The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-10-12

Vermont parents can give or leave
their children. The state will not per-
form it's full duty until it has provided
every parent within the commonwealth
the opportunity for doing this
Education is the highest sense for
the common good. On account of the
general movement from the smaller
communities to the larger towns and
cities, these larger communities are
the recipients of the education of the
smaller ones. They reap the benefits
of good educational facilities in the
small communities and must suffer the
penalties of their poor facilities. The
difficulty with our state school tax is
not that the larger communities are
bearing some of the educational burden
of the smaller communities, but be-
cause this money is not being expend-
| ed in a business-like way and in such
a manner as to reap the best possible
benefits from it.
Far too many children in Vermont
do not attend school at all, many others
are very irregular in attendance. The
child labor law and the truancy are
both excellent and are helping in this
important matter. If faithfully en-
forced they will eventually cure this
evil. The weak point, however, in our
school system is lack of skilled super
vision.
Experience in other states has fully
demonstrated the fact that the only
way to carry out any definite educa-
tional policy in the state and to mat
erially improve the country schools is
to provide for them some kind of pro-
fessional supervision. Local super
vision never has and never will bring
about the desired results. Equaliza-
ton of all. school advantages is what
Vermont should strive for, and the
first requisite for this is to provide
more and better supervision for the
rural schools. Skilled supervision is
the only method by which we can Sc
cure anything like uniformity of work,
improve our teachers, accomplish bet
ter results, and assure full returns
for money expended. 1t is only through
this method that drawing, music, in
dustrial arts and sciences, and other
subjects essential to the broad educa-
ton of our children can be introduced.
Unless some system of professional
supervision is established over small
schools our children will be unable to
90 into the world as we'll equipped as
those of our sister states.
In our larger towns and cities the
work of the schools is directed by pro-
fessional superintendent. If the ur-
ban schools with their better buildings
and equipments, graded systems and
trained teachers, require skilled super
vision certainly the rural schools, iso-
lated as they are from other conditions
that simulate educational interest,
need expert oversight. In some towns
it is of course impossible to find per-
sons competent to give this supervi-
sion. In consequence the state has no
means for carrying out any definite
educational policy. The state super
intendent has no means of reaching the
rural schools with any definite policy
or programme which he may desire to
inaugurate. AS a result poor teachers
are employed and retained, pupils re-
main ungraded, the equipment is limit
ed, and there is nothing to stimulate
or arouse the interest of parent, teacher
or pupil. The proceeds of the present
s cent state school tax, amounting to
about $150,000 annually, would do the
cause of education UNNECESSARILY more
good if it's expenditure were directed
by those trained and skilled in this
particular line of work
County supervision was tried in
Vermont from 1889 to 1901 and was
not satisfactory. The county unit was
as much too large as the town is too
small and in consequence the work of
the county superintendent was little
more than that of a county examiner.
For a good supervision unit in Vermont
the group or district system would be
much more satisfactory. The princi-
pie of group units for school superin-
tendency and of the part payment of
the expense thereof by the state is con-
tanned in sections 500 to 500 of our
statutes. 1t does not contemplate
skilled supervision, however, and in
fact is so limited as not to permit it.
The group system is in operation in
Massachusetts and has recently been in
PRODUCED in other New England states.
Under this system two or more towns
may form a supervision district, such
district not to exceed a maximum or
fall below a minimum number of
schools. The school directors from the
several towns forming such a dis
trict elect a superintendent, each town
paying a proportion of the expense ac-
cording to its grand list. If this
method of supervision were introduced
town superintendency in those towns
would be done away with and consider
able expense saved. The present cost
of town superintendency is nearly $780,
600 Also much could be saved in the
line of directors services, examination
and purchase of books and
supplies In fact a considerable part
of the cost of such supervision could
be saved
To establish and give this system a |
trial i'm Nermnnt l recommend the |