The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-02-29
SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION
Bennington Graded and Town District
Should Be United.

To the Editor of the Banner:-In a |
recent editorial in the Banner COM
ment was made on the poor showing of
Bennington county in the report of the
superintendent of education on the
support of public schools. This coun-
ty ranked lowest. There Is no mistake,
this county with its country schools
affords the least advantages, pays
the lowest wages, and provides the
least supervision. Outside of the two
incorporated districts In the town of
Bennington, the county has paid less
than $500 annually for supervision.
Under the recent supervision law the
state pays $1,000 OF q minimum salary
of 81 $50 paid district superintendent
the towns forming the district paying
the balance of $3.50. There were i'm
mediately formed in the state twenty.
| five districts, but Bennington county
availed itself OF the opportunity to the
| extent OF only a part of one district
formed by Readsboro, and Stamford
with towns in Windham county. OF
the $4,000 expended by the state in
this manner Bennington county re.
ceives about one fiftieth, simply be-
cause the school directors have not
| the proper interest in school matters,
or fear that supervision will result in
other increased expenses. There are
conditions existing in our rural schools
that. would shock public sentiment II
once attention was directed to them.
The legislature of 1906 passed much
other radical and progressive school
law.
These laws were the result of care.
full study by experts into Vermont con-
ditions and should not be condemned
until proven unwise by their failure to
accomplish the results for which they
were enacted. The two objects of
this legislation are, In general terms,
the Improvement of the whole public
school system rural as well as city,
and the equalization of the burden of
school taxation. Before 1890, when
the 5 cent state and school tax was
first levied many rural school dis.
tricts were raising school tax OF over
one hundred cents, while the larger
towns In proportion to their ratio OF
wealth and children we're paying all
the way down to Is cents. The five
cent tax, since 1900 the eight cent tax,
levied on the state at large was distrib-
uted in equal parts to the legal schools,
but it was found that some rural town
of considerable wealth were not in.
clined TO improve their schools, but
used this state tax as q means OF les
sening their already low taxes. In
order TO reach this class and TO further
relieve extremely high taxed towns
, the legislature of 1904 established
reserve fund OF $4,000 to b.
taken from the eight cent tax fund ant
70 be apportioned to towns raising
over 80 cent school tax In such manner
as the commission saw fit. Until l9U'
, it was distributed among towns as ,
basis OF shares each school on a towr
raising from so to SO cent tax counting
as one share; In a town raising iron
+ 10 t. SO, as one and one half share ant
! SO on. The Legislature OF 1908 pushed
this principal further by adding Il
the $4,000 reserve fund $4,000 sc
> aside In similar manner from the an
: nual income of the permanent schoo
Z fund ana devided by the same com
!. mission Ia similar manner.
= This $50. COCO was divided last yea
by the coiirm ission, which consists o
the governor, state treasurer and sup
b erintendent of education, among tn
A districts town districts and incorpor
: ated districts instead OF among town,
as q whole. As a result the Benning
I ton town district, which raises tn,
J. lowest school tax in the county re
i ceived no part Of this fund while tb
n Remington graded school district
!. which spent for schools outside O
payment of interest and debt 50 cent
on dollar OF its q and list receives
r S6l7 81 Had the district spent 70
schools $500 more so as to get into th
;, 10 cent tax class it would have re
= ceived from the state $500 more
Il The district in 1905 received fror
Q public school money S2l7e. 20 and 1
y 1907 recei we'd t2296.74 The rest OF tn
= town received in 1906 $l39l.93 and 4
y 1907 only $989,7l. That is the town q
whole received ABOUT $3.50 less publ
!. money in 1907 than in 1906, but u
II graded school district received Sl2
more, while the rest of the town re
|. ceived 800 less. Had the incorporal
Z ed district spent for schoo; supper
+ one cent more tax as explained abov
the whole town would have receive
q slightly more public money under th
new method of distribution. La Beu
. ninRton county under the distributor
e of 1906 eight towns received more fror
1. the state eight cent tax than they paid
y These figures plainly show the work
Ing OF the law In the equalization @
e taxes. The principle should be furthe
e pushed until all districts, except
n very few having an unusually larg
II lGrand list such as Montpelier ar
forced to raise tax Of 80 cents on
dollar, q tax that Is considered fai
r though much less than that raised il
II many sections OF the country In bot
IS cities and rural districts.
That general tax of fifty cents i
necessary for the fair support ant
u progress OF the public schools ha
e been the basis proposition underlyin
d the school legislation of recent years
. Another object of progressive legis
lation has been the Capitalization O
y schools. The state hopes by payin
IS part of the expense of transports
h ton to do away with many small, ii
efficient schools, and to give to rura
districts advantages equal to those O
the incorporated districts
e. An article In the warning for tow
O meeting brings up the question O
- more school houses in the town dis
. trict. When the whole country is try
ing to centralize schools and improv
!, conditions by better sanitary provis
IT ions. more liberal supplies, careful
n grading, and expert supervision 1
" Bennington rural district to take thi
9 backward step?
d IL Is not strange that some are dis