The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-05-01


anti Bennett law organ which stated that
there is town in Winnebago county
which raises no tax for school purposes
because the expense of maintaining
schools is paid by those supporting pub
lie schools, mentions the constitutional
provision that each town, city, etc. must
raise at least one-half what 1t receives
from the state for the support of schools.
The legislature within the last ten years
provided for the levying of a state tax for
the benefit of the common schools and in
addition required each town. city, etc, to
raise an amount each year by taxation
equal to what it receives from the state.
This income is sufficient of itself to main
tain school in fully one-fourth the districts
of the state without any district tax. If
the Oshkosh paper would only make an
honest effort to learn, and not assume to
know, something of the school laws, it
would make the statement that the school
districts in the town of Black Wolf raised
no money for school purposes by taxa
ton. 1t would find also the same thing
is true of fully one fourth the school dis
tricts of the state and is due only in
directly to the church schools.
1t is as rule the inferior schools which
are thus content with what the state fur
nishes. All the better schools supple
,,,apt Tho ,,o,pf raoo;ya1 NV dict riot tov
alton. 1t is perfectly safe to venture the
opinion that there is not good school
within the town of Black Wolf. If there
is, then what the Oshkosh paper meant
to say is not true. There is said to be
school district in Fond du Lac county
which does not support a public school
at all and turns over to the parochial
school what it receives from the
state and town. This school dis
trict must commend itself still
more strongly to the Oshkosh paper than
does the town of Black Wolf because the
expense of teachers wages, repairs, ETC.,
is entirely wiped out. Possibly also the
school room is rented to some enterpris-
ing farmer who uses it as granary.
Some years ago the people of a certain
school district in this county gave more
attention to the parochial school within
the limits of the district then to the pub
lie school. At annual school meetings
only a nominal sum was raised The
shortest term which the law permitted
was agreed upon and the cheapest teach
er that could be secured was engaged.
The parochial school was fairly taught
and everything moved on in a manner
which would put the Oshkosh paper in
a fit of ecstatic delight. Under the stimu-
lus of strict supervision, progressive ex-
aminations, and the emulation created by
professional meetings the public schools
which were sustained, advanced. There
was little or no progression in the paro-
chial school. In few years, the people
of the district who deliberately starved
their public school were sending their
children to school in adjoining districts,
paying for their tuition, and in many in
stances when the distance to the school
prevented the children from boarding at
home, paying for their board. Economy
in this instance came high. The people
of Black Wolf will find it so, if the Osh-
kosh paper reports them correctly. The
surest sign OF decadence in any CON-
munity is neglect of its public schools.
The people have the entire management
of the school in their own hands, even
to the extent of methods of instruction.
The school boards act for the people, are
selected by the people and are responsible
to the people. There is no school law
which deprives them of this right. The
management of the public school is demo-
cratic and no law can be enacted which
will destroy this feature. Talk Of per-
sonal rights in connection with parochial
schools is absurd when compared with
the personal rights inwoven with every
thing connected with the school district.
The school district is the unit of aggre-
gate individual action. Everything per-
tanning to it has its source in the indi-
vidual and is his wish expressed in CON-
pleted form.