The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-11-21

for the Lack of samcieat Support
Superintendent stryksr Wants to mako
Arrangement for the Eqs.i,s~siea OF
TAXATION. and Also for the Quick rr.ns-
portatioa OF ChsIdrsl In Que Disfr,es
with 80 sehoo, to Nesx hsarsns Dsssrscs
Where the Accomodafssas Are Coed
Topeka. Kan. Nov. Nan extensive
reform In the me.hods Il management
OF the Kansas SCHOOLS Is beginning Nm
der the Populist state government.
First. there was tie adoption % state
textbooks. Now IL Is sought to Change
the system 81 taxation for scncol pur-
poses. The state superintendent has
taken much interest in the matter and
mas issued an urgent appeal 70 tas
teachers TO make Il a matter % discus
sion in every school district in oae state.
He thinks that TIE country Schools are
badly used in Kansas and tha; IL IL un-
fair that they should not have the same
advantages as have the schools % the
towns.
There are lac school districts. wTiers
three monuas or less OF school is held
each year; 5s4 have four months II
school: ia have five months: 2.7e- have
six months; 2.43o have seven months:
l.744 have eight months and seventeen
have zen months. The daily attendance
is as widely varying. In 72s districts
there are five or fewer pupils: l. 2s2 havs
six 10 ten pupils; in LII are eleven to
sixteen pupils; in LA are sixteen 10
wsnty pupils; In l,4i7 are twenty 10
/ twenty-five pupils; In sos are rwen,y-sx
! 70 thirty pupils. and i.2S4 schools re-
/ port an attendance ~ more than thirt-
/ ty; this number including all the schools
/ OF the smaller towns
/ The tax levy 70 support these schools
/ shows a wonderful range OF figures In
/ SIS districts the levy is mSas or less
| for school purposes: In 2.67o II IS 10
l 10 mills: in All IL 10 10 20 IS mills: in
/ $40 it is is 10 10 mills and $40 have lev
! led the full limit Of the law. walch is %
/ mills.
| State Superintendent Stryker COM
! ments strongly on these figures He
I says that IL is decidedly unfair 20 TIE
| poorer children ofthe state.
"A small school, he says. "a poorly
paid teacher and a term OF three or four
! montis aren OF conditions calculated ID
| produce the best results. The average
wages paid 10 district teachers Is be-
| tween $50 and s35. This amount Is not
50 large as has generally been suppos-
/ ed was invested In education IN rural
| districts. One reason why better pro-
/ vision has not been made IS that the
| burden az taxation falls with unequal
and crushing weight upon the weaker
| districts under our unjust system NJ
/ school taxation. These conditions are
/ not peculiar 70 western Kansas nor TO
| this state. for Kansas stands first edl-
| cationaIly in every respect. although
western Kansas mas not made 50 good
| a showing az has eastern Kansas. They
are conditions common 70 the rural
| schools in every state in the union and
they are growing worse instead Of bet
ter. The rural scaooi population in the
| United states is on the decrease. II is
a condition and not theory that con-
| fronts US. and l wish to suggest rem
| cdy."
| The present method % taxation was
esta bHshed at the foundation Of the
state and provides for separate districts
| for the purpose OF school taxation. The
| annual school meeting in July decides
/ on the amount 20 be spent during rns
| year for teachers salary and incsdeut-
/ ais. II the district - poor 4, I, small;
| IL il is rach the sum - large. The levy
| Is certified 20 by the county officers and
| they make me tax obligatory on all tbs
| property IN the district. In adation
| each district resolves percentage from
1 the STATE school fund. amounting now
| 70 arbou; &c cents a pupil. though in the
| decade preceding u was more than 20
cents TIE county turns cert1rn T1or-
/ evs into the scho1l fund. but THIS -
small. II a railroad passes through .
section It's valuation helps out AL dis
tricss which "a touches and makes tax
- lower on the people. In many places
in the safe two or thTe railroads run
parallel f1r qrniss and the districts
| through ahich they psss have largo
| ffitiou 10 taxable properly. In one
| district three railroads pass through -
| Tor cs0 miles Tae other property 10 ths
district - small but u has a fine brick
school house. and tne best teachers are
ENGAGED. al al A low rate ~ taxation
other districts alongsiis have no rail
ra4.is and Qe.s schools sre % FOUR
mon ~ Duration Instead . nine. thsir
s-h01l houses are small and Old al th-
rates OF taxation are twice s. Ercst 40
taev are In the one hat haz al f1s e1u-
cational advantages
TIE plan - TIE state s1pe-l n'en1eut
nv xaic1 be homes % overo1une al IN
e0uagties = ximpie Re has studied 'ne
uet7o8s % some q ne districts. Thico.
being TOO poor - nave .e5ool - 'o~'r
,H7 Bl-- = ,~arnvier 20 fzEs al - the
minis % the dissrt-; - toe scnop4 171s-
- s-r neirhs9rlaz district every csy ~
,aa term Trey dBi tast y pays Ia
f8I. ihe nsr plan prp,o>~s
4. Tast nBuloer - tiytrirfs an -
.r1uss.e~ = schools ss5Bl6 ~ rsiocsi
ana p-ovisi0a made ~ re trsns1o-ts-
tfou u ps1-.z whs live TOO FAR rom
r-as1l This Vii proven, Ersz< waste
r., money noE pad soT nsniAnzz sni
teaoaers saf inci3en;sl expenses To-
keeping 10 - msny ~1nzI @saayss
. 4 safe levy Or E-as1i purposes
-nsc.a Tll egstri butte the burden = tsH-
alton aJr~ eqaitsbly An9 sniel sssou1
- r1ficient - pay a. isssf 0ns-i1fr3
sne expenses. % ~ eight rTsorfzs' ~-ano4
IN every 18e-flct having AZ aFsrsEs a.
fendauce - tRsaiy - anHs Eara
s-a5sl she1is havs tat macy sffs
saa ~ term sh5ss1 - lsra fan ess1-
sngntas
= 4 hI<arr sfanssfi - g7sif1saf4on
sor - -.fFs T-ss age hTes saysi1 -
sassea. - sss3sa ,se esDcsti9nss sos
n-s-a-~sar.si re-ssises1sass flae r~ssoa
zsy - i.sfs- pryzrees 80 beez srs9s -
- s-r,-~v7nx ,ae csEstf-fen ~ or 10