The Portland daily press., 1893-02-20
Probability That Town System Will
Snpplant Old Methods.
BUSINESS TO BE BROUGHT BE-
FORE THE LEGISLATURE
THIS WEEK.
Tomorrow the Senate VIII Discuss Alb
olition of School Observation-Disclosures
Hyde and the American League-Debates
on the Tax Bills Begin This Week
Especial to the Press.1

| Hyde and the American League-Debates
| on the Tax Bills Begin This Week
| Especial to the Press]
| AUGUSTA, Feb 19.-On Tuesday of
this week. Senate will discuss the bill to
abolish the school district system. The
bill makes radical change in the educa :
tional system of the state and is a meas
ure whose importance warrants careful
consideration. Two years ago a similar
bill was presented in the Legislature but
then it's friends had little hope that it
would become law and they were not
destined to be agreeably disappointed.
In two years, however, there has been a
great change in the sentiment of the
people on this subject anG at this session
the advocate of the town system of gov
ernment for the common schools are
hopeful of seeing it established by law
in Maine as it has been already in other
states which have discarded the district
system. In fact Maine is about the only
New England state which has not done
so. Maine took the district system of
state, which had been established here
by the law of Massachusetts. In the
days when towns were still sparsely set
tied, the system under which those peo-
pie living in the same section of town
built the school house and had the inn
mediate oversight of the school, was per-
haps the best that could be desired. But
as time went on and towns grew to
contain villages where many people
were gathered in a small area, while out
in the farming districts there were still
few people, it began to be apparent that
the district system was capable of injus-
tice in its working. For instance, in the
same town, there might be district in
the farming sections, where, with high
tax rate, it was possible only to provide
a limited amount of schooling, in a poor
building, equipped with meagre facili-
ties, while in an adjoining district,
where the people are gathered in a vii
lage and the valuation was high, with
less tax rate, much better facilities could
be afforded for school purposes. In
Massachusetts about Is years ago the
people decided that in view of this con-
dition of affairs system under which
tine schools of q towncould be placed =.
der one management so that the schools
could be made uniform and the same adj
vantages be offered to all the pupils,
would be an improvement on the dis
trict plan. AT that time the change was
made in the Bay State and the town sys-
tenn was adopted. About six years ago
New Hampshire came to the conclusion
at which Massachusetts had arrived nine
years before and the district system was
abolished. This year Vermont has TAX
en- similar action and it is hoped that
Mai, Fol hoe q
district system still, but it is different
one from that of Maine, in that there is
a district board of trustees in place of
the agent and town committee.
Under the present law in Maine, each
town is divided into districts. Each dis
trict must provide the school house and
bear it's share of the school expenses
The immediate care of the school is in
the hands of an agent, generally chosen
by the people of the district. This agent
hires the teacher, but he or she must
have certificate from the supervising
school committee of the town. From
the state, each town receives its share of
the fund raised for public school pur-
poses. The money is apportioned among
the towns in accordance with the num-
Der of children of school age they con-
tain and is in turn parcelled out among
the districts by the towns in the same
way. Now, there has come to be in
Maine under this system much the same
state of affairs as that which led to the
change in Massachusetts. There are
poor districts alongside of wealthy ones.
There are schools with too few scholars
and schools with terms which are too
short. There are in the state something
like 1900 schools with less than 12 pupils
each and 16 weeks OF less of schooling
annually. The town system provided for
in the bill printed in the Press of last
Tuesday it is believed is capable Of bet
tering this condition of things in Maine
as it has in other states where it has
been tried.
But from the district shool in the past
have gone forth men who have become
leaders at home and in the states of the
Great West. Maine has given to her sis
ter states Governors and congressman,
eminent lawyers, eloquent preachers and
successful men of affairs, and many of
these received their early training in the
district schools of their native state. It
is only natural, therefore, that there
should be reluctance in giving up the old,
which, with all its faults, has done SO
much good, for the new.
1t may seem that this is a question in
which only those towns directly affected
have an interest. All the towns and
cities are taxed to support the
school system, however, and many
pay into the state much more than
they get back. Money raised, for
instance, by taxing Portland people is
distributed, in part, elsewhere. Portland
pays annually as it's share of the mill
tax $37, ,957 and receives back from the
state treasury S15,919. In other words
Portland contributes to the support of
schools annually $22,03s. There are
many other towns in the state which also
contribute in the same manner. For in
stance, Lewiston, Augusta, Gardiner,
Waterville, Rockland. Bangor, Bath,
Skowhegan, Belfast, Calais, Biddeford |
and Saco, paid into the treasury as their |
share of the mill tax last year $73 156 and |
received $56372 or in other words these
places contributed $16,7S4 to the support |
of schools elsewhere. In view of these |
facts, it is idle to argue as some of the |
adherents of the district system have |
done that this is matter which concerns |
solely the individual towns.
5ass