The Pulaskian., 1916-01-28
III. ADVANTAGES OF A counTN
 UNIT.
By J. R. Jewell, Dean School of Ed,s
 cation University of Arkansas.

CdtloH OHlyerSlty or Arkansas
 The most important reform needed in our Arkansas school system is the abolition of the district as the unit of school government and the substitu- ton therefor of the county The school district is an artificial unit estab, lished for single and special pur- pose, and like nothing else under heaven; consequently our schools are governmental outcasts, bearing no re- lation to the county government which, for every other function, is tho only recognized unit. It is in such a school system alone that one sees three times as many officers as teach. CTS, which Is just like an army with three times as many officers as soI- diers or business concern with three times as many foremen as laborers.
 There should be no words of abuse for school trustees. Many of them ara honest and honorable men. But, in selecting 25,000 officers for any ad. ministrative function, it is folly to ex. pect that many of them should have an intelligent conception of the du. ties to be performed. The duties of school officials are peculiar and re- quire culture, business acumen, hign aims for human progress, and capac- ity for intelligent leadership. But ths prevailing sentiment in a majority oe districts is that anybody will do fDr school trustee. The school district is so small that few men care to incur the displeasure of their friends and neighbors in trying to perform the dur ties required of school trustees.
 There are some who cling to tho district system because. they assert. it is the most democratic form oe school government. On the contrary, it is the most autocratic. When an election is held, the vote is, by no means, an indication of the popular will.
 The school districtis democracy gone to seed, worthless inheritance from Massachusetts, from whose system our own was copied at it's beginning. But Massachusetts, after disastrous experience similar to our own, dis carded her system many years ago. and one of her distinguished sons, Horace Mann, had declared that the school district is the greatest blunder , in the whole history of educational legislation."
 By making the county the unit 0f school government, it is obvious that aff -<~I interest in the administration of ita schools that is now had in other gov. ernmental functions. In the cities th0 best citizens are selected by the en. tire municipality to control the schools, and the whole city contributen to their support.
 Under the county system there would be an average of five or six school ofn- cials. Surely it would be easier to select school board of this limited number who would have and would manifest an interest in popular education, than it would be to secure three times ass many superior men as there ara schools. And, too, 1t is equally obs vious that since this board would bo- elected by the whole municipality. the electors would hold them to aa strict accountability for the success. ful administration of other county afs fairs.
 This matter of a county unit is in~ extricably tied up with the matter Of a better system of taxation, which will be the topic of the next article in this series. Every county in Arkan- sas presents examples of adjoining school districts, one of which with very low taxation can raise mora money for school purposes than it can stand, while the other by taxing itself the legal limit cannot raise enough to maintain school fit to send the children of the community to. For instance, in Monroe County, District No. l has six times the assessed vaiu. ation of District No. 26, adjoining it. although it has only two more white pupils, and can raise annually for school purposes $1,76S.21, while the latter district can raise maximum of S500.90. District No 38, that ad- joins No. 26 has valuation of only S17,000, and so can raise a maximum of only $119.31. Every principal Of democracy urges that every child in Monroe County-and every other coun- ty of our state-haye equal opportuni- ties for fair education with every other child. How unfortunata indeed are those children of such districts as No. o9 in Monroe County compared with those of District No. l, until wo