St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-08-21
State Aid For Schools.

While the large central public
schools OF the state are doing SPLEEN
did work, the small rural schools are
not keeping pace. For the present
these latter should be the especial
care of the State. In so far as their
standard can be improved by more
liberal state aid it should be extend
ed, and we recommend to the Gen
eral Assembly larger diversion of
the public school funds in this di-
rection, also a redistribution of these
funds on a basis that will ensure
more direct aid to the towns that
really need it.-State Republican
Platform.
This declaration by the republican
party of Vermont shows it to be the
friend and supporter of the small
and poorer towns that have been
the nursery of such a large proper
ton of the states strong men and
noble women in the past. 1t is a
pledge to aid them in maintaining
those institutions which have been
such a powerful agency in develop
ing good citizenship. BY raising the
funds for the support of the state
government, funds for the suppodt
of the public schools and the con-
struction and maintenance of good
highways fro msources independent
of the town taxpayers the republi-
can party can rightfully claim to be
the saviour and promoter of the life
and development of the small town.
This declaration OF support for the
small rural schools is not new
doctrine but an endorsement of an
established policy of the republican
party. A glance at the past shows
this. In the earliest years of the
twentieth century the state aided the
schools in the following manner. 1t
raised a state school tax of eight
cents on a dollar of the grand list
in all the towns and cores of the
state. This tax was distributed
among the towns according to the
number of legal schools they main
tanned without regard to how much
it cost them to maintain them. 1t
also distributed the income from
the United States Deposit Fund
among the towns according to their
population in the preceding census.
Then in 1902 it passed law pro-
viding that from the money raised
by the state school tax the sum of
$4,000 should be reserved each
year to be distributed among the
towns paying so cents or more on a
dollar OF the grand list for the sup
port of schools and the remainder of
the state school tax money distribu-
ted among the towns according to
the number of legal schools main
tanned In 1904 the act was amend
ed making the reserve fund to be
so cents or more on a dollar for the
support of schools $45, 900. In 1906
it created a permanent school fund
as follows $4,000 returned
to the State of Vermont by the fed
eral government to pay the Civil
War claims, the Huntington Fund,
the United States Deposit Money and
such other funds as might be added
from time to time. The income from
this fund is to be used for the sup
port of schools and distributed as
follows:-A sum of $4,000 is re-
served annually to be distributed be-
tween the towns the same as the
$45,0 fund mentioned above, the
remainder to be distributed in the
same manner as the state school tax,
or according to the number of legal
schools maintained. In 1910 this
permanent school fund amounted to
$1,12O,494.25 and was yielding an
annual income of $5O,324.23. That
year the state of Vermont had the
amount of $19S,797.O5 for distri-
button among the towns for the