Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1916-04-13
COUNTY UNIFORMITY FOR
SCHOOLS-ITS GOOD POINTS

curt house April l by J. H. Taylor
II Rhinehart. After a discussion OF
he paper a vote was taken and re-
;ulted in favor of county uniform
ty by large majority. Mr.. Taylor
iaid
The great cry in army and navy
circles is preparedness. In school
matters it is we'll to consider the
future and be prepared to take ad-
vantage of the progress made else
where and adapt it to our own local
From the statistics com
piled by our own painstaking, eff
Gent superintendent, the levy for
school purposes for the four large
towns of Dickinson county having
high schools varies from ACC per
500 valuation to 75c per 500 val
nation. an average of 64c for year
1914. The levy of the 124 county
districts varies from eight cents per
500 to 81 cents per 500 with the
average of 25c for the county. The
INEQUALITIES probably caused by the
location of the district in respect
to the railroad. For 1915, the aver
age is 24c.
II 1t is the desire of the school
natrons to give the country children
as good schooling as the towns
do. it is plainly necessary that
something must be done to advance
that idea. The American idea, that
all children should have the same
chance for an education seems TO
meet stumbling block In the dis
trict system. This system was first
adopted in Massachusetts when the
pilgrim fathers started our school
system and which was adapted 10
the condition of spare settlements
AS the population increases, the
idea of township or larger units
came into practice. What would you
think of city like Abilene divided
for taxation purposes into as many
districts as they have school houses.
The cities have already adopted
larger unit system.
The idea is that every boy or girl
in the city is entitled to as good an
education as any other boy or girl
Why not in the country? The idea
of a larger unit, for better schools,
better teachers, better officers, has
brought about the present plan for
county uniformity. 1t is an adoption
of cooperation. The schools OF the
county should belong to the whole
county, not to single districts. The
same as this court house; 1t does
not belong to Abilene, it belongs to
the whole county. The county high
school does not belong to Chapman
but to the entire county. 1t means
the greatest good to the largest
number.
The states now organized under
the district system number IT, in
Guiding Kansas. Iowa, Michigan and
Utah have more than one system
with the district system predomin-
ating. North Dakota has both the
district and the township unit, the
larger portion of the state being on
the township basis. California, Della
ware, Mississippi, South Carolina
Texas and Washington, have semi
county systems. Eighteen states
have a county or semi-county sys-
TEN, including Ohio and Wisconsin.
Maryland since 1865, Louisiana in
1870, Florida in 1885 and Georgia
in 1887.
In the judgment of many observ-
ers, the district system is not econ
omical or efficient. The tendency in
all our states and in foreign coun-
tries as we'll, is to a larger unit.
England in 1902 adopted the coun-
ty unit. Scotland has the parish as
unit which closely corresponds to
our township, the officials of Scot
land state that the sentiment in
favor of the county basis is grow
ing rapidly.
The United States bureau Of edu-
, cation has sent out the following
letter to every rural school super
intendent in the entire United States
as a basis for a consideration.
/. The county the unit of taxa
ton and administration of schools
Except that, in administration, in.
dependent city districts employing 9
! superintendent would not be In
cluded.)
t 2. A county school tax levied or
E all taxable property in the county
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