Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-12-02


ordinary school.
We warn school boards against
such agents.
Nearly every rural school in the
county has an adequate ventllatlng
system, which has been Installed
within the last five years. In some
schools these systems must be i'm
proved as the schools grow. In some
Of the graded schools the ventila
ton is not SO good The plan OF
these schools when built was to
have double chimney with a flue
eight inches square to carry the
foul air from two school rooms. Now
a flue twelve inches square is pre-
scribed to carry the foul air from
one school room. Thus there is as
sured fully four times as much ven,
tilation as under the former plan.
In one respect your schools have
lot improved but rather grown worse
In the first report for this county
there was one school with an enroll
ment of less than ten pupils: In the
last report there are thirteen such
schools. Thus we have thirteen
times as many of this class of schools
Is when we began, certainly an un
lucky multiple. Of course, when ali
the small schools are counted the
case is not so bad, but the fact re-
mains that almost half of our country
schools have no more than twenty
pupils enrolled. The average attend
lnce is usually about half the enroll
nent, so these schools have approx
nately ten pupils every day There
IS faint hope that these schools
nay fill up in time, but We have
zen school houses moved or aband-
med because improperly located, and
settlers that demanded schools fol
our or five children move away with
he money they got for building the
7chool house.
The remedy for this is the trans,
'ortation Of pupils at public expense
he law provides that special state
i'd can be secured to help pay for
transportation. The state aid is not
cry much but it has been increased
rom time to time as to the number
t affects. Now it is the duty of the
lembers of this board when acting
town boards to exercise control
yer school district boundaries. You
an secure better schools at no great
expense, and, considering the state
id, at less expense, by Transports
ion than by dividing districts.
The total expense Of all the schools
nder the supervision Of the county
uperintendent last year, was $4,000
he product turned out cannot be
stimated in dollars. We believe
lat we will in time have good fin
anciala returns for the money In
ested, and, in addition, citizens well
TIED to do the work they will be
alled upon to do, Anything that
an be done to increase the value
our common school education now
i'll be returned many fold in the FIJI
Ire. 1t is impossible to secure the
est teachers for little schools of ten
upils, and even with good teachers
UGH schools are lacking in interest
7hich is a fundamental Of learning.
he expense of transporting such a
chool would be no greater than to
ire a teacher. There is one thing
lore in regard to transportation that
plead for before this board, as some
you have it in your power to make
onditions better. It Is that you will
urnish transportation for children
wing more than two miles from
chool who have to walk all or part
the way These who live far
rom the school are the ones who
eed your help, and not those who
i've near.
The consolidation of districts and
he transportation of children is the
My means yet devised of solving
he problem of how to make the
ural schools meet the required eff
iency, and at the present time, Is
he most important matter to be
considered by school officers of the
county.
Respectfully submitted,
w. N. MACKIN.
County Superintendent