News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1911-08-30

number of pupils enrolled for the term
recently closed was nine and the average
daily attendance was eight. The age OF
the pupil is from six to sixteen. To meet
their needs about thirty daily recitations
are necessary. The length of the school
is six hours. Taking out one hour for
recess, morning exercises, seat work, ETC.,
leaves only about ten minutes for each
recitation Most OF the classes consist
of three pupils or less, and consequently
there is no friendly rivalry to stir ambi-
tion and not enough Variation to awaken
interest. The classes are too small and
there are so many Of them that no
teacher can do justice 10 the children.
In three schools the average enrolment
was seven and the average attendance
six. 1t is plain that good results are
well nigh an impossibilty under these
conditions. The superintendent recon-
mends that two of these schools be
closed and the pupils transported to the
village school. The benefits of such an
arrangement would be many. 1t would
| provide three room graded school with
| three grades to a room, and it is fact
that pupils in a graded school of three or
more rooms usually learn more in two
| terms then they can in three in an ordina-
ry district school of small classes. In
the matter of the other schools the Super
| tendent recommends that two be
| closed and the pupils be carried to the
third. Some parents may object to these
changes, but it is pretty certain that
their oppositions be dispelled by the new
interest and greater progress of tho chill
dren.
Under the present system of state aid
to schools a town receives $64 annually
per legal school, and legal school is one
that has an average attendance of six for
the school year. Thus the State has put
a premium on small weak schools Con-
slider the schools just quoted. If four
are closed the town will lose 1886 year.
The cost of the schools would be less in
some particulars, but the loss of 1855 is
one of the hardest arguments to overcome
in discussion with the taxpayers. Why
not allow the towns to draw the legal
school money according to the present
apportionment even if some of the schools
should be improved by being CONSOLE
dated? 1t is poor policy to say to town
that as long as it continues to maintain
six schools. five of which are very poor
ones, just so long will the State pay it
$64 year per school, but if the town at
tempts to improve the schools by con-
solidation then it must lose $64 for each
school closed.
Schools are maintained for the good of
the whole State. Lack of education
levies penalty on the State in the main
tenance of our penal institutions. In
many of our towns the schools are small
and in the hands of poorly prepared and
inefficient teachers. Although the terms
are short and the teachers poorly paid
the burden of taxation is almost unen-
durable. 1t is manifestly unjust that
some towns should have to tax them
selves three times AS much as some other
towns more favorably situated, in order
to do their share of the work which
rghtfully belongs to the State as a whole.
Moreover it is unjust to the child to make
him get along with short terms, poor
equipment, and poor teaching. The re-
port of the State Superintendent of Ed
ucatiOn for 1910 shows that BelVidere
expended n per cent of its grand list for
current school expenses, and had only
$40 SO per pupil. while Burlington ex.
pended only 43 per cent, but greater
property valuation brought S23 81 per
pupil. Moni>town expended 60 per cent
and realized $24 so per pupil.
Eden, also in Lamoille County ex-
pended 113 per cent and realized &22 95
per pupil, an amount considerably less
than Burlington realized on it's 43 per
cent or Morristown on its CO. Other sta
tistics from the Vermont school Report
for 1910 show that inequality OF taxation
for school support is general throughout
tha