The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-07-23
CENTRALIZING0 OF
RURAL SCHOOLS
Enthusiastic Meeting Held at Center
School House Friday Evening"
Consolidation Discussed.
PROFESSOR WOODRUFF THERE

Consolidation Discussed.
PROFESSOR WOODRUFF THERE
Tells Of Marathon Consolidated
Schools Comprising Twenty
five Sections.
An enthusiastic meeting of men and
women of Milford township was held
at the center school house last Friday
evening, July 18th. Professor Wood
ruff, state inspector of rural and con-
solidated schools, met with them and
discussed the consolidation problems.
Professor Woodruff was at the head
of the Marathon schools Zone of the
best consolidated schools in this coun
try for two years, so is in position
to speak from actual knowledge of
facts as to the effects and results of
consolidation.
The Marathon consolidation con-
| sists of twenty-five sections and on
this they built fire proof brick, two
story and basement building, costing
$4,000. 1t is heated by furnaces, light
! ed according to the latest plans and
seated to accommodate the children.
Nine of the best teachers in the
state are employed to instruct the
children in the common branches and
high school work, including manual
training, domestic science and agri-
culture.
There are nine months of school
and twelve grades against eight
months of school and eight grades in
the rural schools. There are 127
country children attending this school
and six wagons are used to carry the
children to and from school. There
are less than ten children who have
seven miles to ride each night and
morning. Children attend on an aver
age of, 40 days, while in the rural
schools the attendance was 1O1 days
each year. " ,-s ~ r.
Children attend much more regular.
ly than in the rural schools and are
much more interested in the work
More boys and girls finish the high
school and as the course Is practical
they are better fitted for life on the
farm than those with the common
school education.
Transportation. This is the first
argument against consolidation by
those opposed to 1t. Not more than
ten children in this twenty-five section
district ride as far as seven miles to
school each night and morning, so
that the other III Children do not have
very far to ride on an average. The
wagon must drive up to the door to
get the children if the school board or
ders the driver to do 50, or the board
may allow the parents pay for taking
their children to meet the wagon il it
would be too hard for the wagon to go
to the house on account of many gates
and the house being too far off of the
road. II gates are provided 80 that
they may be opened without the driver
having to leave the wagon then he
may get the children from any home.
Children prefer to ride rather than
walk, and this is, proven in many
ways. If the roads happen to be bad
the children will wait for the wagon
and ride three or four miles around
rather than walk one-half mile across
to meet the wagon. In good weather
the children may save from three to
four miles by walking across to meet
the wagon on the return trip and some
/ times they do this for a change, but
! it is not required of them in any case.
! They may save the same ride by walk
| ing to their homes not to exceed one
half to three-quarters of mile. There
are many ways that may be done and
! in all it is not as hard on the children
| to be transported as it is to walk the
distance they have to travel to school
NOW. Some others say that they freeze
F.! in cold weather yet they do not real
ize that the children are freezing now
in the coolest weather. Parents do
not send if it is too cold in either case.
Buses are used to transport the chill.
: dren and in nearly every case they are
; enclosed and are heated so that they
, are warm in the coolest weather sc
that the children can ride seven or
eight miles to school and not get as
cold as if they walked one-half mile
to school. When they get to the
school they will find good teachers and
a warm fire waiting for them. which
is not always true with schools as
they are now. Children like to go to
the consolidated school and will be
there nearly every day unless kept at
home for work.
Taxes. No one questions the fact
that the taxes will be higher than they
are now in the rural district, but they
are getting something for their mon
l. y. The binder costs more than the
cradle used to cost, but no one would
go back to the old days The new
schools will cost more, but there is no
comparison as to the results. They
ale just as much different from the
schools of today as the binder is bet
ter than the cradle.
At Marathon there were some of the
taxpayers who objected to the consol
idated schools just as you will find
in any district, but not one OF them
would go back to the old way after
having tried the new, and the ones
who fought the consolidation the
hardest are the ones who are work
ing for it in other districts where they
have interests. They are in favor OF
it because of the much better schools
and the fact that the land is more val
liable and brings in more rent.
The taxes at Marathon are q mills
and they employ nine teachers. Al
Newell. another consolidated district
the tax is % mills and they emplo!
eight teachers: at Truesdale the ia,
IS Il mills and they employ three