The Newtown bee., 1909-12-24

November 2i, 1909. State Board of Education,
 sirs; In accordance with your instruc- tons 1 have visited the schools Of Sher- man. The town is small, the main in- dustry Is agriculture, The revised grand | list given by the state Is s3s0,370, that given by the town is s305,31O.
 SCHOOLS,
 found six schools in session with tho following number of pupils in each:
 Center, 9
 Greenwood, c C0burn, C
 Leach Hollow,
 Second District,
 First District, 12
 Several children living near Quaker | Hill are attending school in New York and several children in C0burn district are attending school in New Fairfield.
 TEACHERS.
 All but one of the teachers were High School graduates. The discipline in all the schools was good, and the teaching good for untrained teachers. The chil- dren impI Iessed me as being bright and apt. If l am correctly informed, each of the districts has been assigned S266. This amount is supposed to cover inci- dentals and fuel and he remainder goes to the teacher as salary, averaging about SC week.
 SCHooLHoUsES.
 There is one new school in the north part of the town. Unfortunately 1t is situated within a few feet of the New Milford town line. The sCh0olhouse at sherman Center is in fair condition. The schoolhOuseS in SecOEd district, Green wood, Coburn and Leach Hollow are not in creditable condition. The outbuilding at Cobqrn is new and there is one new out-building at the First district. The two at the Second district were in fair condition, as was one of those at the Center. The others should be torn down and new one built if the schools are to be continued in these districts. The following repairs ought to be made if the schools are to be continued:
 First District: One new outbuilding. The one which is in good condition ought to be, painted. A new teachers desk is needed.
 Second District: Both buildings need to be painted. Obscene marks and cut tings should be removed from the entry. This buildIng ought some time to be clapboarded and painted. The construc- tion is old and boards run horizontally. There are wide cracks in the building.
 Leach Hollow: In this district there are needed two new outbutldingS and new single desks. The building ought to be painted.
 COburn: There should be here another new outbuilding, new single desks. new doors new floor, the entry should be re- paired and the building painted.
 Greenwood: Two new outbuildings ought to be butt, although there is no place to put them without acquiring land. The building ought to be painted, the entry repaired, new doors put on. markings removed from Lne outside of the bu4ulng and new floor laid.
 Center: Provision shold be made for hanging clothing in the entry. Plaster ing should be repaired chalk rail made under blackboard. One outbuilding needs to be painted. One needs to be repaired and painted.
 RECOMMENDATIONS.
 The following recommendations are offered: .. 1. That the town take advantage of the law which provides free of charge a superintendent for small towns. l feel that a capable supervisor working with the teachers of this town would accom- plish good results.
 g. That for the present year all the schools be closed but two, the Center school and the school in the First dis ed from the Second district to the First district, and that from the remaining districts .n the south part of the toWns children be transported to the Center school. There would ther be in the north school 17 pupils and in the Gen. ter 2S.
 I suggest that after this year the town make arrangements to transport all of it's children to the Center district. One well-trained teacher could readily teach all of the children in the town of Sherman. I believe that team could leave sherman Center, go to Leach Hol- low, thence to near the house of George Durgy and back by the Greenwood school to the Center. This team could run on schedule time and all the pupils could be picked up along the way. Such an arrangement would also do for next year if all the schools were combined in one. I think the children ln the Second district are near enough to the First district to go without transportation, excepting possibly one or tWo. The plan that I describe might not be satis-. factory to the people of Sherman, but feel sure that they could make some arrangement to combine their schools in satisfactory manner No school ought to be supported in a small town for any length of time unless there are at least 20 pupils. Owing to the fact that sherman has small number of children and relatively 'hign grand list. it cannot receive the average at- tendance grant. In fact it would have no great need of this grant if the schools were consolidated. The latest available figures show that the town is spending $1475 for teachers wages. Transportation ought not to cost over $500, leaving about 5000 to pay one or two teachers. 1 have indicated on the map the route suggested for transpor- tatiOn.
 The above report has just been made by J. R. Perkins, principal of the State Normal school of Danbury. So far as closing all the scools in town but two, would not be endorsed by majority of the citizens in the town. The project of the children (the writer be- lieves) could not be accomplished for any such money as MT Perkins esti- mates In the second place it would be impossible to transport the over therOute suggested. There are weeks at a time when it would be we'll nigh impossible to send a loaded wagon across the Hill from George Dur gy'S. Coburn and Greenwood. The roads are at times full to the fences. By time l child starting from the lower end of each Hollow reached COburn or Green very fine for MT Perkins and other men ike him, to sit in their steam-heated offices and work out the problems of 'OuNtry town. In the spring time. alSO hn mud across the hills would make the rip a weary pilgrimage. The writer believes in improving the schools, but 'ot in ,uch r!uel way as this atfable gestiODS made for repairing the build nes are COmmendable The teachers, llsO. should be paid larger salaries-s'"
 NEW YEARS EVE DANCE