Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-09-10
COUNTY LEADS STATE
N CONSOLIDATION
NOW HAS eleven DISTRICTS,
EIGHT NEW, WITHIN LAST
TWELVE MONTHS.
TWO BUILDINGS TAKEN
BY STATE FOR MODELS
Almost $4,000 Invested in Buildings
For New Districts or Will Be In.
vested When Schools Are Finished
Liberty Township Opens School in
New Building.

According to information from the
! office of State Superintendent of Pub
| lie instruction A. NJ. Deyoe, Marshall
county has made more progress in the
I consolidation of rural schools than any
other county in the state during the
same period Except for the. Iowa
! township consolidated school at Albion,
! the movement to consolidate schools
| began in the county in 1912. 1t was
| not, however. until late in 1913, and
more especially early in this year, that
| the consolidation movement got under
! full Roadway.
| In connection with these most recent
! consultations the county has achieved
/ some notable distinctions. one school.
that in Liberty township, was the hrst
! strictly rural consolidated district to
be organized in the state. Two OF the
buildings being erected for other con-
/ soiidated schools have been taken by
! the state superintendent of public in
struction as models for their KIND.
They are the four room building at
&
Vancleve Another school. the one a.
! Clemens, received state aid last year,
I it being the first in the county to get
f! help from the state under the new
| laws.
| Consolidated Schools Open.
/ School opened this week in the con-
solidated districts in all parts Of the
county. The latest of the new build
! ings the one in Liberty township. was
used for the first time. In other dis
| tricts where buildings have not yet
! been built the school boards are either
| holding consolidated school in old
buildings or are conducting school II.
| the country district buildings until
such time as new buildings will be
ready.
| In several of the districts, including
some Of those which have not yet a
new building, the teaching force has
| been organized and Is at work, ready
/ to step into the consolidated schools
| when the building is completed.
Buildings Cost $4,000.
Three new buildings have been built
! at a cost of $4,000. They are those at
| ST. Anthony, Clemens. and in Liberty
| township. Three others to cost $4,000
have been begun or will be begun in a
very short time. They are the schools
for Lamoille, Melbourne and Van
cleve. The st. Anthony district has a
movement on foot to enlarge its dis
,rict to sixteen sections, so as TO put
itself on a basis to receive state aid.
Two of the districts. Minerva and
Rhodes, will not build new buildings, at
least not at present. Another, the
Haverhill district. altho consolidated.
remains a Catholic parochial school
Still another, Ferguson, is at a stand
still, as litigation in which it is in
volved is in the state supreme court
Statistics of Consolidation.
The Albion school is the old consol-
idated school of the county. 1t was
organized ten years ago. Its territory
is little more than ten sections Miss
Gene NJ. Speers is principal and the
teachers number five.
S. Anthony was the first of the newer
consultations. Its district is twelve
sections A petition has been approve,
J by County Superintendent Gertrude A
Miller to increase the district to six.
teen sections by taking in three il
Story county and one in Liberty town
ship. A four-room building costins
$4,000 was built. Miss Lottie Totmar
|
ers.
The Clemens district, which was or
ganized in 1913, comprises sixteen anc
one half sections. 1t built five-roon
building, costing about $4,000. and
during the last school year received
$3.50 from the state. Five hundred o!
this sum was for equipment and $3.50
was for maintenance. Maurice Mitchell
is principal and the teachers number
five.
The Minerva district includes sixteen
sections The board does not intend
to build this year, and not until it's f.
nances are in good shape. In the mean
time the district is conducting school
in the rural district schools.
The Lamoille district includes six
teen sections The contract for q
room building has been let. and
work is to begin very soon. The build
ing will cost about $4,000 The pupils
/ from the districts north of Lamoille
are being brought to the two-room
building in town. School is being
conducted in the other rural schools
until the new building is done. Mrs.
Bertha Munroe is the principal, and
there are three teachers.
The Rhodes district comprises six
teen sections. Rhodes had a school
building large enough to accommodate
the pupils of the consolidated district.
1t is planned to remodel and enlarge
the old building next year. Claude w
Smith is the principal, and there are
five teachers.
The Melbourne district is the largest
in the county. 1t takes in twenty six
sections. The foundation for the new
eight-room. building, to cost about $780,
600, is in Part of the children are
going to school in the old four-room
building in Melbourne, and the others
are attending the old country schools
Otto Wesley is the principal and the
teachers number four.
The Vancleve district comprises six.
teen sections. A contract for a six
room building to cost about $4,000 has
been let. Until Il is finished the schools
are being conducted in the district
buildings.
The Haverhill district comprising
twenty sections, a1tho conso1-
idated, continues to be parochia
school, and receives no school tax aid
The Ferguson district is in litigation
Consultations were effected and dis
solved or failed in the districts tina
included the towns of LeGrand, Greer
Mountain, Bangor. Iiscomb, Stat,
Center, AID Il Timber Creek township