North Park union., 1901-01-04
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE FOR
THE SCHOOLS OF COLORADO

about the restitution Of the iunds o'-
ycrted from their lawful use.
The rural school system. Mrs. Hren-
fell says. IL much at fault. Upon this
subject she snys:
The chief evils Of country schools
are unequal taxation, short ana ule
quail terms. unequal equipment, un
trained and poorly paid teacheis .
snmll schools, lax supervision. ohuel
the existing method OF administrator
it sometimes occurs that dls.r'c,'
through Its large school popuiatioi' =,
able to maintain nine months schooi
without special taxation, Whiie ns
neighbor, because OF the few persons
resident within 1t and Its low assesseu
valuation can have hut four months
term, although taxing itself TO the
maximum limit allowed by law. The
wealthy and populous district Is pien
tifully supplied with reference anu IL
brary books. maps, charts, globes, etc'
while its neighbor is forced to do with
out these aids to successful teacnlng:
In many districts the directors regard
1t of less Importance to secure teach
er Of skill and training than one who
wil exchange his efforts for a smaH
amount of money. Districts may be
established wherever there are ten
persons of school age, and once estab-
iished may be continued indefinitely,
even when there is no longer a child
to be educated. Every one famiiihr
with school administration knows that
the maintenance Of school for two
or three pupils is an extravagant ex-
penditure Of money, and knows, too,
that the consolidation Of several
small schools into one graded schooi
would result in immeasurable benefit
to the pupils as well as economy OF
funds. The efforts of the superintend-
ent divided among many small scnoois
nre less effective than they would be
II his time and energy were given 10
fewer and larger schools: and in many
instances the salary Is so insignihcaht
that n competent person cannot be ex-
pected to give his entire time to the
work. Close and skillful supervision
is as rare as 1t ID desirable.
To remedy these evils, Mrs. Grenfeii
recommends that the district system
be abolished and the county be maoe
the unit of administration.
Uniform taxation. uniform lene.n
of term. and uniform equipment would
follow" Mrs. Grenfell says: FEWER
large schools would be maintained,
and remote pupils transported at the
public expense; the higher salaries
made possible by consolidation OF
schools would attract better teachers
and supervision might become some
thing more than name.
1.-The compulsory education law,
says the superintendent. in her report
applicable to third class districts,
sadly fails to accomplish Its Intended
purpose. Its enforcement is made the
business of everybody In general and
nobody in particular. 1t contains
provision relieving from educational
responsibility the parents OF children
living more than two miles from the
school house. In the sparsely settled
localities Of our state 1t is impracti-
cable to place n school house within
two miles Of each child, and while
most of our people are anxious for the
education of their children. and many
Of them make heroic sacrifice to this
end. yet some avail themselves OF the
weakness Of the law to permit their
children to grow up In utter ignor-
anCp"