Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-24

schools OF Georgia suggested 10 the euitoI
the advisabIIity OF presenting from time
TO time some data 20 show what is being
accomplished In this direction. In Banks
county. under the efficient management Of
County School Commissioners @. e.
Strange, commendable work on the con-
solidation and Improvement OF the schools
has been achieved. The reply OF Com
missioner Strange TO a series OF questions
presented as to how this was done Is mere
with printed for the information OF our
readers
/ How many schools we had before
and after consolidation
Before We divided our county into dis
tricts consolidating our schools we hao
3 small schools. At present we have y,
eliminating IL
We did the work under the McMichael
law but could make only few OF our
districts is miles square. We first studied
our county thoroughly. taking into consid-
Grafton the fixed places, such as towns
rivers, mountains. etc. We ran out each
district with chain as carefully as one
would run land line, and where we did
NOT have A school house in the center
Of the district we located the center and
Rad the building placed there. Some OF
the districts had school houses In the
center and others did not The people
became very much wrought uE over the
work as II made so many changes. and
when they would appeal 10 us about the
changes we told them that the law forced
us 10 do IL. so they were very bitter on
the board Of education and myself and
the law for a while, but since IL all be-
came effective the bitterness and dissat-
tsfactfon have subsidized and instead we
hear nothing but praise now. Before con-
solidation we had school property in the
county valued al about 5000 AT present
the total value will exceed $500 ana we
hope by the time this year ends ana
NE shall have completed our building
work the value win run upwards of
5000.
How much money is spent In the
average school since consolidation, ana
in the average school beforeT
On an average last year We spent APP
uroximateIy 500 to the district and would
have spent more. had we not spent SO
much in building work Before eonsohoa-
ton we spent approximately sliV.
What kind OF buildings and equip
nent we have now as compared Win
What we had before constellation
In % OF the 8 school districts Of the
county we have modern. up-to-date sehooi
houses and plans now on foot 10 nhlsh
new buildings in the other eight dis-
,ricts this year -Four Of these y new
houses are three-room houses. OF tnem
txo-room houses and the rest ali one
room houses. The buildings are SO ar
ranged as TO give the best arrangement
,,o-sfbIa light from the left and rear.
cbar- ran windows and ventilation nues
=, as 70 properly ventilate the rooms ano
nIsntv OF blackboard room Some or the
houses are pIastered. others celled- All
work done I'm first class style In more
thsn half OF these new schools We nave
~ ustent desks and blackboards ana
number OF others viii soon have them:
Before consolidation we mad none "a
these desks and boards with POSSIBLY wv
or three exceptions. and but one OF '"0
gnod houses. -
rsa conditions now are so much better
,ba, before we can hardly make com
pzrisOn-
r-our.b-Hou much we pay our teachers
rov- and what We paid them beforeE Be
fore consolidation we paid on an aNerase
of sas 10 our teachers. now about $SS-Oo'
and were IL not for the fact that we are
spending a considerable amount OF the
funds in buildings. our average would De
approximately ~. -
Fiftb-The economy and proficiency De-
fore and after2 From the dollars ana
cents standpoint there has been but little
economy. as invariably the consolidated
schools demand better teachers and bet
ter nay The main economy comes IN the
eaicIency OF the work. A hundred chiI-
dren or any other number as sweil, orlIt
into the same grades as do the cpiloreh
in a school Of an average Of .. so IN
school of. say two teachers, the work Is
divided BY half. that is. each teacher has
only one-haIf as many grades to teach as
she would in a One-room school and twice
the time TO do the work. In proportion
the proficiency is still better IN a three
room school The two and three-teacher
schools practically grades the work In
this way Il is economy 10 parents, IN as
much as the work is more efficient, as 10
child. in time saved and efficient work
done We have better teachers, and the
work decidedly more efficient since We
consolidated.
Sixth-Is the system giving better sat
isfaction now than before consolidation
Far better. Before we divided into dis
tricts the schools that were successful in
Getting good teachers would draw patron
age from the adjoining districts, which
Invariably resulted in the loss Of school
energy. and discontentment among these
small adjacent districts. Now. every child
is confined to his own district and there
Gems TO be a fine school spirit manifest
IN every district in the county.
do not believe there is a citizen In
the county that would change the sys-
tn back as IL was before, II he could
.,svery district is trying now. II seems, to
get the best teacher and have the best
school Conditions were never so before.
The most encouraging fact TO me is. the
willingness with which people supplement
the public funds now. where before. they
seem to want the teacher that would
teach for what the public would pay, re-
gardless OF qualifications. During the
last school term there were N.SS5 sup
Elementary funds reported TO me from all
the schools in the county. This fact
alone tells the story-local tax
We have three local tax districts at
present and am confident will vote twice
as many more this year. The three that
we have are serving as models to show
as an actual fact the superiority OF the
local tax system over the old way. These
three districts are successful I'm obtain
ing the best teachers. A local tax OF say
mills would bring equally as good school
facilities TO the rural districts as the
towns now have. and would turn the tide
OF emigration from the towns and cities
back 20 the country. IL would put the
schools on a safe and certain basis.
which. without doubt would restore con-