Mower County transcript., 1901-10-09

his integrity aHd Judgment. Hence,
he can accom- plish much more IL de-
voting time tosa smaller nun bersOf
schools and school officers. Under
our presents ina county OF one !
hundred school officers, the County
Superintendents cannot Impress his
ideals by personal contact upon even
q EatOr fraction of them. 81 stt1. .z 4
Petty local jealousies are lost fn the
larger schools; neigh hborhood difficult
ties are less liable to occur; the bur-
dens Of taxation will be more evenly
distribated. sz ssS !. b FL.
This consolid alton into larger u nits
implies the tFanspOrta tton OF pupils
from the remoter parts OF the district
ttpublic expense. Where this plan is
operated, contracts are made with
drivers to convey pupils to aud from
school on scheduled time long stipu.s|
lated routes ID covered wagons pro-
vided with sufficient robes for the
comfort Sof the children;s i such drivers
tn abstain from the use of liquor and
indulgence in profane language. .*4
The testimony Of good authorities
REINFORCED by statistics proves that
this: -. sE}N H. h. - I
Increases the per cent OF enumer-
ated pupils enrolled greatly reduces
irregular attendan ce and tardiness,
also quarreling and improper cond uct
On the way to and from school. u ~.
This is better for the health OF the
children, they being, less exposed to
wet feet and clothing and the ills re.
sulting therefrOm.
~ Inciden tails, as. transportation pro-
'mUtesS the "'goOd roads" movement
and makes easy the daily, distribution
Of m all throughout the district II 81
In many places consolidation and i
financial saving. The cost OF main
except the small item Oftext books
where loaned free of charge, is as
great as&One <Df fifty pupils, ! teachers
wages, fuel, insurance, aud incident
ais being the same The work OF two,s
three Or four of small schools
can often better. be done by one or
two, and experience shows that trans-
portation is much cheape tina n 5thez
maintenance of separate schools.
For mum Der of years Minnesota
has felt the need of consolidation. In
1886 a bill providing a. township sys-
#tem was under confederation by the
Legislature. State Superintendent is
Kiehle, Pendergasts and Lewis, have
al appreciated the.ueed. SIn his Bien.,
nial Reports sof '94 and '96, Superin-'
tendent PeDdergast ably discussed
the question, comprehensively setting
forth the advantages 50f com bining
smaller districts and ceasing to make
new ones. ~.
{ 1897 the Legislature passed a law
whereby the electors OF any organized
b0Wnsffp insthiss sta ate, may at any
general or special election held there
in, organize township graded school:
But the State ofaa MinnesOta being
segregated by lakes, rivers and other
natural BARRIERS. is not. we'll adapted
geographically tothe township dis
trlct system. = Moreover our present
district system, with it's over burdened
democracy OF governments. has edu-
Gated the people away from that sys-
tenn for half a century. Township
lines and school district lines are very
often not coincident, and as the town
ship is hardly unit of government in
this state, for any purpose whatever
except to lay out.and occasionally re-.
pair cart-way it becomes manifest
ly unnatural to employ the township
as unit OF school administration.
Wherefore, under this law, township
graded schools have not been estab-
lished.
The last Legislature, however, gave
the state most excellent law pro-
,vtding for the organization OF inde-s
pendent school districts. by cOnsoli-
dating two or more adjoining dis
tries and providing for the transpor-
tation of children to and from scboo n
at public expense. Briefly stated.
numb Der of adjoining districts may
organize into one, and provide forkhe1
transportation of pupils, upon ipeN-1
~tion OF q majority Of the :freeholderss.
In each Of the districts which are pro-
posed to be so organized, ), ratified bYsaY
vote of the majority of She voters
therein. When such organtzatfonis
effected, the district. is governed by
the laws relating to tndependen
school districts, enabling such dis
trict, ,ifeOnditionsi W arrant it, to pro-
vide ajhigh school, ntitle to- Of 600
special aid, . state graded school en-:
titled TO- i$400 special aid, q semi
graded school entitled I'd 900 special:
zafd Tor al dietrict school entitled to-
500 special aid. ...s s#s:@ ..& go i
3z Under prey Yalling conditions, this i'd
many places will ena ble a mum ber Of
smaller districts to unite into larger,
ones, secure the special state aid, and
provide much better school facilities
without. added cost, or even for less
than the aggregate cost OF these small
districts, Minnesota has, I believe,
| the best law OF flthesszakind in existence
to-day, and under 1T, may. reach results
as beneficial as those achieved in
Massachuse etts, Connecticut, Rhode.
Island and Ohio. s;.:. !. sz5:=@= - 81. E
By this means, country districts
|; may have gram mar and high schools
without any radical change Of system.
The SIN all rural school offers no
educational future TO the boy; it holds
for him no adyancing 8 interest to
|c0unteract the allnrements outside Of