The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-06-22
Maine Schools.
Many Changes in School Laws of the
State. Compilation of State Superin-
tendent Of Schools

tendent of Schools.
The 18th Legislature made number
of important changes in connection with
the laws relating to the public schools,
and the present school laws as affected
! by these changes have been carefully
compiled by the State superintendent of
schools, Hon. Payson Smith
The most important measure of the
new legislation is the act for the en-
enlargement of industrial legis lation,
which provides that the State superin-
tendent of schools shall investigate, adj
wise and aid in the matter of industrial
eGucation,. and that industrial courses
shall pe introduced into the State Nor
NAL. The act provides for aid to towns
for courses in both elementary and sec
ondary schools, aid to towns maintaining
evening schools, and the establishment
Of general industrial schools.
The method of distribution of the com
mon school fund remains the same as two
years ago, one-third according to the
number of scholars and two thirds ac-
cording to the valuation, although an
effort was made, in the first case, to dis
tribute the entire fund according to
valuation and in the other to distribute
it according to average school attend
ance. Neither of the proposed measures
was successful in passage, and a Joint
special committee was finally appointed
by the Legislature to make recommended
tons and report in 1913 to the Legisla-
ture by bill or otherwise. An effort was
made to take the High school fund out of
the State common school fund, but this
also was unsuccessful, and the status of
those funds remains the same as two
years ago.
A law was passed by the last Legisla-
ture including pupils at fog warning and
/ life saving stations as well as those at
| light stations, as entitled to admission to
any public school in the State without
paying tuition. The law in regard to the
discharge of town or city school superin-
tendents has been revised so that after
due notice and investigation the superin-
tending school committee may for cause
discharge a superintendent of schools,
and after protracted absence from duty
on the part of such superintendent de-
clare vacancy in his office
Some changes have been made in the
law relating to the school census. The
returns to the State superintendent of
schools must now be accompanied by d
certified list of the names and ages of
persons included in the census. The new
law also provides that when the State
superintendent of schools on examination
OF the census returns to any town is of
the opinion that the census has been in
accurately taken, he shall make state
ment thereof to the Governor and Coun-
Gil who may require the census of such
towns to be retaken and returned. The
provision for the union of two'or more
towns in the employment of superin-
tendent, which limits the schools to be
thus taken care of, to not less than 20
nor more than SO, is rendered more elias
tic by the provision that in any case
where it shall appear to the State super
intendent of the public schools upon the
representation of school committees of
cal situation and other reasons it is to
the advantage of the State and of the
said towns that the union shall include
fewer than 20 or more than so schools,
the State superintendent of public schools
shall have authority to authorize such a
union. The new law also provides that
the annual appropriation for payments
from the State under the union superin-
tendent act shall be deducted from the
State school funds.
The law providing for the tuition of
pupils in towns having no free High
schools of standard grade has been
amended SO that experimenting school
committees may contract with academies
in adjoining towns as we'll as their own
town for the tuition of scholars. That
is to say. the experimenting school COM
mittee of the town of Mt. Vernon, If
that town did not maintain a standard
grade High school, might contract with