Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1898-09-15
Vile Misrepresentation.
EDITOR BULLET1N:--As the

| wv tuSASo "iiIeOh ny TWO pro-
fessed friends of the public schools
in this town and containing mis-
representations, | feel they should
not be passed by without answer
ing; for people who intend coming
to Mountain Home this fall to
place their children in school
where they can have all the ad-
vantages of good graded school
may be misled by the articles in
question and cause them to change
their minds and go to some other
place.
There has been no positive asser-
lion made by the board of trustees
dorsey and Hanley, the third
member being a nonresident of
this State), that school would only
be for six months. They have said
six months school and as much
longer as the money would admit
of. Is there anything wrong in
that, or "usurpation of power"?
Ii | understand this school matter
and its finances correctly, it is this:
The past five years the board of
trustees have been trying to MAIN
tain yearly an eight months school,
and the levy as made by them each
year to meet the expenses has fallen
quite short of their calculations and
the trustees have been obliged to
borrow money on their notes to
pay the teachers, thinking the next
levy would straighten affairs so as
to have smoother sailing-and to
this day itremains where it started,
still behind. The present trustees
have their names to note now in
the bank at Boise to be paid out of
this years revenue from taxes. The
present board of trustees (Hanlev
and Dorsey, the other non-resi-
dent of Idaho), have said they will
not in future, or during their term
OF office, contract any obligations
beyond the amount they can meet
with the money raised for this pur-
pose, although "the people" may
have said at their school meeting
in June an eight months school
shall be had, is there any provision
in the school laws demanding of
the trustees that they must go out
and borrow money on their note to
maintain the eight months school?
| think not-and who can blame
the trustees for taking the stand
they have?
"Kicker," in his epistle in the
Republican, brings up the propo-
sition submitted to the people some
time ago of the ACCESSIBILITY of max
ing this an Independent school dis
trict, and as he says it was thor
oughly discussed and voted down
by III against to sd in it's favor.
Right there is where the people of
Mountain Homo made their error,
if they desired long-term school,
as the school law very plainly says
independent districts must main
tain a nine months school-thus
taking it out of the hands of the
people and the trustees to say how
long school shall continue. The
progressive towns of Idaho to-day
are enjoying the benefits of an in
dependent school district while we
are trying to sustain eight months.
The doings of the present board
dorsey and Hanley) is meeting
with popular approval, especially
by the parents who have children
to attend the school, and if any
complaints are being made it's from
"Kicker" and one of the 1T who,
to judge of their complaints, have
no children attending school.
AS for the comparison made in
the Republican stating the number
of scholars on commencement of
school this month as al against
100 a year ago, also comparing
rooms with pupils in, appears to
me as reflection upon two of the
teachers with purpose of creating
further discord. 1t is to the credit
of these two teachers to say that
through their terms of school when
formerly engaged here they had in
their respective rooms full at
tendance during the terms they
were employed, and l predict this:
that either of their rooms at the end
of the school period will have more
pupils than was in the principal
and grammar rooms combined at
the close of the last school year.
In defense of the board of trus-
tees dorsey and Hanley, the other
being nonresident and not pres
ent), they have the confidence of
the people and are heartily sus-
tanned in their doings, even to The
accepting of Prof. Koontz and Miss
Hills designations, as they have
engaged teachers in their places to
the satisfaction of every one who
has children going to school, and
not a murmer can be heard to the
contrary with reasonable excuse.
| am sorry, Mr.. Editor, to occupy
this space in your paper on this
subject, as the public school should
be upheld by all; but the mislead-
ing articles published in the Re
publican paper lately, casting re-
Elections and insinuations. feel