Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-03
Many Changes in School
Laws Of the State.
Etna Man Presents Petition 10
Council TOR His Pardon.
Several New Rifle Ranges Are Ia
Process of Construction.

| the 10Th Legislature made a nuns
Der of important changes in connec-
ton with the laws relating to the pub
| lie schools and the present school
laws as affected by these changes
have been carefully compiled by the
State superintendent of schools, Hon.
Payson Smith, and Friday We're being
sent out from the educational depart
ment at the State House
| The most important measure of the
new legislation is the act for the en-
enlargement of industrial legislation,
which provides that the State super
lntendent of schools shall investigate,
advise and aid in the matter of indus
| trial education, and that industrial
courses shall be introduced into the
| State Normal. The act provides for
| aid to towns for courses in both ele-
mentary and secondary schools, aid
to towns maintaining evening schools.
and the establishment of general in
dustrial schools.
The method of distribution of the
common school fund remains the same
as two years ago. one third according
TO the number of scholars and two
thirds according to the valuation.
lN>'N't'Noii a. Niipil WIS fflddt, III the
| first case to distribute the entire fund
according to valuation and in the
other To distribute ii according To
average school attendance. Neither
OF the proposed measures was sue
cesslul in passage, and a joint special
committee was finally appointed by
the Legislature to make recommended
tlons and report in 1913 to the Legis-
Iature by bill or otherwise. An effort
was also 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 re-
mains the same as two years ago.
law was passed by the last Legis-
lature including pupils at fog warn
ing and life saving stations as well as
those at light Citations. 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 superintendent
mas been revised so that after due
notice and investigation the superin-
tending school committee NAV for
cause discharge a superintendent of
SCHOOLS, and after protracted absence
from duty on the part of such SUPER
lntendents declare vacancy in his
office
Some changes have been made in
the law relating to the school census.
Inc return to the State superintendent
OF schools must now be accompanied
by a certified list of the names and
ages of persons included i'm the CEN
sus. The new law also provides
| Ildt when the Sfata
schools on examination Of the censns
returns of any town is of the opinion
that the census has been inaccurateIv
taken, ne shall make statment thereof
to the Governor and Council who NAV
require the census of such towns to
De fetaken and returned The pro-
vision for the union of two or more
towns In the employment of a super
lnts .dent, which limits the schools to
De thus taken care Of to not less than
~ nor more than SO, is rendered more
elastic by the provision that in any
case where it shall appear to the State
superintendent of the public schools
upon the representation of school
committees of certain towns that ow-
| ing to geographical situation and
other reasons il 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
nave authority to authorize such
| union. The new law also provides
that the annual appropriation for pay
ments from the State under the union
superintendent 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 well
as their own town for the tuition of
scholars. That is to say, the super
intending school committee of the
town of Mt Vernon, if that town did
not maintain a standard grade High
school, might contract with Kent's
| Hill Seminary for the tuition of its
High school scholars and the same
might be done under similar circum-
stances in case of the tuition of pupils
Iof windsor at Erskne Academy
One new holiday is provided for by
the act of the 18th Legislature, Co.
lumbus day. which occurs Oct. II. A
bill was introduced in the last Legis-
lature for the establishment of still
another holiday, Lincoln day. but the
bill failed of passage The last
Legislature has materially changed
the law in regard to the equalization
/ of school funds. The new law pro-