Abilene weekly reflector., 1912-12-26
Barnes High School
Law Discussed

/ (s It should have adequate fin
ancial support.
(4) The county at large should
,, assist in the support of the other &C
credited high schools of the county
to an extent sufficient to do two
things: First, to balance the support
the towns now give the county high
school; second, to open the doors OF
all these high schools to pupils from
any part of the county free OF
charges. And 1t should be said with
emphasis at this point that this sec
ond object is far and awav the most
important thing to be secured. 1t Is
| a comparatively small thing that the
taxation be adjusted, but it is an
exceedingly important and even nec-
essary thing that every boy and girl
in Dickinson county have free en-
trance into and instruction In an
accessible high school.
{ 1t is believed that these things
can be secured by legislative enact
ment applying the Barnes high
school law in a moo = form in this
Ec0unty. This law was ]. ed By tie
ilegislAtpse about sfx PEARS ago. and
I grew out Of the practical breakdown
of the county high school law, which
had ceased to produce new high
schools. Applied to this county, the
Barnes law would operate as fol-
lows:
A general high school fund would
be raised by q tax on the county at
large, the levy limited to five-tenths
of mill or less. This fund would
be divided pro rata among all the
high schools of the county, both city
high schools and the county high
school. This fund would only par
TALLY meet the operating cost Of the
high schools and would need to be
supplemented. It the case of the
towns, It would be supplemented by
towns themselves, which would bear
the remainder of the operating cost
and the entire cost of the buildings
and the permanent equipment, as
no part of the Barnes law fund is
available for this purpose. In the
case of the county high school, the
fund would be supplanted by small
additional levy on the entire county
to be made by the county high
school trustees with a limit set at
perhaps two-tenths of mill. Under
this plan the county high school
would have about the same income
as at present. The towns would
bear their share of this. The towns
would also bear the entire cost OF
their school buildings and all per-
manent equipment, and a part OF
the operating cost. The county
would assist the towns by bearing
part Of the operating cost of the
high schools, and the doors of the
high schools in all the county could
then be opened to all the boys and
girls in the county entirely irres-
pective of residence. All high schools
to share in the county general fund
should be required to carry courses
in manual training, the household
arts, and agriculture.
In closing 1t should be said that
this question should be approached
in the proper spirit, an educational
spirit. The chief thing about which |
to be concerned IL the educational
interests of the thousands Of boys
and girls in Dickinson county. No
other matter can compare with this
in importance. The special inter-
ests OF any school or community
should cut no figure whatever in the
question. No one school is entirely
dominant in the county. The boys
and girls in one school are just as
valuable to the entire county as
those in any other. and are Just as
deserving Of the opportunity to OBJ
tain effective training for life.
w. A. STACEY. !
r,,~o-trt.vdanf Abilene Schools.