The Opelousas courier., 1900-10-06
The School Board.

SlOus .GuaUs1tty dllu tW0Guesl OIIoNV-
ing day, and finally adjourned late
Tuesday afternoon until Thurs
day next, without having located
any schools or appointed any
teachers. There was, a serious
and apparently irreconcllable diff
ference among the, members as to
the manner of distributing the
funds !; and while five members
a majority of one--were in favor.
of paying all the expenses con-
nected with the schools out of one
general fund, as heretofore, they
did not care to ride roughshod
over the very persistent opposi-
sition of the four other members,
who insisted that the distribution
should be made among the wards
according to the number of edu-
cable children in each, but with
out regard to the amount of mon
ey paid into the treasury by each !;
and adjournment until next
Thursday was decided upon for
the purpose of allowing all the
members to study up this new
question in all It's bearings, and
with the hope that harmonious
conelusion might then be reached.
While all the members Of the
Board profess the greatest friend :.
ship to the High School, five of
them thought that its universally
recognized usefulness might be
impaired by the adoption of the
plan SO persistently urged by the
minority and as those five, at
least, are fully imbued with the
conviction that the High School
Ieught to be run nine .or ten
months, and would be run that
long if a fair apportionment of
the funds were made, they did not
care ostry an experiment where
by it might be run less than
eight, as heretofore. Unless a
considerable numberof the e-schools
which have fallen below the pre-
scribed average in attendance are
closed, there will only be funds
enough TO run the schools about
six months. To close the High
School at the end of a six on
seven months term would not on
ly be a manifest injustice to the
town, which contributes enough
money to the State and parish, to
run 1T nine or ten smonthss but it
would be d calamity tothe entire
parish, many of Che children frem
other wards receiving instruction
in the. higher branches here. As
to the Washington High School,
there seems to be unanimous dis
position among the members to
treat.it with perfect fairness, and
as long a term as that given The
| IOpelousas school would be no
more than Washington is. entitled
to, owing to its heavy eontlibu-
ton for the support of the State
and parish governments but the
claims for increased salaries for
Its teachers, when there is not
enough money to go around, and
when as compared to- the High
ISchool here, its teachers are al
ready overpaid. cit having cost
last term about 20 cents more per
month to educate chlld in Wash
ington than in OpeIousas, where
| much more extensive curricu-
lum is taught), do not seem to be
Fat all reasonable. The trouble
with the special champions of the
Washington schools that they are
so proud of their. fegeling that
they look upon it as a sort OF
Minerva, which the ancient myths
and traditions tell us&"spfang
full-fedged from the brain OF
.Jove.o and are oblivious or for
getful of the fact that. the High
School here began with $50
principal and ether teachers with
proportionate salaries, and even
Then had larger attendance than
the Washington school has to-
day. It now has an attendance
/ more than 21s times greater than
| the Washington school, it teaches
a large number of branches not
taught in Washington, and yet
| the cost Of educating a child here
lis 20 cents less per month Than in
Washington. The addition Of
$25 already made to the salary OF
| the Washington principal will
lfurhter increase the cost of edu-
/ eating a child in that school, and
lit would seem to most reasonable
persons that d still further in
| crease, under the circumstances, is
mot to be thought Of.
/ We hope that when the Board
meets next week it will have ma
.lturely considered these and many
other germane points, and be pre-.
pared to act wisely, justly and
/ Iharmoneeusly in the matter.
/ Mr.. Beauchamp Andersen is
now in the employ Of Mr.. Ike
Roos in the cotton business. MIR
IR. is to be congratulated in secn.
ling the services Of our efficient
i q s,Tl a1anroptin yo,1nu friend Beau