Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-07-13

The Aberdeen Board of:Education has
entered upon general policy OF progress,
and believing that i. is the right of every
interested citizen to know the policy OF
the board, and that it is the duty Of
every citizen to interest himself in this
ritaI matter, articles pertaining to gen.
eral education and to local school mat
ters, will appear from time to time in the
local press, from the board, city super
intendent and various teachers Of the
city corps.
The citizens of Aberdeen have demand.
ed better schools s,-scho0ls in keeping
with the general progress and prosperity
OF the city.
10 meet this demand the board will
require strong administrative ability and
expert supervision on the part of the
superintendent, and high efficiency from
each and every teacher. This policy
will require larger expenditures Of
money than hitherto, yet the board will
act with all conservatism consistent with
the progress demanded.
At present the board is contemplating
the plan Of free text books in the schools.
While the initial cost will be some what
heavy, yet the plan is one that appeals
strongly to them, and they will take
action in this direction shortly.
If this is done at all, it should be done
this year. owing to the almost universal
change of text books in the adoption of
books all over the state, and the conse.
Quent heavy expense to the people.
The question whether school books
should be purchased by the parents or
by the directors from the district funds
and loaned to pupils for their use, should
DO approached on two sides; one on the
educational side, the other on the fnan-
cial or economical side.
1t is conceded that everv pupil should
be supplied promptly with all books re-
quired, so that neither he nor his class
may he retarded in the prosecution Of
work. If, as often happens when books
are provided by the parents, there is de.
lay in getting the books needed, the time
Of pupils and teacher is consumed and
progress hindered. This is oftentimes
unavoidable where books are provided
on the individual purchase plan, because
some parents do not always have the
money to buy with, while Others are in
different or careless, hence embarrass-
ment to work is caused, and the district
does not get full value for the money
expended for teachers, because the tools
are not furnished promptly.
In case parents are poor, or have a
struggle to provide living for them.
selves and family, the expense entaled
by the purchase of school books may be,
and often is sufficient to interfere with
the attendance OF the children at school.
The expense is not great enough to have
this effect when the desire of the parents
to have their children attend is strong,
but with the Indifferent parent it acts as
a preventative.
1t is easy to show by statistics that the
percentage of school attendance is better
in free text hook districts than in those
where the individual purchase plan pre-.
walls, other conditions being equal, and
as the revenue of the district depends
entirely upon the attendance, anything
tending to increase attendance is direct
benefit.
1t can also be shown that the attend.
ance has increased in districts adopting
free text books, Immediately following
the adoption. This might not be ap.
parent in country schools, but it is quite
manifest in city districts.
1t is sometimes urged that the disad-
vantage arising from the individual pur.
chase plan on account of the expense,
can be overcome by supplying those
unable to buy, with books at the expense
Of the district. A grave objection to this
procedure is that it tends to create caste
in the schools, and calls attention to
artificial and obnoxious distinctions that
should be submerged rather than en-
phasized.
Another advantage arising from the
free text book system, is that it is easy
to transfer pupil from one class to An.
other without his having to provide new
books. This is important, as sometimes
q pupil's progress or that Of class may
be hindered by the hesitation which a
teacher may have in asking the purchase