The Newtown bee., 1900-06-08
SCHOOL NOTES,

\
 l Under the consolidated system tn l schools Of New Milford have greatly i'm proved in efficiency. A brief statement of what has been accomplished may be of interest. The system was adopted ir 1893, at that time under years of the old district rule, the school buildings ot many outside districts had become ahab. by, and in some instances utterly unfit for use. Since 1893 nearly all the school buildings have been considerably repair. ed and furnished with modern and com. fortable seats. In four districts new and excellently arranged echooihouses have been erected at cost of some $6O00. Previous to 1893 the Center schools had been for three or four years on high basis of efficiency but the out side schools had sunk to low grade for the most part being taught without sys tenn or adequate supervision. Some first class teachers were employed but as & rule, and especially during the Spring and Fall term, the individual pre- ference of the committee man and ties of rela- tionship had more weight in the selec tion of teachers than ef11ciency did. Nor were committees selected because of special fitness or expert knowledge of school methods. Those who desired to avail themselves of the High schooi privileges paid the Center rchool 5Os per week for attendance of each child. There were districts where main strength was the most desirable qualification which teacher couli possess, since the local committee would rarely interfere in cases of refractory pupils. There were districts in which no outhouses existed, and others in which these were filthy be- yond description, it being nobody's busi- ness to see to them. There were districts in which the schoolhouse itself was fall. ing to pieces and stood practically open to the elements for the district must be taxed if repairs were made. There were districts in which the committee man could neither read TOT write and districts in which the committee mans only en- deavor was to get through the years schooling with the least possible ex. pense. All these evils were inseparable from the system of district control. Un. der town management, a competent school board, it's membeSs representing every section of the town, manage all the schools with view to efficiency only. Better teachers, better buildings, better and more systematic superinte ndence, and the greater progress Of pupils mark the present system, while every pupil in town can avail himself of the Center High school privileges without cost. Meanwhile the school property of the town at large has increased in value py some $6000. This has added about 5000 yearly to the total expenses of the town but has not increased at all the actual operating expenses of schools. There is no increased expense under consolida- tion unless better teachers are employed and increased expense in that direction ia true economy. In New Milford the constant increase in enumeration in the Center and the general tendency of par ents to send their children there from outside districts have resulted in the ad- dition of four new rooms and corre- spending number of teachers. Aside from the increase in number of teachers and the cost of new or repair of old buildings there has been no increase in the cost of schools, but great gain in general ef1ciency. The teachers employ ed for ensuing year are as follows:
 Center-Room l, Miss Lena Botsford 1; Room 2, ,AMiss Edith Wadhams; Room 3, Miss Ida Marsh; Room 4 Miss Yaronica Murphy; Room 5, Mss Edith Dsar l; Room 6, Miss May TurrIll; Room ',