they
shall also elect some one-not one of
their number--as clerk, who shall keep
Il record Of proceedings, and perform
the duties usually devolving upon dis
trict clerks. The general duties of the
school directors are to have the care of
school property, to prescribe the nun.
Der of schools, employ teachers, and
fix their compensation, and perform all
other duties now deyolving upon the
prudential committee. They shall also
at each town meeting make a report of
their proceedings.
To support the schools of the town,
the seectmen shall annually appropri-
ate for the use of schools sum not
exceeding one half nor less than one
fourth of the grand list of the town,
and shall assess tax to detray such
appropriation. The town treasurer
has to keep separate account of
school money, and can pay it out only
on warrants drawn by the school direc-
tors. The town must provide and
maintain suitable school houses, and
all matters pertaining to the repairing
of old school houses or the building of
new ones is left to the control of the
school directors.
Fractional districts, formed by the
concurrent vote of two or more towns,
cannot receive the benefit of the town
system without the concurrent vote of
the towns forming the fractional dis
trict.
A town having abolished the school {
district system may at any fifth annual
town meeting abolish the town system,
and 90 back to the district system.
Without arguing the merits of the (
town system, we will say that it does
not mean the consolidation of the
schools, as is sometimes supposed, nor
is it ''ncw tangled notion" in any
sense. In fact more states in the
United States use the town system at
present than still cling to the sold
fashioned" district system. Vermont
is making vigorous stir this spring.
Let not Woodstock be left in the rear. |
PENCIL MARKs.-Town Meeting
next Tuesday.-A little snow every
day, warm and cloudy; only two
shiny days this month. 1.-The Town
Reports are out, and you can get one
at Geo. w. Paul's.-Jailor Hewitts