The log cabin Democrat., 1907-05-16
PROTESTS AGAINST ACTION
Of the School Board in Eliminating Two
 Highest Grades From School.

Editor Log Cabin Democrat:
 We understand from the action of the school board at a meeting held last Monday that Conway has taken a step backward by lowering the course of study for the public school by chopping off two years, making the course now nine years.
 We don't know, of course. what their idea was for taking this act ion, but the only excuse we have heard, was to economize. We be- lieve in economy, but we don't be- lieve 1t is right to economize at the expense of the 700 or 500 children in this district. But why should 1t become necessary to economize from the lack of funds. The ex- peuse of maintaining the school has not materially increased in sev- eral years, there has been no ad- dition to the teaching force, there have been no improvements made on the property in the past three years and the insurance has been no higher. On the other hand the taxable property in the district has increased thousands of dollars. The increase from the railroad alone is no small item, besides, the increase from the state apportion- ment is several dollars.
 If the district was running be- hind and the money derived from the taxes was not sufficient to main tain the school, why not have wait ed until Saturday Git would have only been a few more days) and presented the matter to the electors, showing the condition of the dis trict and the estimated amount of money necessary to maintain the school next year? Then if the electors had so desired they could have availed themselves of the privilege of the constitutional amendment and voted 7 mills school tax If that amount was necessary and then If the electors declined to vote for an increase in the taxes, the directors would then have had plenty of time to consider what was best to be done with the school.
 If the children in the tenth and eleventh grades could have had voice they would have said, don't lower the grade If the parents of these children had been consulted they would have said, no; raise the standard if you do anything.
 There are several hundred chil- dren now in the Conway public schools who will never be able to go to school another day after they finish the course of study there, and to turn them out after having finished the course as is now fixed they will be poorly equipped to take their places i'll society and the struggle for business supremacy.
 The lowering of the course may increase the patronage in the prl- mary departments of our colleges, but it is not right to force a few that may be able to pay their tui- ton into the colleges to get what the public school ought to be able to give them, and deprive those who are not able to pay tuition of two years of schooling that would be of very great benefit in after years.
 The Conway public school should be the pride of every citi- zen, and we should strive to make it better our aim should be to raise the standard, but never lower it.
 We believe the school board is composed of good honest men who want to do what they believe is best for the school, but in their re- cent action they have made an honest mistake, and we believe as soon as they find out their error they have backbone enough to re- consider and will put back the grades as they were or raise the course to twelve years instead of eleven. A PATRON.