Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-04-07


lutte uniform system for the ru-
raj schools, because they would
all be under one board. 1t would
eliminate the situation of a school
district containing railroad prop
erty from having a very low
rate of tax, while the neighboring
district probably paying as
much 10 secure the railroad in
the first place as the other dis
trict and certainly paying as
much towards keeping up the
earnings of the raod as any 9th
er district, from having to make
a heavy levy. Cities of the first
and second class are eliminated,
because they maintain a longer
term of school than the country
districts, and also a high school
system. If they were included
In a, county district, would
shift a portion of the burden of
maintaining such high schools up
on the rural communities. What
Is being attempted is not to in
crease the burdens of the rural
communities, but to Tighten them,
and to give them aid for their
schools, to the end that the boys
and girls in the country, the
young folks who will continue to
make Kansas great, will get what
is coming to them.
The bill contains provisions
whereby any local district in
which there are 200 persons of
school age, may vote on the prop
OsitiOn of being exempt from the
provisions of this act. If a mai
Orlty vote Tor such exemption,
then the district may be set off,
but is compelled to maintain an
eight month term of school, and
two years of high school work.
All the other schools of the
county will be placed under the
control TO a county board of ed
ucatiOn, consisting of six mem
berS, chosen by the qualified vot-
ers of the district at large, no
two Of whom shall come from the
same municipal township. T he
county superintendent shall be
ex-OfficiO president of the board.
The board shall have the usual
powers granted a school board.
They shall receive the sum of
three dollars per day for their
time employed, and five cents per
mile for the distance Travelled
in going and returning from the
meetings, or in the discharge of
their duties.
The local district boards are re-
tanned, and shall have the same
rights and powers they now pos
seSS, which have not specifically
been delegated to the county
board.
The bill proposed may fall
short of what is intended to be
accomplished, but is a long step
forward, and legislation along
this line should be pushed.
The attention of school pat
rOnS is called to the fact that the
annual SchOl meeting will hereaf-
ter be held ON the second Friday
Of April. This brings the meet
ing this year one. week from to-
day. Just why this date was
again changed we are unable to
say. 1t seems that every session
Of the legislature has taken a
fling at this date, and of course
the last session had to do the
same thing. The previous SEES
sion changed the date 50 that
those districts containing cities
of the third class would hold their
meetings at an earlier date than
the others. 1t seems that this
did not suit the country districts
hence the change. Now the
country districts are again disSat-
iSfied, saying the date is too early
therefore, we suppose the next
session will have another fling at
changing the date.
Those of our young folks who
contemplate taking up teaching
as a profession, or those who
now teach ON second or third
grade certificates, would do well
to examine the new certificate
law passed this winter, before
making am effort to go farther,
as some important changes have
been made. We have not got the
old law at hand to tell what the
changes are, but the county sup
erltendent can give the requir-
ed information. When the year
1917 comes to Kansas an appli-
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