Alamogordo news-advertiser. (Alamogordo, Otero County, N.M.) 1912-1914, 1913-02-15
THE ADVANTAGES OF A
COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Discussed by
r. s. Upton
Supt. Otero Couny Schools


Talk is talk and facts are facts.
If you favor the high school, why
Is it because it is to be placed near
your door and will be direct bene-
fit to you? Do you favor it because
you think it will be a benefit to
Otero county? or do you favor it
because you think we owe this to
the boys and girls of the county? or
do you favor it just on general prin-
ciples, believing that~any move for
education is a good thing?
Have you ever taken time to in
vestigate the proposition? Do you
know exactly why you favor the higl
school?
If you do not favor the establish
ing of county high school, why
not? Would you vote for it if it
were to be located in your district?
Do you believe it would be bad
thing for the county? If it would
be a good thing for the county in
your district, why not in any dis
trict? Is your reason personal or
general? Are you viewing the prop
osition from the standpoint of the
county as whole, or are your ideas
sectional? Make up your mind to
be fair and unprecedented in your de-
cision and then weigh carefully the
following facts.
At present there is not a high
school in Otero county that can
give 10 our children the advantages
they should have. In every school
where the high school work is being
done, it is necessary to divide this
work out among the grade teachers
That means crowded conditions in
btho the grammar grade and the
high school work. 1t means that
though the children may be able to
pass they have not had that thor
oughness in trainingg that they
should have had. Not a school in
the county is equipped for doing
the work as it should be done. No
teacher can do good work who has
to teach high school work in addi-
tion to the grammar grades.
Under the High School Bill all
the counties of the state are eligi-
BILE for a county high school, with
two exceptions, and those two coun-
ties are trying hard to get the legis
lature to so amend the bill as to
admit them. A number of the coun
ties are at work now establishing
their county high schools.
The law making the county high
school possible provides; that agri'
culture, commercial science, domes
tic science and manual training mus
be taught in every county high
school. These are subjects of vita
Importance to our boys and girls
subjects of which they are now nee
essarily deprived.
The district in which the schoo
Is located must furnish the building
and rogunds without cost to thu
county.
A tax not to exceed two mills ma
be levied on the county for the pur
pose of maintaining the school, bu
under no circumstances can thii
levy ever exceed two mills.
In order to establish such
school. a petition must be present
ed to the county commissioners, ,beal
ing the names of at least one fiftl
Of all the qualified voters of tn
county (including women, askini
the commissioners to call an cleo
tion for the people to vote on tn
establishment of county higl
school to be located at the plac
named in the petition. II matorit
s of the votes cast favor the school
II shall be established. and the dis
triot in which 1t Is located shal
elect three directors who shall hav
charge OF same, provided that tn
county superintendent shall be
member OF the board ex-officio.
All children of the county VIII
have finished the eighth grade sha
be entitled to attend the school FIRE
of charge.
There are at present about on
hundred children in the county VIII
are doing high school work. Ca
the people of 0tero county AFFORD !
give these boys and girls a FIRE
high school education? Will 1t
worth the cost to the boys an
girls? Will 1t be worth the cost
the county?
Consider carefully the followir
figures: they are given for your II
formation: The treasurer's re
ords show that for the year 19l
there was paid into the county trei
ury approximately $llO,0O0.OO.
this amount the various lareg cor
panies OF the county. not includir
mercantile companies. paid appro,
mately S70,00O.00. Individual Ia
payers and the smaller compani
paid approximately $40,O0O.OO. No
It Is estimated that there are abo
1900 taxpayers in the couny, al
that their taxes would average abe
so mills. Dividing t40.00O.OO
taxes paid by each individuai,whl
1900 we have the average amount
Is 2c.06. Estimated on the sar
basis a two mill levy would &C
the average taxpayer ti.Oe. IN
means that IL your taxes were ~
sc last year the high school wou
cost YOU s1.O6. II your taxes We
$3.50 the school would cost y
90 cents.
A little less than one-third OF
the taxes paid goes to the schoo
Estimating on the basis oil o
Continued on Page -