Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-29
Monday, April 20, 1907.
Augustus Special Election, May 10.

i'm the City of Augusta, and to provide
for uniform system Of schools there
in, will be submitted to the qualified
voters of the city at general election
to be held on Monday. May Is. The
act provides for a radical change in
the administration Of our schools and,
though already published in the
Journal. it is again printed in full this
morning that it may be carefully read
and understood by our citizens.
The act is no reflection on the men
who have composed the school boards
of the city. Almost without exception
able and conscientious men have been
chosen to these positions. The
average business man. however, has
not sufficient time to properly attend
to the increasing needs and to answer
the daily detailed demands of COM
pick educational system. Many Of our
citizens have long been convinced that
our school system is not only cumber-
some but inefficient and inadequate to
the increasing demands of modern
educational methods.
Under the present system the affairs
of our schools are administered by
four boards. The directors of the
Village district have in charge the city
schools on the west side of the kenne-
nf
Williams district have under their
control the city schools on the east
side. The experimenting school COM
mittee have i'm hand the suburban
schools on both sides of the river And
in conjunction with the experimenting
school committee, the committee on
Cony High school have our High
school I'm charge. The directors of the
Village and Williams districts are
elected in their respective district
meetings. The experimenting school
committee is elected by the city
council. and the committee on Cony
High school is appointed by the
ing restricted to the board of trustees
of the Cony Female academy and the
board of directors of the Village
district
1t is difficult to conceive Of school
system in which uniformity in
administration or courses of study is
Village and Williams districts and the
suburban schools three sets of scholar 5
annually enter our Cony High school.
Without corporation or consultation
or mutual agreement on the part of the
various school boards, it is not sur
prising that these three sets of
scholars enter our High school with
different degrees of preparation.
The act which will be submitted to
the voters of Augusta on May II con-
templates the consolidation of all our
schools. 1t provides for the creation
of a single board of education in place
of the four existing boards. uniform
system of administration and instruc-
ton, and the employment of an expert
educator as superintendent of all the
schools within the limits of the city
of Augusta.
Further. the present system works a
grave injustice to a large number of
our citizens Not only does the
kennebcc river divide the city physi-
cally. but We have allowed it to flow
between our children. The time has
been. at least. when the children of the
West side have had better educational
advantages than those on the East
side. The taxpayer on the East side
however. has paid much more for
school purposes than the Taxpayer
living on the West side. Two citizens
doing business on Water street. one
living east the other west of The river,
send their children to the common
schools of Augusta. the burden of
taxation being unequally borne. This
is unfair and unjust as between two
citizens living and owning taxable
property in the same city. This act
provides for the assessment of taxes
for school purposes on the same basis
that taxes the assessed for all other
city purposes. thus doing away with
this unnecessary and unfair dis
elimination.
The Journal holds the opinion that
this act will tend to economy, as well
as uniformity. in the administration of
our schools. We also believe that the
adoption of this act by the citizens of
Augusta would mean new era in the
prosperity of our schools and a long
step in the direction of higher stand
ard of efficiency. There was no other
end in view when Mr.. Newbert intro
duced the act into the Legislature.
The system proposed is no untried eX-