The Newtown bee., 1906-11-23
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THE rllDDLE-NORTH CENTER Dls-
 TRlCT

THE rllDDLE-N0RTH CENTER DIS
 TRICT
 CONSOLIDATION PLAN.
 To the Editor of THE NEwTowN BEE: I regret that MT Corbett's com. munication on this subject which you declined had anything about the High school irrelevant to this discussion, as I expected him in that communication to give his real reason for opposing the union of these two districts. II can readily see how you, like many others, are losing patience over a matter which might be summed up in a few | words. So far as I am concerned, it has been prolonged only to give him opportunity to state his real motive in his own words, and this not only in fairness to him, but that he might stand convicted put of his own mouth. His motive was not given to me in confidence; and as he says in his last communication he hopes will make his point plain for him where you have not permitted him to speak, will do so, first saying that as I have not seen the rejected letter, I do not know whether he touched this point or not. 1 shall be obliged to say word or two about the High school; but trust that you will see that 1t is in this point relevant to the subject. MT Cor bett's antagonism to the High school is we'll known, but not so ineradicable as some suppose. as is shown by the for the position of Assistant in it. But he has an objection to it in it's relation to the district schools. He has others, as I understand him; but this one touches the case in hand; so I feel at liberty to state 1t. It concerns the High school having grades below the Freshman year.
 His reason for opposing the union of the two districts, as he stated it to me after town meeting, was suspicion that we would unite the two districts and put all the children in one school house with one teacher. We would scholars for one teacher, and would have the older children sent to the High school to form class below the sub Freshman class We would then take the children of this grade from all the district schools in town, and thus cut down the numbers of the scholars and the salaries of the district teachers. This would affect him, and he said that he had "held down that job" good many years, and did not propose to lose it.
 A person must indeed be afraid of ghosts 1whoi in broad daylight could make such statement. To relieve his anxiety, will say now. as told him then, that nothing was farther from my mind. I now wish to show him that this plan of graded district school is the one thing that can save him.
 If our teachers here, who are emi- nently satisfactory and doing good work, can be relieved by dividing the work between them and so have an opportunity to do themselves and the children justice, they could prepare them better for the present sub- Freshman class, or could even prepare the children in the town could have the advantages which this plan would give us here in the united districts, there would be no need of the sub Freshman class. --, -.>
 On the other hand, if something of this sort is not done, the people of the town will begin to think of a consoli- dation of all the districts. For this question of better schools lis coming up and 1t will not rest until something is done about 1t. When the candidates, for the High school this year passed 8 poorer examination, as rule, than any who have come up before, the people will want to know why.
 There are two matters in this last article which have to do with the sub- ject in hand. The first is the necessity for Principal of such schools as are proposed. In the first place, I will say that there are a good many such schools in Connecticut where each teacher is independent of the other even in the same building, and the work is we'll done. Where the school rooms are in different buildings so far apart as these it would be as unneces- Sary to have one teacher direct the other as to have the Principal of the High school direct MT Corbett what and how to teach in Sandy Hook. It. would be impracticable for one of these teachers in the proposed graded school to direct the other, because he would have all he wanted to do to at tend to his own work.
 The other matter is in regard to pa- trons of private schools having any thing to say about what should be done in the matter of improving our public schools.
 First: People have a right to edu- cate their children at home or in private schools, if they wish to and can afford it. And these people pay taxes to support public schools, and se have a right to say something about how the money is expended. They know that good schools help a town and draw people to 1t, that poor schools drive families away to find better opportunities for their children. !, But why do people support private schools? Plainly because, except in theI case of parochial- schools, the public schools do not give them alli the advantages they want. If the public schools were as good as they ought to be e,and well might be, there would be no call for secular pri- vate schools. People then who send to private schools have the right to have the public schools made better, so as to save themselves the expense of private schools. =" But to come to tbe case in hand. He makes personal objection to those whose children do not go to the two district schools having anything to say about this matter of uniting them. send my child to my district school. I regard it as good school with one of the best teachers in town. l am in- terested to give that teacher better opportunity .uo do the good work of which she is capable.