The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-08-31
ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Principal Points Of the Public School
Law Explained.
Matter of Interest to the Township
School Trustees.
BY HON. c. II. MEBANE,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.

school Trustees.
BY HON. c. II. MEBANE,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
To The ToWnship Trustees:
For your guidance and direction in
performing the duties Of the office OF
Township Trustees, / send you this
circular of general information in re-
gard to your official duties.
! repeat what | said to Township
Committees two years ago, that your
services and YOUR labor must be that
of love and patriotism, as there is no
compensation provided for you.
We now have three sets of public
school officers, to-wit: The County
Board of Directors, the Township
Trustees and the District Committees
COMMITTEE of three for each school
house, but wish to impress upon you
that the success or failure Of our
public schools for the next two years
will depend very largely upon you
and your efforts.
ORGANIZATION AND RECORDS OF TKUS-
| wish to urge YOU to keep COM
pletc and accurate record OF all your
official acts. Purchase book and
keep an account with the County
Board of Directors as to the amount
OF money this Board apportions to
your township at each time. The
Township Trustees may pay for re-
cord book and stationery for their
Secretary out of the township fund
received from County Board of Direc-
tors.
FORMATION OF DISTRICTS.
See section u OF the School Law
as to your duty on this point.
wish to impress upon your mind that
this is The one thing which has caused
more injury to the public schools
than any other coming under my
observation. Our school fund has
increased several hundred thousand
dollars within the last ten wears, and
yet the length of school terms re-
naains JracttcaLty the same, and why,
because we have kept dividing up the
territory. Instead of having one gooo
school of five or six months in some
places we find we have three tWo
months schools. These things ough
not to be.
SCHOOL NEAR TOWNSHIP LINE.
A school at or near township line
may be had by the consent of the
Trustees of the adjacent townships,
subject to the approval Of the County
Board of School Directors. Tn,
rustees of the territory intereste,
must decide how much money eacf
township will apportion for the sup
port of such school, and also thu
number of children assigned from
each township interested.
The committee for a school OF thl
location may be appointed one from
each of the two townships having
interest, aud allowing these two to
select 4 third man if the Trustees
cannot agree on the third man.
In the transfers of children to meet
conditions of this kind, the pro ratI
share Of the school money of thu
township from which they are trans
ferred should be transferred to thu
! school where the children attend.
No DISTRICT WITH LESS THAN SIXTY
FIVE CHILDREN.
If the Trustees find that there arr
| too many school houses in the town
ship (Ohich IN many places IS sO,) ant
| the average is less than sixty-tivt
| pupils to the school, then it will be
their duty mot only not to create a
| section ~ reads, but | construe thi:
to mean those already created as tc
| siNty-tive children) to decrease thu
number until the schools will averag,
! siNtv-tive children of school age, O
if the average is greater than thi
the trustees should not hesitate t,
| discontinue any school wherever i
can be done, and thereby make good
strong schools instead of poor
| inefficient ones.
| 1t will not be necessary for eacf
| house to have siNty-tive children, nj
| more and no less, for on account o
| geographical reasons in certain
localities. impossible streams anc
creeks and sparsely settled com
munities, it may not be practicable
to have siXty-tive, but we may hav,
other schools in the township wher'
| there are ninety or one hundred
children. Remember, that the CREATE
the arerage, the teWcr the schools an
consequently the longer the school tern,
DIVIDING LINES BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS
The Township Trustees must de
termine the dividing lines between
the various schools in their township
so as to designate the school for tn
children in each locality to attend
These lines may be changed or con
tinued as they have been formerly
Changes should be made wherever i
will afford better accommodation TO
the children and better results il
| general for the schools.
Better have the children walk tw,
miles to good school than to hare
| poor school for them near their DOORS
| ArPORTIONMENT, HOW MADE.
The apportionment made by tn
County Board of Directors to tn,
township is per capita to the schoo
population, but section % of Schoo
Law you will see reads thus: Il
shall be the duty of the Township
School Trustees to distribute ant
apportion the school money of thei
township so as to give each school il
their township. for each race, tn,
same length of school term as nearl,
As may be each year" etc.
This is the most delicate work vol
will have to do. and l urge YOU t.
use your greatest wisdom and care
| Your authority here is very great
and your responsibility is CORES
pondingly great.
You will have REGARD To the Grad,