Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-02-09
THE TOWN SYSTEM OF
SCHOOLS.
The Vermont State Teachers Asso-
citation to the People of Vermont.

c1du1On TO the foOplo OF vermont.
The Legislature of Vermont at its
recent session by act No. 27, sec. /,
enacted the following: Each town in
which the school district system ex-
lists, shall at the annual meeting of
the town in 1885 and 1886 vote up
On the question of abolishing the dis
trict system and adopting the town
system.
Among the reasons why the action
required by this law should be enter
ed upon thoughtfully are these:
Careful observers going from Yer
mont to other states to study schools
bring back the report, vermont is be-
hind in her schools and systems"
Intelligent people who come from
other states and look into our schools
say, "you are behind in your provision
for the education of your children"
Vermonters of all shades of opinion
everywhere say, "Our schools ac-
complish far less for our children
than they ought to do with the ex-
penditure we make for them"
In such state of things we are
called upon to express by direct vote
our choice relative to two modes of
controlling and supporting our
schools. To one of them we are all
accustomed through long use, the
other though an older and widely used
system, is less familiar to us.
The town system may be described
briefly as a system by which the peo-
pie of the town manage their schools
through agents chosen directly by
themselves, and by which they pay
for their schools directly With money
drawn from the town treasury. This
system was introduced into Massa-
chusetts in 1647 and it is now exclu-
sively used in Massachusetts,, Penn
| sylvania and Indiana, is prevailingly
used in several other states, is in
creasingly used everywhere, and is
the system universally favored by
students of education, because. at the
same or low cost, larger and better
schools are furnished by it than by
any other system known among US
This system has been in operation
in Vermont long enough to test it
: and is now used for substance il
/ nineteen towns by more than thirt,
: thousand people. Let these testif,
to its merits;
: Burlington adopted the town sys
t TEN as provision of her city charte
d in 1867. She boasts of the bes
}, schools in the state and has neve
e sought return to the district sys
e TEN. Vergennes has recently unite
5, her school districts and now as on
l. body conducts her schools in the san
ID number and places as before. Aft
ne ten years trial the people of Wait
l. field sustained the town system by
a! vote of 10 to Al, the people of Nil
e dletown sustained it by vote of
III to %, and in Hinesburgh no vote Fl
p return was called for. After fl
is years trial in Brighton but two pc
s, sons ia full town meeting vote
lie to return to a district system. !
do town in Vermont after FIVE year
Ie- trial of the town system has return
re to the district system of schools.
an During the last session of our sc
nd eral assembly the committees on e
'us ucation fully considered the comp;
ne alive merits of the town and distr
oSt system. While the matter was /
at der consideration testimony concel
Ter ing the working of the system v
cir received from many of the towns
nj ! ing it. That testimony was report