The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-20
The Town System OF Schools.


the practical working of, the town system
of schools, its advantages are so apparent
that it is not easy to understand why
there should be any objection to the sys
tenn, or any hesitation about adopting it,
by men who are sincerely seeking the
greatest good for the greatest number"
One can understand how an individual, or
the voters in school district, from selfish
or from narrow personal interests, might
object to the system, but, like good and
patriotic citizens, it would be expected
that they would as obeerfully pay their
taxes to give all the children of the town
equally good schools as to provide equally
we'll for all the towns poor, or to furnish
the world at large with highways. The
town is the political unit in our system,
and the poor, the roads and bridges and
affairs in general, are managed and paid
for by the town. In the management OF
the schools departure is made from this
established order of things. For some
reason, or rather for no assignable good
reason, the school district is made the
unit. The compact, efficient and re-
sponsible board of management, which di.
reefs in all the other affairs of town, in
the management of the schools is split up
and scattered through dozen districts,
more or less. Efficiency and economy in
the management of affairs may be squan-
dered in two ways. Control may be so
remote, 80 general, as to fail of securing
the best attainable results or it may be 30
weakened, by subdivisions, as seriously to
impair its efficiency. The details of the af-
fairs of two hundred and forty towns could
hardly be managed thriftily by state Of
ficers, nor could the general affairs of the
state be conducted with dignity, strength
and success, by two hundred and forty
towns acting independently, and directed
by conflicting or selfish policies. That it
would be ruinous for town to surrender
the management of its diversified affairs
into the hands of number of districts is
recognized in practice, and the direction
of the affairs of the towns is centralized
in the hands of board of selectmen. The
town organization is the golden mean be-
tween too general and too detailed
subdivision of the administrative power.
There is the town board of selectmen, the
town board of listers, and why should
there not be the town board of school
directors We believe that there is NO
good reason why there should be de.
parture from this reasonable order of
things, and that such reasons as are given
and the fears that are expressed if the
town takes charge of the schools, are
simply the outgrowth of custom-an illus.
tration of the power of habit, the fruit
of blind sort of conviction that "what.
ever is, is right" The school district
has been, and still is; so it is reverenced,
just as many another ancient institution
which has outlived its day is reverenced
and upheld, for little else than its an
tiquity. Massachusetts, showed her lack
of generation two years ago by abolish
ing by act of the legislature the district
system, and establishing the town system
The states which began to enter the union
half century and more ago were not be
trayed into the illogical and unnatural
subdivision of their towns into school,
districts. The township system prevails
throughout the West. Michigan was one
of the earlier states to recognize the alb.
surdity of sub-dividing the towns fol-
school purposes, while preserving the unit
intact for everything else. The superior.
ity of her common schools early attracted
attention and came to be quoted as mod
els. They are still famous for their excel
lence, though they have lost their distinc
tive character in the general superiority o.
the schools in the midland western states
all controlled by strong central boards O.
town management, elected by the people
and made reasonably permanent in tn,
tenure of their Office. The town system il
no "new-fangled notion" 1t is the pre-
vailing system, and the district is thu
marked exception. In another column W,
have considered some of the objection
to the system, and reviewed some of it
advantages. The former are such as W,
have heard presented where the new sys
tenn has been discussed the latter ar
only such as have been realized where tn
schools have been placed under tow
management, and they are very far from
being full list of the benefits realize,
under the new system. 1t is exceedingl,
difficult to treat the matter satisfactory,
within the limits Of newspaper article
In considering this subject, it shout,
weigh with all candid and reasonin,
men that the merits of the town system
have been proved by long and faithful
tests, but the objections are Theoretical
the product of fears and apprehension
which almost universal practice has show
are unwarranted. Especially should
weigh that the towns in this state VIII
have given the system fair trial hav
readopted it with fervor and unanimit
born ONLY of satisfying experience.