The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-01
JOHNSTON SCHOOLS.

ent of the schools Of Johnston, showing
how the financial interests of the town
would not suffer, but, on the contrary,
be gamer by a reorganization from the
district system of conducting the schools
into the town system. The voters of
Johnston are to act on this matter
on Monday. and friends of education all
over the State will hope that
the change will be effected and that the
district system of management will be
overruled in favor of the town system.
Aud there are other good reasons.
aside from those of better handling OF
the finances, for making the change.
Other considerations are indeed
predominant, as they should be.
Under the present district system
of management, the teachers are now
hired by the trustees of the various dis
tricts. Now the trustees, particularly
Of the country section, jealous as they
naturally are of their prerogatives, are
not in position TO know what the quail
ifications are of those who apply for
places. The chances are that the first
applicant will get the appointment.
Sometimes she is capable. II so, il is a
piece Of good luck for the district.
Sometimes she is not, in which case the
district suffers.
Now, the school committee always
has list of teachers of whose abilities
it knows. 1t has information from the
State commissioner of schools, the
master of the Normal School, or
| from others, as to what given
teachers education is, where she
has taught, and what her success has
been. This being so, it is safe to say
that the selection of teachers would be
made with greater care by the commit
tee than by the trustees. And when you
get right down to the root of the matter
| IL is often difficult to induce the right
man to accept the position Of trustee.
He who takes the place often does it
from sense of duty, because the office
cannot be thrust upon anyone else
Again, some of our school buildings
are in bad state of repair. They could
be put in good condition for small
expense; but the districts will not impose
upon themselves tax to make the neces-
sary repairs. The committee and super
intendent are powerless to do anything.
If, on the other hand, the schools were
all under the management of the town,
the necessary money would be taken
from the school appropriation to
put the buildings into suitable state Of
repair. Further, under the district
system there is an unfortunate
division of responsibility on the
part of the teacher. She is
directly responsible to the trustee, who
hires her and pays her salary. and whom
she is naturally anxious to satisfy. In
directly she is responsible to the school
committee and superintendent. Under
these circumstances it is-trying,
as she must be, to serve
her two masters--impossible to carry
out any settled line of policy in the
school work. And IL aught goes wrong.
the committee can assign the blame to
the trustee, and the trustee in turn to
the committee. 1t is difficult to locate
responsibility.
For the reasons which we have given
we strongly hope that the town system
will be adopted. One should
hesitate before opposing such
historic institution as the district
system. But its age is, we think, its
only claim to respect. 1t involves an
amount of cumbersome and useless ma
chinery, with which the town had bet
ter dispense.
The conclusions which Superintendent
PIRCE and his associates have reached in
this matter are not based solely on theo-
retical grounds, but on observation and
experience in the workings of
the Johnston public schools. The
different school superintendents of
the town, for the past seven
or eight years, have been in favor of the
change. Many men from other towns,
interested in educational matters, have
talked with them in regard to this |
matter, and they agree, without ex-
ception, upon the superiority of the town |
system. Mr.. THOMAS B. STocKwELL,
whose wide experience as commissioner
of schools In Rhode Island for 20 years
enables him to speak with authority,
says the arguments are all for, and none
against. the town system.
In word the financial objections to
the measure are largely imaginary, and
rest on a Misunderstanding Of the law.
The other considerations are all in
favor Of the adoption of the
town system. II is in the line
Of progress. 1t will put the country
school buildings in respectable condition.
1t will give better teachers. 1t will inn