The Dickinson press., 1884-12-13
Aggregate for public education
during wear

Aggregate for public education
dufihe year $1,74S, 562. SO
The report will decidedly favor and defend
the township system as opposed to the district
plan. The experience of twenty months justi-
hes this. The practice under no law is perfect
but the condition is far better in counties
where this system has been in operation than
1t was in the same under the district plan. 1t
mas handled public money and made report of
II responsibility, a point never before reached in
Dakota school affairs. 1t has improved the
character of the schools; promoted economy;
given longer terms and better schools with.
out increased taxation; has. greatly increased
the credit of school corporations; put the
management of schools into more capable
hands; relieved the counties of local q%uarrels
over district boundaries; given to all the people
more equal and uniform school advantages,
the great object of any law, and enabled the
people to plan permanently and CO. operate in
one community without need of future divis-
IONS; distributes school houses more equitably
having never too many, and generally applies
tne pubic money and directs the public enter
prise in educational matters in a more fair,
equal and satisfactory manner for the whole
people. The exceptions to this in a few To-
callties rest on neglect and violation of the law.
A few Inconvenience amendments will meet.
Section 50 of the law which places money
county school fund met opposition in Cass,
Grand Forks, Lawrence, Pennington and a few
other counties, while a great majority of the
%" " seem to favor it Theincovenience to
s.4.o suggests the necessity of adding a pro-
viso to that section that will turn all such mon
eys in those counties into the county general
fund, as the best solution of the question.
The law will have q most careful revision.
indeed, extraordinary care will be taken.
Last spring a committee of the ablest county
s!up.erintendents was appointed to cooperate
in this work. Several meetings and much cor
respondence have been devoted to the subject.
The labor is not completed. The main feat
ure of the system, the undivided township
school corporations and their boards, will re-
main, but various details will be better ad-
Great effort will be made to give all the sup-
jects of tho law the most easy and systematic
order and arrangement, while the whole will
be mado more blief. Some provision will be
made for pay of school township officers.
Inc law is recommended to apply to a. the
provision permit, in some old counties, differ
ent boundaries for school townships and civil
townships. This will enable the accommoda-
ton of school township boundaries moro easily
to existing boundaries and school houses. The
report urges that in the old counties all pres
ent districts must be modified and divided in a
few years, especially with the growth following
statehood, and that no law and no officers can
do this with equal justice to all. In counties
the size of Cass or Brown and Sphinx we would
need in o few years about 800 school districts
each, with 500 officers, rendering it necessary
to keep account with and receive reports from
800 of them. This is much worse than useless.
and it will require 600 different changes Of
boundaries to reach this result, in each coun-
ty, and in nearly every change would be q
wrong to a considerable part
LII the legislature decide to preserve district
organizations where they now are it is recon-
mended that the complete law governing them
be separately printed fortheir use.
Many have recommended that county SUPER
lntendents be elected at the June elections. and
that all school elections for boards of education
as we'll as in townships and districts occur on
the same day.
The territory is so large that one man can
not look after it. Several suggestions are made
to meet this. One is that the Assistant Super
north Dakota, with separate appropriations
for institutes and other purposes. This would
be better for both. The pressure of duty has
prevented a visitto the Black Hills. This re-
quires a month which could not be given to it.
Tho subject of the school lands Is discussed
fully, and the ground taken that the | ands
should not be sold for less than from $:Ot to $50
used to support schools; or that the lands be
sold only for a period Of thirty years at 1.-THE end
of which time the title should revert to the
state for school purposes. The point is made
that no reliable and permanent policy can be
adopted except in the constitution. States that
have trusted all to statutes and executive Off
GERS have lost the large part of the fund. Each
Dakota should have fifty million dollars per
manent school fund.
A recommendation is made that's general and
uniform law be passed for all boards of educa.
ton and that all such corporations report as a
class separately. These are some of the lead
ing features Of the report