Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-04-15
Graded Schools in the County.

In his last annual message Governor
Hastings proposed the improvement OF
country schools by the practical consol-
idation of the rural districts for the
support of high school in each town
ship, or even in contiguous townships
where circumstances may favor. and
one of our exchanges makes the follow
ing argument for this plan.
This would do away with the little
country school houses in the several
districts and substitute for them a
large building centrally located for the
accommodation of the children of the
whole township. If this can be done
il will give TO every boy and girl in the
rural districts all the educational ad-
vantages that the residences Of good
sized villages enjoy The Superintend-
ent of Public Instruction OF New
York has recommended the adoption OF
the same plan in that state; but II has
remained for Ohio to carry the idea IN
TO practice.
1t is stated that the plan has been
tried in some of the towns of the West
eru reserve. and that il has been found
not only workable but economical Il
was first adopted in Kingsville. Ashta-
buIa county. and is therefore known in
the State as the -Kingsville Plan g.
The novel features Of the plan are, Of
course. the erection OF large building
near the centre OF the township, and
the provision for free transportation for
the children who live too far distant TO
permit their walking to and from the
l. = o1,r IL oh n
build one goOd-sized schOol-house to
accommodate the pupils Of whole
township than it is to build and keep
ND from a dozen to a score of smaller
houses in the separate districts; and the
Ohio experiments have shown that even
with the cost of transportation added
the expense of the new graded schools
is less than the aggregate cost Of the
separate district schools.
The new plan provides for the free
transportation of the children in large
stages comfortably fitted up and ar
ranged to be either open or covered
These stages are run under contracts
let to the lowest possible bidder. The
routes are made to pass every home, and
the stages start every school-day morn
ing from the EXTREMIST limits OF the
township and gather mp the children,
who are warned to get ready by the
blowing of horn. OF course the chll-
dren take lunch from home, and at
the end of the afternoon session the
stage takes them back home. This
system which has been tried in ONO
about two years. is said to work very
well indeed There seems to be no rea-
son why it would not work Just as well
in this part of the country.
The advantages of the new high
school system are obvious enough. The
children themselves will be taught IN
larger, betterappointed buildings than
now More competent teachers and
those better fitted to teach the several
grades will be employed, and as fewer
teachers will be needed they
naturally be better paid. The
health of the pupil will be less en-
dangered, for they will not be required
to trudge to school through rain and
mud or snow in all sorts of weather,
and to sit six hours day in uncomfort-
able poorly-ventilated rooms. They
will be taught something more than
the three Rs" and the stimulant of his
environment and the example of com
panions of his own grade will promote
the advancement of each student to the
higher branches The adult citizens of
the township will also derive advant-
ages from the growth of a community
of feeling between the districts, from
the promotion of general interest in a
public school in which the whole town
ship will have reason to feel just
pride and from an enlarged educational
horizon for all the people
BEAVER, Butler, Lawrence and Mer-
Ger are Republican counties, but still
this district lost n ConorezSmau on one