St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-02-25
PUBLIC MONEY AND THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.


meeting, to vote upon the question of
abOlishing the district system and
adopting the town system. The pur-
pose of this article is to show some of
the changes which the adoption Of the
town system would cause.
There are three classes of schools in
town, the graded school, fractional dis
tricts, and districts wholly in the town.
The vote of the town abOlishing the
district system does not apply to grad
ed school districts which have been
incorporated by act of Legislature, un-
less accepted by a vote of two thirds of
the voters, nor does it apply to dis
trict formed by the cOncurring votes
of tive or more adjoining towns with
out the concurrihg votes of each Of
said towns cOncurring. The village
schools are thus exempted from the
operation of the vote, unless they at
their annual school meeting should
elect by a two thirds vote to adopt the
town system also fractional districts
unless the towns in which they are sit
uated should vote to adopt the town
system So far Waterford is the only
town adjoining st. JOhnsbury which
has so voted.
The schOOl-hOuses and the property
belonging to the districts shall be ap-
praised and the amount shall stand to
a. ii ba
houses and other property becomes the
property of the town. The town does
not assume any debt of the district.
At the March meeting on the adOp-
ton of the town system board of
three or six school directors are to be
chosen, One-third for three years, one
third for two years and one third for
one year. The board elect one of their
number chairman who has the power
and performs the duties of superinten
dent. The board shall be sworn and
in general shall have the power and
perform the duties of the prudential
committee and clerk of a school dis
trict. They also appoint a clerk, not
one of their number.
The chairman (supt.) is paid from
the state treasury the same cOmpensa-
ton as town superintendent and from
the town treasury such additional sum
as the town may vote to pay him. The
compensation of the other members of
the board shall be fixed by the town at
the time of their election and be paid
out of the town treasury. The clerk
shall receive the same compensation as
district clerks.
The expenses of the schools are met
by division of public money and by a
school tax on the grand list. The law
makes marked change here. The
public money including part income of
the United States funds amounts to a
little more than twelve per cent. Last
$33, 1877 public money 1898. Under
the present statute this was divided as
follows: One-third $I4II, was divided
equally among the districts, irrespec-
tive of the number of scholars, each
district in town receiving 1924.
do not refer to fractional districts as
the law places them on a slightly diff
ferent footing. The balance $2822 was
divided among the districts in proper
ton to tho aggregate attendance. The
aggregate attendance of all schools in
town was I33, 800.
Under the town system all of the
public money is to be divided accord
ing to the aggregate attendance, thus
abOlishiDg the dividing of one-third
amongst districts as districts. One eff
feet of the change would be to encOur-
age regularity of attendance, for the
larger the aggregate attendance the
greater the amount of the public money.
The workings of the two systems
may be illustrated by the amounts re-
ceived by the union school and Sum-
merville. The union school received
$224S under town system would have
received S295O. Summerville received
$453; would have received $40.
TO meet any excess of expenses the
selectmen shall annually appropriate |
for the use of schools, graded and frac-
tiOnal districts excepted, a sum not ex-
ceeding One-half nor less than one
fourth of the grand, list of the property
in the districts effected by the adOp-
ton of the town system.
4.
town: No. Z, GOss Hollow with Dan
vile; No. 10, Chesterfield with Kirby !;
No. IL, near Judge Parks with Water
ford No. I3, st. Johnsbury East with |
Waterford and, | am informed, one
family in Kirby No. IA, on road to
Danville Green with Danville. The
districts wholly in town are No. 4,
Four Corners; No. 5, st. Johnsbury
Centre; No. 6, Spaulding district; No.
8, Allen district; No. 9, ShOrey dis
trict; No. IL Ranney district; No. Is,
Summerville; No. IL, Cole Corner.
The adoption of the town system
would form these eight districts, to-
gether with fractional district No. ii,
into one system under the care of the
school board if Danville should adopt
the town system, then No. and IA
would come under their control. This
would leave No. 10 and No. Is frac-
tiOnal districts to be under the control
of their own prudential committee, un- ]