Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-01-31
THE TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL
CHILDREN.

/ u NnliNfciA5 ~ fiSci SNuOoip u iAtttcSitN
The functions Of boards Of education and
those in authority in the administration Of
the schools in our State, have so far been
limited in two propositions: First-That
of supplying buildings to be used for
schools, and in those buildings formulating
and carrying into effect the educational
part of their work. It has not been CON
sidered that any obligation existed outside
the school, and consequently no thought or
care has been given to the child beyond the
limits Of the sehoolyard. OF later years
what is known as the truant law has been
systematically taken up, and on the plea Of
compulsory education efforts have been
made by those in authority to exercise
their control over the children outside the
original limits. With this exception, the
care Of children has not been assumed BY
school boards outside the limits of the
building and its environment. On the other
hand, the family, while approaching the
importance of some watchfulness over
the children in the period that
elapses between leaving the house and
arriving at the school, exercises nc particu-
lar control over their care and welfare, so
that there is gap in the child's career, in
which it works out its own end, to its
detriment or good, as chance or circum-
stances may direct.
In this State in the last few years thought
and consideration, and even legislation,
have been had on the subject Of transporta-
ton of children from their homes to their
place OF education, but, as a rule, so little
attention has been given to the proposition
that it NAV be safe to say that many here
tlao nbi1-
dren, and many others do not think it OF
sufficient Importance to ever discuss the
matter in the meetings Of their respective
boards
It may be confidentially assumed, how
ever. that with the continual demand for
better school facilities and higher standard
Of education this very question Of transpor-
tation will be an important factor for higher
work, and the experience that has been had
in other localities will serve as guide for
future efforts in this State.
The first element suggesting the neces-
sity Of transportation is what a great many
States in the East are experiencing, and
that is the decline Of the rural schools. In
the last thirty-fve years the rural popula-
ton of New York has decreased one-third.
Of the II, coo school districts nearly three
thousand, or more than one-fourth, have six
pupils or less and two-thirds have less than
twenty-one. Vermont has 153 schools with
less than seven pupils each. Maine has
LOCO with less than twelve. Wisconsin
has 1873 with less than six; S5S others with
less than eleven, with total Of 3, :322 with
less than twenty-one. In New Jersey the
tendency, while not so great as in New
York, is for the rural school to decrease,
and when you find, as I have found, a
school with only five children, it can be
easily seen that true educational ideas de-
mand its adjustment.
From the reports received it appears that
eighteen States have law allowing the
transportation of pupils at public expense,
and thirteen are availing themselves Of the
privilege The following is the list: Con
necticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Maine, Massachusetts,, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, New York. North Dakota,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and New
Jersey. These States have nearly half the
population of the United States. In Maine
the committee may transport or pay the
board of the pupils at a suitable place near
any established school, Maine has 600
SClUOlS dNtldSIiS 1Coo tIltlii Till UCCll Duplle
each The fact that school districts have
been abolished OF that the school committee
has suspended schools does not necessarily
entitle the public school children to c0As
yeyance.
New Hampshire and Yershont have laws
which allow the use Of not more than q
per cent. of tbf-school money for transpor-
tatlon purposes, and in Vermont this may
be done on a written application from ten
resident taxpayers to transport scholars
who reside more than one and one-hali
miles from the school house. The popu-
larity of the movement in Vermont may be
judged from the State Superintendent's
report that within the past ten years the
amount expended for transportation has
increased over 400 per cent. The Law on
transportation in New Jersey is defined in
Article XIX, Section 1871 Page PSI, Laws
of 1900, and | give the section in full, as il
gives full idea of the different objects foI
which money may be raised
The legal voters of each school district
situate in township, city, incorporated
town or borough, not divided into wards,
may, at any annual or special meeting o.
said legal voters, by the vote Of q majority
of those present, raise by special district
| tax such a sum or sums as a majority Of
said legal voters present at such meeting
may agree upon forany or all OF the follow
| ing purposes to enable the Board Of Educa-
ton to purchase land for school purposes, K
| build, enlarge, repair Or furnish a school
house, or pay debt incurred therefor; fol
| industrial schools, for manual training and
| for the current expenses of the schools IL
which term shall be included principals
| teachers, janitors' and medical inspectors
salaries, fuel, text books, school supplies
| flags, transportation Of pupils, tuition d
pupils attending school in other districts
with the consent of the Board Of Education
school libraries, compensation Of the district
clerk, of the custodian of the school moneys
and Of truant officers, truant schools, insur-
ance and the incidental expenses Of the
schools.
This law seems to apply only to districts
not divided into wards, but Sections 81
Article VII, Page 216, says
Any such board shall have all the powers
granted to boards Of education under other
articles of this act, except as they are limit
ed by or are inconsistent with the provisions
| of this article, and this then gives the power
to adopt transportation to all kinds Of
school boards and make the law uniform in
the State and is unlimited in its applica.
ton
| The condition Of the rural schools and
the matter of transportation in Massa-
chusetts is the subject of a special report
| by G. T. Fletcher, agent of the Massa-
chusetts Board Of Education. From this
we learn that Massachusetts, enacted law
| in 1869 providing for the conveyance Oh
pupils to and from public schools. The
| first town to take advantage OF this was
Quincy, closing two schools in 1874
In 1889 Agent G. A. Walton found that
the cost of educating pupils in some small
schools was $50 each, while the schools OF
| twenty-five pupils the cost was $40 each
| The growth Of conveyance in Massachusetts
| is shown by the increased expenditure,
$22, 900 in 1889-90, 100000 in 1S90-9l,
$50. 900 in 1929, $91, 900 in 1886,
$123, 900 in 1897-95 and $124, 400 in 1893
80. Another superintendent in Massa-
chusetts reports favorable results after eigh-
teen years of trial Less sickness among
transported children, and a saving Of $500
annually. Sixty per cent. OF the towns
raise money by specific appropriations,
separate from the regular school funds AZ
per cent. make the regular school tax cover
| the cost of conveyance, so per cent. convey
| the whole distance. In the other towns
the children walk to some designated point,
| except in some cases. the carriage gees to
each home in stormy weather In some
cases conveyance is furnished only in
Winter or stormy weather. Sometimes the