The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1897-07-16
NEWTOWN, CONN., FRIDAY JULY Is l897-EIGHT PAGES
Town Topics.
Our Public Schools.
THE DISTRICT SYSTEM A RELIC OF BY
GONE DAYS.


a tax On its own property to hire the
teacher who "boarded round" to save
expense, the district was a necessity,
perhaps, and served its purpose well.
But now that the State, and the town at
large pay for the schooling of the chill
dren. on equal terms, the district sys-
lem has become a hinderance to the
cause of education and an instrument of
injustice and cruelty in the clutches of
politicians. AS the Secretary of the
State Board says in his last report:
''There are in the state two distinct
systems of school administration. One,
the original town system, is distin-
guished by single board of officers and
a direct, efficient, and reasonable method
of doing business. The other, the dis
trict system, is distinguished by two in
dependent sets of officers, the one hiring
and paying teachers and caring for
schoolhouses, land the other examining
teachers and supervising the schools"
Under the district system he says:
There is no definate delimitstion of
duties and there is confusion of duties
and action" 1t appears that there are
81 towns that have the town system and
ia still struggling with the district sys-
TEN, while few towns have district
system organized under the Gen. Statutes
and still few others have special char
ters. The appropriation of public money
for public schools is regulated by law.
Secs. 1S9, 100, School Laws: 1.-The
school visitors and selectmen in each
town shall, as a joint board present an
estimate of the cost If such schools for
the current school year.
Said board shall also, on or before the
18th day of October in each year, fix the
several amounts which in their judgment
will be sufficient to pay the wages of
teachers Cincluding board), fuel, and the
Incidental expenses of maintaining the
schools in the various districts
for the period during the current year,
that schools are required by law, CT by
vote of the town, to be maintained"
The law requires SO weeks of school
for the year in each district. l am not
aware of any vote in this town requiring
more. If there is any such vote it has
not been needed during the last four
years. Some of the schools have been
kept SO weeks, or less, and some 40
weeks, according to the amount of ap-
or the will of the district, or
for some other reason.
The law provides, in the same section
quoted above that, "If any district, by
the teachers board, or any
of the incidental expenses of the school,
be enabled to continue its school beyond
the time required by law, said district
shall, subject to the approval of the
board of school visitors, be entitled to
the whole amount so fixed"
Now it is plainly the first duty Of the
board which makes the appropriations
to treat the districts fairly and Justly
alike in the use of the public money, and
to give so far as possible the children of
the town equal advantages and the best
that can be offered. AS the State Board
puts in the last report: "To the taxpay-
ers, who contribute more than s., 600, 900
annually to educate the children of the
State, it is common fairness and Justice
that the money should giveithe oest edu-
education which the times de-
mand and the money warrants"
What right, legal, or moral, has the
joint board of this town to take the
money of the taxpayers collected for
the common good, and appropriate it
so that the children of one district shall
have 40 weeks of schooling while an
other has but Sc? What right has one
district to q better teacher than others
have, so far as the public funds go in the
matter? What right has one district
more than another to graded school,
except as the number of children to be
taught may require more than one
teacher2
One child has Just as much right as
another to the benefit of the best teach
ing and accessories of the common
school; but on the other hand what
right has the board of school visitors to
maintain school in which it win cost
twice as much to give each child such
benefits as It would in another!
To certain extent the quality and
the quantity of work to be done should
be considered; but why should one
teacher draw from 500 to $40 per month,
while another teacher does the samz
grade of work better for s25 per month
Why should the grand list of Poota-
tuck district be assessed to pay for 8
school not needed in Middle district
Why should the Middle be taxed to pay
$500 more than is necessary for thu
Sandy Hook schoolf Why should