The Holt County sentinel., 1914-03-27
Better Organized Districts.

held here Saturday Of last week, was
not able for lack Of time to hear the
entire program as made up by Super.
intendent Rock, and the result was
that several numbers had to be omit
ted for want OF time. Among those
not heard on the subject assigned
them was G. II. Dearmont, who was
assigned to the subject, Better Or.
ganization OF Districts: Rural High
Schools" lie came prepared, and his
paper on the subject contains so many
excellent thoughts, that we prevailed
upon Mr.. Dearmont to permit us to
give our readers the benft OF his
Views on the subject assigned him.
at Is only recently that the people
OF the State Of Missouri stopped bray.
ging about their wealth and resources
To look around to see Just how our
rural school system was working.
They found that We had 10000 rural
schools In the State OF Missouri.
More than two.thirds OF these rural
schools have a different teacher each
year. Nearly one.third are untrled
teachers wholly without experience.
Many Of the rural schools Of the state
are taught In buildings worth with
all equipments $500 or less. They are
taught by girls who have had no
training beyond the grammar grades,
and Who hear more than thirty class.
es a day. Our last legislature passed
four laws by which rural, town and
village schools can yet state aid.
These laws are: Tie Carter school
aid law, the Wilson High school aid
law, the Buford consolidation law,
and the Crossley teachers training
course law.
In eight months after these laws
were enacted I ,1ij weak rural school
districts received aid under the Car.
ter law t'nder this law alone We paid
out sljO,0O. Over ten thousand dol.
lars OF this money went TO Texas
county. Several other counties In the
Ozark region received from eight TO
nine thousand dollars under this law.
There are ten districts In Holt county
eligible to state aid. one district re.
ceiyed 600. The other nine failed TO
take advantage Of this law.
Under the Wilson law lG7 schools
received state aid. Holt county
schools received less than 1000 under
this law. Seyenty.four schools re.
cei,ed aid under The Crossley law.
Holt county received nothing. Under
the Buford law there has been thirty.
i've rural high schools established.
These thirty.ilye schools received
state aid. Holt county has one dis.
trict organized under this Law. This
district hasn't received any state aid
because II has failed To vote bonds for
a schoolhouse. This district has lost
over $3.50 state aid, (also $1,000 the
state would have given them provided
they had voted 5000 bonds To build n
schoolhouse.) They have ~ or a.
children eligible TO 10 to n LIvh
school. They are losing the state
money on these children. THIS would
amount TO about 500, plus s,l;o
making $50. They viii lose this
every year until they vote bonds. Is
this al we are IosinvY No. This isn't
all we are losing. The State OF Mis-
souri, Is paying bet ween 400, 900 and
sJOO, 600 state aid under these four
laws and they haven't been In effect
but n little more than ten months
dare say In one or two years from nov
they WIN pay 1000, 900 or a.. OOO. una
PAYS this state aidY Every taxpayer
In the state OF Missouri Then H.
common school district must pay
somer Yes, ] predict that common
school district with a valuation of
slO0 900 viii paw several hundred dol.
lars state aid In a year or two, and
get nothing In return unless they con.
solidate With some district.
Tie rural districts IN Holt county
are losing between ais 900 and saO 900
state aid every year by not consolida,.
ing. Then " this he the case, Why
not reorganize all Of the rural dis.
trictsy They should he reorraniled
without regard TO the old district
lines. By making a general rcorpan.
ila'ion OF these dist ric,s We could ge,
better shaped districts. which Holt