The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-09-25
Washington County Public Schools.

The first meeting of the Washington
County Board of Education took place dur
ing May last Since then its secretary pre-
pared and forwarded to each member of the
board a set of printed questions to which
he, after having made proper investigations,
returned replies. The board has in this
way possessed itself of fairly reliable infor-
nation regarding every district school in
the county Some of the facts developed
will be of grave interest to the people of the
county.
The town system is in force in Waitsfield
and Warren, Cabot having returned, since
the last state report was issued to the dis
trict system. In Montpelier and Northfeld
exist fairly well graded union schools that
are well attended, well supplied and prop
erly maintained. The state of repairs SAM
tary conditions and furnishments necessary
to proper school management of the schools
in the county can be seen from an inSpec-
ton of the following statement; AS TO state
of repairs, 9S are reported good; 80, fair; IL,
poor; total 1919 As to sanitary condition,
i36 are reported good; 10, fair; ~, bad;
total 199 AS regards supplies, 40 are well
supplied; 49, fairly well; 116 poorly sup
piled; total 1919. 1t thus appears that two
per cent of our schools are in bad state of
repairs, % per cent are questionable as to
sanitary conditions, and the astonishingly
large percentage, IS is reached of schools
not owning the common, necessary, almost
Indispensable, furnitures of instructions,
globes, maps, leXicons and works of refer
ence.
1t was deemed wise to investigate the
question of possible cases in which two
small schools might be joined to form one
large and interesting organization. In this
connection nearly every member of the
board reports distance, prejudice, jealousy
and ignorance of the utility of such organ
iZation as obstacles in the way. Mr.. Lam
son of Cabot urged that numbers 2, 3, 4, ),
3, 9, 10, II and II ought to be united and
that they will make good graded district,
the schools to be located between and 3.
A part Of No ~, in the same town, can go
with -, and part OF No with o. TO
this scheme the objection of distance alone
exists In East Montpelier, No. 10 might
be divided between . and IL without much
inconvenience. In Marshfield, No. Sshould
have a new house or unite with No. D. The
member from Mortified reports six schools
as having, respectively, 4, 9, ?, &, IL and II
pupils only. Much good would result from
Joining some of these If the circumstances
permit. In Waterbury, Nos. and IL might
be consolidated with No, l. No 4 also,
could easily be divided and united with
Nos s and II. Unquestionably the main
objection to consolidating small district
schools is expressed by the term " distance"
! Rough long snowdrifted roads, cold, chill
ing, wet weather are hard things, strong
facts, to dispose of; but the school board
of education respectfully urges people to
consider the advisability of union where
good opportunities for such steps exist.
Experience has demonstrated the wisdom
of concentrating intellectual financial and
social energies.
The subject of attendance upon schools
was also studied and fairly accurate statis-
| tics were obtained, considering the fact that
every town has not completed census of