The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-11-12
OUR SCHOOL BOARD.

There are perhaps but f,y
School Boards in tho State of Lou
isiana which have written as mucl
history 80 the present Schoo
Board Of this par's, butt it il no
our purpose to review their trou
bles and trials aud fight for exIs,
eDce here. They are making 9th
er history. az much TO their credi
a. though they had had plain sail
ing on still waters from the start
When The present School I'oar'
came INTO Office il inherited a very
snug deficit. lite present ambitiUi
is to retire leaving it, successor,
an even chance with the finances
After present encmmbents sue
ceeded 70 ungu+stioned authority
over matters they were called upOI
to administer. they decided upor
a humber Of changes in the system
then in vogue. One of these was
the Transfer system. After 4
lengthy campaign, much argument
and the presentation Of the expe
rieDces Of other sections, 4 folmt,
board decided upon trying the eA
pertinent uf centralizlng Tie
schools. Whatever may have
been the advantages Of the sys
tenn. az operated in other sections,
there developed many d,sadvan
tages to II here, which prompted
the present administrators Of
school affairs to abandon the sys
TEN. In the first place, the cit,
did not have the floor space in All
Of its school houses necessary to
accommodate the children from
the town together with those that
might be brought from the coun-
try districts. This caused undue
crOwdlng and even the shutting
out Of some Of the town children
In order to minimize this disad
vantage overflow schools were
started. These over flow schools
occupied rented buildings and had
to have their corps Of teachers.
The present board, in reviewing
the situation, came to the conclu
sion that to rent town properties
for school purposes against tree
school houses in the country, to
employ town teachers for these
over flow schools at higher sala-
rles than good competent teachers
could be had for the country
schools, and then to further &C.
centuate the disadvantages hy IN
dertakinR to bring the countr,
children to town in expensive
transfers over any and all kinds
Of roads in all weathers-the
which was not re'isbed by the
themselves after the no
velty was gOne-was rather an ex
peusive means Of providing school
ing for the country children. So
It was not a matter Of great sur
prise when the Transfer system
was abandoned and in it's stead a
resolution adopted apportioning
to the respective wards an pquita
bic part Of the school funds Of the
parish. The resolution went
further. 1t provided that each
ward shall educate its own chill
iren At it's own schools or pay for
heir education If given in another
ward.
This policy demanded school
'Ouses, good school houses, better
chOOl houses and more school
'Ouses. Thus, nine school houses |
lad to DO provided for, distributed
- follows: 2 in the Fourth Ward:
double building in the Third
Y ard; double building on Span
sh Lake in the Fifth Ward; 2
il the Second; ! IN the
seventh; and 2 in the First. This
lst does not include the splendid
ligh School building being erect
q IN Jeanerette, to cost $4,000.
'eitber is the adding of another
tory to the Douglas Institute,
be cOlored school, on French
treet included.
The Corona school has been re-
affiliated aud now has good
tendance.
The Stewart school has been re-
pened and Is doing good work.
The Leblanc school on the lake
splendid building, il neat in
and is both comforta.
'e and substantial. There il an
nro'lnent there Of 80 pupils.
The present School Board has
READY disposed of three of the
'ansfers and have two more TO,
ale. 1t has abandoned three
.Dted school rooms and il confin
X Its operations to it's own prop
ties. 1t has. by this policy,
zen able 70 provide ample facih
% for all children desiring to at.
nd school, both IN town and in ,,
10 country districts.