The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-08
Educational Matters in the
Legislature.
Iron the Manchester journal.

We notice IA disposition in some quarters
TO find fault with the present Legislature for
not accomplishing more for the cause of ed
ucaton. Both the retiring and the present
governor strongly urged in their messages
that something be done, and the state super
intendent in his report gave the same adj
vice. Why, then, they say, was not more
accomplished?
Two years ago, by the advice of these
same friends of education, law was passed
requiring every town in the state to vote, at
the two succeeding town meetings, on the
question of adopting the town system of
schools. We suppose this was done for two
reasons-tirst, in the hope that many towns
would adopt that system, and, second, that
accurate knowledge might thus be obtained
as to how the people of the state regard that
question. During the two years sixteen
towns did adopt the town system of schools
and one town that had previously adopted
it returned back to the old system. In 1885
the aggregate vote in the state for the town
system was 4676; against the town system,
18,2S9. In 1886 the vote was, for, 4 O0l; against
15,4l1. The vote for governor in 1884 was
63, 1919. From this it is seen that only about
one-third of the voters of the state We're
present at the town meetings. or, if they
were present, did not have sufficient inter
est in the matter to vote on the school ques-
ton. The majority of those voting was
nearly four to one against the town SYSTEM
and we think this is an accurate index of
the present sentiment of the voters of the
state on this question.
More than this very many towns in the
state took pains at the last September cleo
ton to send representatives who We're
pledged beforehand to oppose the town sys-
TEN of schools, or those who We're we'll
known opposers of that system. With such
an expression of the feeling of the voters of
the state, and with such legislature, it was
evidently too much to expect the adoption
of the town system of schools, or to expect
any advanced step in educational matters,
Under existing circumstances, while little
progressive legislation could be expected,
yet something in that line was really
accomplished The house passed a bill
raising the town tax for the support of
schools from twelve to fifteen per cent, which
was really step in the direction of the
town system of schools, since it equalizes
the burden OF taxation for the support of
schools. II also passed bill allowing
towns which adopt the town system four
years in which to equaliZe the school prop
erty among the districts in such towns.
Heretofore the law required that it should
all be done the first year, and this has been
the chief reason why there has been so
much feeling in the state against the town
system. On adopting that system of course
all the school property of the several dis
tricts becomes the property of the town.
This property is appraised and where dis
tricts have more than an equal share of
school property the excess is credited to the
district and goes to Offset its tax for school
purposes. Consequently the whole burden
of supporting the school in the whole town
the first year or two falls on a portion of the
districts which are the least able to bear it.
This creates a bitter feeling against the
town system, which, however, generally dis
appears after this " evening up has been
fully accomplished and the system has been
given fair trial. By distributing the
evening up" over four years instead OF
nAUN tsafNa 80 al
complaint against the practical workings OF
the town system will be removed, and il