Norwich bulletin., 1910-12-29
LETTERS ID THE EDITOR
What Preston Should Do.


 
 MT. Editor: Many of the readers of The Bulletin have no doubt heard of Prudence CTandaI and her school at Canterbury. Tn the old anti slavery days she opened this school to colored children who were denied school priv ileges elsewhere. In consequence she was mobbed and driven out of town by the people who were indignant that she should admit ''niggers' to her school Times have changed, and when a few years ago she was found to be a pauper in a western state the state of Connecticut voted her d handsome pension.
 A picture the writer saw a while ago suggested also that times had changed in another way also. It rep resented the large fine Hartford high school building. 4 bright colored boy was represented as coming down the steps with a diploma under his arm, while q little, barefoot Yankee boy from Canterbury was looking over a high fence with enviOUs eyes and ex- claiming, Gee! How 1 wish l had his chance"
 This cartoon started a discussion in the papers that helped to create de- mand that country children in Con- necticut should have just as good schol privileges as those in the cities.
 The result is 8 body of school laws that are very generous to our small country towns. It is right that they should have state aid, as it costs more to maintain schools in proportion to the taxable property in these towns than where the population is more dense.
 One of these laws provided that towns that do not maintain high schools may pay the tuition of pupils in approved high schools and two- thirds of the tuition not exceeding $45 shall be refunded by the state, and that transportation shall also be paid and one-haf refunded by the state. In the latter case the payment by the state shall not exceed $20 per pupil. Preston pays only $50 of the tuition at the Free Academy, which is S45, and does not comply with the law re- quiring payment for transportation, which is mandatory and not pernniS- sive. Every other town adjacent to Norwich pays both in full.
 In addition to this, the town does not apply for the average attendance grant which insures that the amount available for school purposes shall equal $25 per pupil. How much the town would receive from the state can be determined by the school board from the school registers. Every oth- CT town in New London county ex-
 
 this grant. Ledyard found that it need not raise as much for school purposes if it took this grant and at the same time have much more to spend on it's schools. There the low est salary paid any teacher is S35 per month, here $25. But how much, if anything. would be received depends entirely upon the average attendance.
 In case the school board should find 1t advisable to accept this grant and it applies, as we suppose it does, to high school pupils also we should draw also $25 per pupil on each pupil in an approved high school and this in addition to what the state pays already towards tuition and trans portation would just pay the increase asked for by some of our people i. C., $5 from the town in order to secure the additional $15 on tuition and $2O in order to secure $20 from the state for transportation. So that this ben eft to individuals would cost the town nothing.
 The writer believes that wise econ- omy would also lead the town to ac- cept state supervision, as the state pays every penny of the cost and so saves the present cost of supervision. As the supervisor acts as the agent of the board and can GO little agains the wish of the board and is able to give his whole time to the S hooIs, we
  much to approve state supervision. Nearly every other small town in the county now has it. He has other sug- gestions to make looking to increas sed economy and efficiency of school man. agement.
 On all these subjects the writer feels that he needs more light. Doubt less others feel in the same way about il. If we can better our schools with out increasing materially our tax rate and so make the town more attractive to a good class of farm buyers we shau increase the grand list and diminish the burden of eXprnse and debt. in roWn affairs. We are trying this in roadbuilding. Why not also in schools
 Now, why not ask the state board of education to hold an institute here to discuss and throw light on these questions? We feel sure that the town school board who are generously giV- ing much time and thought to our schools for which they arc very poorly paid will welcome this open discus