The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-29
Communicated
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

| To the Salt Lake Herald:
As the public schools are indicated by
the state superintendent and the governor
| 70 be IN need of consideration and read
gustment, it is perhaps an opportune time
] Tor citizens and taxpayers to air their
sentiments on the question.
The free school system is based on the
idea that 1t is the duty of the state to
educate its citizens, and among enlight-
| ened people there is no doubt on the part
of anybody that the position is a correct
one But in the very nature Of things the
| moment the state assumes the control and
maintenance of the public schools it
agrees. or should agree to make oppor-
tunities equal for all the citizens of the
state There is no reason on earth why
IN a free school system of state super
vision the poor man of a sparsely settled
I county should not have just the same OPP
portunfties TO educate his family as the
poor man OF one of the wealthy counties.
The mere chance of resiCing in the envir-
onment of wealth should cut no figure
whatever.
tofore under the law enacted by the first
state legislature? BY making the school
tax partly state, partly county and
partly district levy. those localities
where much taxable property is concen-
trated in small geOgr aphicaI space have
been enabled to maintain efficient schools
Tor the full year. and have their school
buildings equipped with all apparatus
necessary 10 make their work of the
very best. while the more sparsely settled
and less wealthy localities have been
obliged TO curtail their work. both in
time and equipment and have fallen far
below the results of their more fortunate
neighbors
Seven months of school in the best
country towns and much less in the
smaller districts has been the record. and
the equipment has been proportionate to
the time. State officials map out nine
months work for all districts in the
state, but with the utmost examining it
Is impossible for the shOrt-term districts
TO cover the plan, and year by year the
rural schoolboy finds himself falling be-
hfra1 h H.. -
high school with that inefficient fOunda-
ton born of the incomplete work of the
district school 1t is needless to saw he
finds himself very much hampered and
handicapped through the whole of his
subsequent career What should be done
about it2
fear Will not gain the concurrence of
people of the localities specially favored
by the present arrangement. but which 1
DeleVe is founded on those broad princi-
pies of justice which should govern all
our motives when dealing with a COM
munity proposition First. / would do
away with cities of the first class. the
second class, or any other class as sep
arate school district entities.
Second, l should do away with county
school tax, and district school tax. and
make the whole thing a direct state tax.
which should be apportioned without dis
elimination to all districts proportionate
to their school population.
- Third. 1 should create a state board of
examiners to pass on the examination pa
pSTS OF All applicants POSITIONS as In
structors in the district schools. thus Sc
curing uniformity of qualification of
teachers.
Fourth. I should create a state board of
school architecture. whose duty it would
be to superintend the construction of all
new school buildings and the remodeling
of old ones. Many of our rural school
buildings bear strong testimony of the
need of such a board 1 would also give
this board authority to act as agent for
the state in the purchase of such furni-
ture and apparatus the schools re-
qulre, making them uniform throughout
Fifth. l should provide for the election
of county boards, to act subordinate to
the state superintendent, or state board,
II such q body were deemed necessary
In all those functions in which subOrdina-
ton would be necessary to secure uni
formlty and coordinate in all those
luncIlOnS or purely local nature
While such a proposition would no
douot meet with much opposition from
the localities favored by the present ar
rangement l believe that a little Impair
ual meditation ought to convince any
Ialr-mlnded person that existing reguIa-
lions are very unfair. and that state SUI
pervision and maintenance of public
schools, or in other words the free school
system, can only be justly carried out
When arrangements are made for uni
Iormity Of application Of 1t TO every part
of the state
How practicable such an ARRANGEMENT
as this would be can be better judged by
those specially engaged in school work
but certainly there should be no hesita-
ton in altering existing arrangements 10
make them accord with that broad prfn-
ctple of charity which conceived the idea
Irst OF all of educating the poor free of
charge. Respectfully
GEORGE w. MIDDLETON.
Cedar City. Jan. p.