Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-10-30
The County High
School Fund Law
and It's Results
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS EX.
PRESS THEIR VIEWS WHICH
ARE ALL FAVORABLE TO THE
MEASURE-WHAT THEY SAY.

The county high school fund law
was upon the ballot at the general
election lin Polk county November
1910, and was carried by a large ma
jority.
This law was placed In operation
January /, 1911 and has been growing
in favor during the entire time of its
operation,
January /, 1911, we had in Polk
county eight schools doing high school
work, of which two were f~our-year
high schools, three were three-year
high schools, two were two-year high
schools, and one was doing one-year
work, These schools had a total at
tendance of about 100 pupils, Now we
have IA high schools doing work as
follows; Three doing two years, three
doing three years, and eight doing the
full four years of work, with a total
attendance of $50 pupils.
These schools are located in all sec.
tions Of the county and nearly every
child in the county can reach some
high school by riding not over Ave
miles, in fact we have many children
in the rural high schools and some at.
tending the city high schools that are
riding from two to five miles.
The cost of maintaining these
schools is not heavy as the money for
the fund is raised on all the property
of the county and so makes the rate
very light, we have only made a rate
Of one-half mill in this county,
This money is paid to schools main.
tanning high schools as provided UNI
der this act and such money must be
paid to- teachers for salary and salary
only.
The average child completing the
eighth grade is from IL to IA years of
age and is much too young to send
away from home to attend school, un.
der this high school fund law the child
will be able to attend high school and
return home at night, Is under the
home care nearly all the time. With
out this high school fund law, high
schools cannot be maintained in
enough sections Of the county to allow
of this condition, without running a
very heavy tax on the one district,
Which is not necessary to the people,
and the result would be that the par
ent, not wanting to have the child at
this tender age to leave home, will not
send him or her to school for two or
three years, by this time the child will
have lost interest and will not care TO
attend.
The creation of high schools in diff.
ferent sections of the county not only
gives the children of all parts of the
county a chance to attend the high
schools, but it also helps very much
to build up that part Of the county and
improves the community interests and
all r benefited by It, or at least, that
is the experience in this county, as we
have several Of these schools and all
conditions in these sections and the
surrounding country are much Inn
proved and a better school spirit ex-
lists.
The interest in the secondary edu.
cation is much better all over the
county since creating the high school
fund law, as this last year we had over
90 per cent of the eighth grade gradu-
ates of the former year in the high
schools of the county.
This letter has given the very best
of satisfaction in all parts of the
county and | have eve heard one
objection to it since It was passed, and
| have asked many what they think Of
the law and all are pleased with It and
think it one of the best laws on the
books. Respectfully,
il. c. SEYMOUR,