The Newtown bee., 1895-06-07
The NeWtoWn Bee
 FRIBAY, JUNE 7 tss5.
 CIRCULAElON. JANUARY !, 1882, 6l0 LAST WEEK. 3I00
Affairs About Town.
THE BEE BUZZ.
CONCERNING THE SCHOOLS.

CONCERNING THE SCHOOLS.
 The condition of the public schools de- pends first of all upon the legal voters in each district. If the people want good schools, and know what good schools are, there is no good reason why they should not have them.
 But If the taxpayers who have no chll- dren to educate take no interest in the matter, not even to care how their mon ey is spent; and those who have children to school are indifferent as to how the af- fairs of the districts are conducted, who then is to blame if the business of the district is run by those who do care enough about it to take the trouble to spend the public money for their own benefit, or for the good of their political friends?
 It pays to have good schools, but you cannot have good schools without some trouble and expense. It does not pay to have poor schools; in fact they are as a rule worse than useless; and the public money becomes thereby means of cru city to the children who should be made happy and fitted for the duties of life.
 The school district is the original, first unit of our democratic government. In the settlement of this country the school house came next to the meeting house. It was a simple necessity of temporary state of society. But everything has long since changed, until the district sys- tenn in many communities has become serious intolerance to the cause of educa- tion. When the social status of any dis trict becomes such that the teacher can secure her position by canvassing for votes and furnishing kegs of beer to eel ebrate her election, it is high time that there should be some change in the man. | agement of the public schools. And 1 | wish to say, right here, that am in fa- vor of revoking the certificate of any teacher who secures a position in any school by any such means. So long as the district system is in force it is very important to find and elect some one as committee who wants a good school, and knows what good school is and is willing to undertake the thankless task of doing the business of the district.
 The most important factor in the whole business is, of course, the right kind of teacher. Affecting the hiring of teach CTS, two changes have recently been made In the school laws. The followin g act is already in force: "No committee of any school district of this state ap- pointed under section 2l75 of the General Statutes shall employ any teacher CT teachers, or do any other business for said district for longer period of time l Gudu LDdG IOr WulSu u6 mhy nave Ueou elected, without first obtaining major ity vote of said district, legally called for that purpose"
 The other act referred to, having been approved by the governor, will probably take effect before the end of the present school year, and is as follows: "The cer- tificate of qualification to teach issued under Section 2222 of the General Stat utes shall be accepted by boards of school visitors, boards of education and town school committees in lieu of the ex. animation required by Section 2135 of the General Statutes" This means that If the district hires a teacher who has a state certificate to teach anywhere in the state, she may, present her certificate to the board of school visitors and it shall be accepted by them in place of the usual leXamination.
 Now, while some of the best teachers may snot have been to any normal or training school, still 1 believe that the best work as a rule is done by those who have learned to teach under the instruc- tion of the state schools and in accord with the standards of the State Board of Education. But it is for the people to say, within certain limits, what the schools shall be; and primarily the re- sponsibility for the education of the chil. dren must rest upon the legal voters ot the districts and of the town TO. o. Wright.