The Opelousas courier., 1901-02-09
Our Town School.

meet IN special session next Mon
day, to h~day it adjourned at
the regular January meeting, and
among the matters to be consid-
cred, after ascertaining more def
initely the resources at the dis
posal of the Board, are whether a
number Of poorly attended country
schools should not he closed at
the end of the current month and
whether the primary, intermediate
and grammer grades of the Opel
ousas and Washington schools,
which are very we'll attended-in
the Opelousas school they arc
Observation-Disclosures not be run
for at least eight months. At a
meeting of the Board held last
fall, before the opening of the
schools, after much Wrangling, a
compromise resolution was adopt
ed providing for the opening of
nearly all the country schools for
as long a term as the funds of the
Board would permit, after sufli-
cient amount had been deducted
and laid aside for running the
High Schools in Opelousas and
Washington for term of eight
months. AT the January meeting
this resolution was modified so
that only the High School depart
mentS of these schools should be
run eight months, the other de-
partments to close when the
country schools would be closed.
Should this plan be carried out,
net only would the usefulness of
these High Schools be still further
curtailed, but the two communi-
ties which pay the largest proper
tion of taxes and which appreciate
most the educational advantages
their children would be
unjustly as we'll as unwisely dealt
with. Mr.. L. .Sandoz, ,one of the
members of the Board living in
this ward, gave us in an interview
a lucid exposition of this matter.
He said:
Last term the Board opened more schools
than the funds ut its command could run for
even seven months. They were rlIn for seven
however, the Board going i'll debt to
pay the teachers. The Police Jury gave $4,000
for last term; it his promised only $4,000 for the
current term. Many Of the country schools
having fallen in average attendance below fff-
teen, | proposed at the October meeting that
all such schools he closed and that all Others be
run eight months. This was strenlously oh.
jeeted to by some Of the members, and an effort
was made to have the available funds divided
among the wards according to the number If
educable children III each ward / refused TO
agree to this unless such division based
also on the amount OF taxes paid by each ward,
80 that the schools OF each ward would receive
AN exact proportion OF the taxes paid b. the
in inhabitants thereof. This was not agreed to,
and the Boa rd adjourned wjIhou! reaching any
agreement whatever. Several days aftcrward
another meeting wls held, when, HIDING the
majority disposed to still insist on opening ali
the country schools, and knowing we did not
have enough funds 10 run them more than six
months, agreed to withdraw my objections TO
such IL course on condition that the High
Schools in UpelousaS and Washington were
run eight months, claiming that the people OF
these two towns appreciated their schools. |
which were always well attended, aud that
they, on account of their prnpOrtionatcly high |
aud heavy taxation, were clearly !
entitled to ut least an eight months term.
This was agreed 10 and the deadlock was
broken. n further condition being that all
schools which fell below an average uf twelve
would be closed by the superintendent.
"Now, when made the stipulation i'll regard
to the two High schools, OF ronrse meant it
to apply to these schools in their entirety, ard
the reasons urged for its adoption prove this
| never for one moment imag
ined that anyone else understood that siipula-
tion to mean that tue hugh school departments
OF these schools alone were To remain open
eight months, while the other grades. com.,ris
ing abont three fOurtlls OF the Attendance, were
to close at the end of five or SIX months. Great
was my ainaZement therefore, when at the
last or January meeting the word depart
ments' was uttered fer the first time and 81
resolution was passed providing for the con-
for eight months OF tho High School
Ot these schools alone. | shall
at the meeting next Monday to Sc
cure suclf action from the Beard as will avert
such dire calamity as threatens these two
fine schools and to this end Invoke tire
powerful aid OF the press and Tho assistance of
every liberal. fair minded, progressive and ell |
iiaAtened citizen OF til. community.
aside from the rank injustice to the people |
Of these two towns, whose heavy contributions
to the support of government actually entlte !
them to u nine or ten months term, and whose |
attended schools would be cut Off
with five or six months term in order that
number OF lily appreciated and poorly attended |
country schools might be opened, the adoption
of the course proposed would practically wreck |
both OF these fine and well organized schools. |
The high school classes i'll these schools are re-
cruited from the lower grades of the various
schools throughout the parish, and as u certain
number of terms of ut least eight months each |
are required to properly equip pupil for Ell |
trance into these classes, 1t is plain that the |
material for these higher classes Will not be |
The average child cannot do |
eight months work in five or six months time. |
4 II have said something about poorly at |
tended and unapprcciated country schools. |
There are unfortunately many such, and my |
idea Is to close number OF them! This would
not 0uiy save some money which brings inatic- |
quate returns, but it VIII f0rcibiy Impress npon
the minds of the people of such localities that
they must support, encourage and patrol!iZe |
their schools or they wilebe deprived or them |
altogether and this conviction would wake |
them up and greatly benefit them III the long |
run Now that We are short OF funds aud in debt |
would be Ii good time 10 try The Experiment |
It should have been tried at the beginning OF
The term Why, sir, lii looking over the last |
reports submitted to the Board found.n one |
country ward, four grammar schools" salary |
sAO per month each, with All average attend |
ance OF 4s pupils for, the -four! In the Opeousas
school several teachers at $4i per mouth have |
10 TO so pupils to attend to, which is more than
they can do full justice to, and although
the principal made urgent request at the |
last meeting for another teacher his appeal
was dlSregafded "
Well, the upshot of this matter
is simply this: If the intelligent
and progressive citizens of these
two towns do not@ bestir them
selves and bring such influences
to bear upon the Board as will re-
suit in securing the small need Of
justice that they are entitled to,
their already overtaxed people had
as we'll begin now to take measures
for raising the necessary funds for
paying the salaries of their sub
or1;rnuto fa.nhare far two or. /