Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-17
KELLY Defends GRAND FORKS

Editor Tribune: In yesterday morn
| ing's issue of your paper we notice an
article written by the Hon. w. Z. Stock
well on the subject Of state aid to high
schools to which we request that you
give us an opportunity to reply.
Superintendent Stockwell states the
purpose Of this aid to be as follows:
First, to bridge the gap between
the common schools on the one hand
and the normal schools, agricultural
college and the university on the 9th.
er, in order that it may be possible
for every boy and girl in the rural dis
tricts Of this state to have an oppor-
ltunity, at least, to secure high school
training free of tuition z
In reply we beg leave to state that
this gap was already bridged between
the common schools and the schools
named, inasmuch as the normal.
schools, agricultural college and the
university have maintained prepare
tory departments to which pupils were
admitted who had completed the
eighth grade. In the second place, if
a bridge was needed, bridge twenty
feet wide is unnecessary when one
four feet wide is ample for every pur-
pose.
Second, to aid the small towns
which, by reason of limited ability to-
tax themselves, are not able to main
tain first class high schools without
state aid
In reply we would state that the
small towns should be literally dealt
with and amply provided for, even to
the extent of giving them. more per
pupil than the larger towns receive in
order to enable them to maintain their
schools in an excellent condition.
# the purpose of the aid is to assist
schools unable to help themselves
then the funds should be distributed
exclusively to such schools. On the
other hand &he present high school
board have invariably. commenced dis
tributing this fund at the other end of
| the ladder.
Third, to aid in the quipment of
high schools, thereby increasing their
efficiency s.,
| In reply we would state that under
the present system the aid has been
50 liberal to the smaller schools that
they have been unable to use it all
for the purpose. of equipment, and
many Of the smaller schools have used
| a large part of said fund for the pur-
| pose Of paying teachers, while the
fund received by the large cities has
no time been sufficient to equip them
for doing first class high school work
4 Fourth; to make possible that some
slight supervisory control may be ex-
ercised by the state in order to bring
about greater uniformity in the high
school work of the state"
In several schools this slight super
4 - ;. II y :, ~
yisory control is unnecessary and is a
needless expense to the state. In
schools where this slight supervisory
| control may be of some benefit, ample
| provision is made in our bill for this
purpose.
We might state that the Revised
| Code of North Dakota, 1905, simply
states that the object of this aid to
secondary schools is for the encour-
4 agement of higher education in the
state. RS IA
We might also state again that the
present state high school board has
invariably informed the boards Of edu-
cation receiving this fund to within
/ the past year or two that said fund
was to be used for equipment. find
at presnt if mistake not the boards
are informed that not more than SO
per cent Of said aid can be used for
| the purpose of paying teachers.
It is stated that the question of the
/ distribution of this fund has not been:
brought up for discussion to any ex-
tent prior to this time. If my memory
serves me correctly, two years ago,
this matter was taken up and strenu-
Gus efforts made to remedy what
seemed to us grossly unfair distri-
button Of the fund
Mr.. StockWell states in his article.
that the method of distributing the
high school aid proposed by the board
iof education and the city superintend-
ent Of Grand Forks contemplates the
distribution Of aid in accordance with
the enrolment Of the high school,
and In SO doing he misrepresnts us.
| We do not ask for any such distri-
button OF the state aid We have re-
peatedly said to Superint endent Stock
well, and we believe that he has
copy Of our bill. that we consider it
fair to all schools to have the money