Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-02-19
Consolidation.

of Kansas has been that there are
more school houses in proportion to
the population than in any other
state. The number of our schools has
been taken as an indication of a supe-
rior educational system, and for a
time it seemed that every effort
which was made to improve them was
done by division of old districts and
the formation OF new ones. Now the
reaction, which is nothing more or
less than the consolidation Of the
weaker districts, is coming, Every
where the people are awakening to
the fact that the number of schools,
or the number Of teachers employed
In them is not synonymous with etfi-
cheney, nor yet does the number Of
pupils enrolled in our public schools
mean that the best results are being
obtained. Educators are giving the
matter their attention, and an adj
vancement in the public school syS-
tenn may safely be predicted.
The best system is that which af-
fords the best opportunities to the
greatest number Of students to pro-
perly educate themselves. Formerly
1t was held by many, and by some
yet, that the distance from each home
to the school house ought not to be so
great as to make it impracticable for
anyone of the pupils to walk to the
school. This led to the formation Of
many small districts Small districts
mean small valuations of taxable prop
erty; small valuations Of the taxable
property mean small levies Of tax for
school purposes; and small levieS
mean short terms of schools and the
employment Of cheap teachers, both
of which conditions are undesirable.
10 increase the limits Of district
would mean in many cases, that some
of the pupils would be placed at such a
distance from the school that arrange
ments for their conveyance to and
from the school must be provided for,
else they might be prevented from at
tending and some few might be kept
away even with conveyanceS. But
here arises point The increase In
the size of q district would also in
crease It's resources and its power to
provide a good school, both in the
length of term and quality of instruct
ion. Under the present system many
districts are unable to provide for
more than a three or four months
term Of school each year. In these
districts those who desire more school
ing must obtain it away from home at
an additional expense, and many who
would like to avail themselves of such
an opportunity are unable to do so.
Thus many are practically limited to
an education which they can secure
by attending school only three or four
months In the year. Were these dis
trlctS large enough and wealthy
lenough to provide longer term, a
large per cent of the pupils living in
them would receive the advantages
afforded by the longer term, and the
I number Of pupils receiving such adj
yantageS would much exceed the num-
Der in the weaker districts that would
attend school away from home, and
the individual cost would be much
less.
Every district ought to be large
enough to maintain a good school for
at least nine months in the year.
True it is that there are some who
would not take advantage Of such OPP
portunities and some few perhaps
who could not, yet this fact is not an
argument against larger districts.
In Phillips county there are 13l
school districts having, in 1902, total
valuation of SSH ,675 90 and q total
tax Of s47,sl494 levied upon this val
uation. This would give an average
valuation of sl9,63l and an average
tax of 1885 the average rate In this
case being very nearly up to the limit.
These figures show that Phillips
county schools are quite generally
taxed to their utmost, and yet are
not Offering the pupils living In them
the opportunities to secure an educa-
tlon which they ought to have. There
were in 1902, % districts with a val
uation less than $4,000 90 districts
which could not II all their taxes
were paid in, a condition which
seldom II ever OCCURS, raise $4,000
for school purposes; 20 districts which
could not maintain a five months term
uf school at $50 90. How many pupils
do yOusupp0Se there are whose educa.
tional advantages are thus limited
Far too many indeed. Ex-Superin-
tendent Nelson recently said that
what Kansas needs Is not more schools