Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-10
WANT NEW DISTRICT
Farmers Living in Cass Township
Ask for More Schools.
SUPERINTENDENT DIMMlIl'S PLAN
He Would Move Three Of the School
Houses and Extend the Chillicothe
Independent District So As to Take
in Part of Rural Territory.

Residents of Cass township, or
small part of it, want change made
in the school districting in that part
OF the county, and delegations have
called upon Superintendent Beniah
Dimmitt to secure his opinions as to
the possibility or ACCESSIBILITY of such
a change. Mr.. Dimmitt has refused
to express any opinion of his own re-
garding the matter, for the very good
reason that if the trustees of the three
districts affected should fail to settle
the question it would come before him
for decision, and if he should have
previously expressed an opinion he
would not be eligible to do so.
An Odd Situation.
The situation is indeed an odd one,
The residents of the territory want an
extra school house built and located
on the line separating sections 8 and
4 in township TO- range Is, at the
north end of that line. They want to
include in the new district the west
half of section 8 and the east half of
section A. and their plan will result
in taking parts of three present dis
| tricts, as follows: No. 3 in CasS
| township, No. in Columbia township
and No. Z in Polk township
Barrett Says "No.'
Superintendent Dimmitt wrote to
State Superintendent r. c. Barrett OF
Des Moines, asking for his opinion as
1 to the possibility of making such
change as the one proposed BY the
\ farmers residing III the Part OF the
county mentioned. and the state Off
cial answered to the effect that the
! case is indeed queer one and that he
can find nothing in the school records
to show that such division OF diner
! ent districts has been made. There
have been several times when sub
/ districts have been made from one dis
trict but it is hard to evolve an eqult-
able plan for arranging this matter
satisfactorily to all.
Would Move School Houses.
Superintendent Dimmitt has made
suggestion which. will, he thinks,
solve the matter 1t is to move the
school houses in the three districts at
: fected, which are mentioned above,so
; that they will be nearer the proposed
! district. and to extend the Chiilicothe
/ independent district so as to take IN
! part of the present district No. ), Of
{ Cass township. This plan, however
is not favored by several OF the farm
y ers residing in the territory affected.
!. Would Leave Small District.
q One great objection that is cited t
;. the proposed change is that onl.
a about five or six children who so u
# school would be left in the third dis
Il trict of Cass township if such an al
q ransement as the one proposed TO
# re-districting should be carried out
$ This it something to which the OIL
v Gals object for many reasons, not tn
d least of which is that they do not Xix
to pay teacher for instructing onl
n. few children.
t. The reason the people want tn
IS change is that in some cases childrel
At are compelled to walk two miles
i. more to school. This is very unsat
le isfactory, especially in cold weather
and as the largest attendance at couI
te try schools is in the winter, when bu
tv little work is being done on the farm
IN the two-mile trip is displeasing to
n who make it.