The Sun. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1915-1932, 1916-05-05
CONSOLIDATION OF
THE RURAL SCHOOLS
Question Was Recently Debated At Sunnyside
and Miss Kathryn Yergensen, Teacher,
Presented These Arguments.

ny slu' ine question OF consolidation
~ schools was debated. and Miss
kathryn Ycrgenscn, q teacher in the
schools there. presented these argu-
mcnts. which The sun considers we'll
worthy ~ publication.
In consideration Of this subject al
ptciudices and personal interests
should be laid aside and the subject
treated In n broad and democratic
way Consolidation IL founded ON the
same plan AZ this great government
~ ours. A. Abraham Lincoln said.
" is for the people by the people and
" the people.
Educational systems do not spr,ny
up In mushroom fashion. 60 be
made In a day. but they grow slowly
and surely. Let us bear In mind that
the best interests Of the community
will bc secured only when the great.
est good is received by the greatest
nuni5er ~ individuals,
The foremos, educators throughout
the country on school administration
say that the little independent school
district. admirably as u has met the
needs of 10 time. has outlived Its use.
fulness. and " the rural school II 10
become part ~ the administrative
unit.
II u ~ course not a difficult mat.
ter a. bring forth arguments for or
against any proposed plan. but proof
uf the efficacy Of plan IL quite con-
vincing when experience places prac-
tically everything In it, favor Con.
suiidativn u not only n state wide
movement. but q nation wide move.
ment In July. 1914. the National
Education association passed rcso-
luton favoring consolidation of al
rural schools
In this paper consolidation viii be
treated from q social and civic stand
point In social way II certainly
means much Co an individual e. min.
gle with from three Co five hundred
school companions. while under the
Old system these pupils were distrib-
uted In schools with an attendance
of from twenty Ia thirty pupils. pu-
pills gain much education. general cui-
turc and breadth of Wow from con-
tact with number ~ companions
Usually the individual grows and
prurperH with the community. sure
n II that one cannot live apart from
other people and live big broad life
In each county there are twenty or
thirty separate school units. hut there
n one of which each ~ "a part. Con-
Holidation N close application Of
the principle of equality and democ-
racy In school administration. ByI
means of transportation. children In
many districts are brought from
miles around and minglc az one
iiotter roads and the
use OF modern conveyanccs aid mater.
tally In this
The second point o. be- considered
IL the unifying at the school system.
Work h not done haphazardiy.
schools work as "a unit Plans aud
outlines are given out each month
and each school gets the same In
more. no less, II al
child moves from one district 10 an.
other he not only uses the same text
books but the same line of work IN
pursued, one school cannot boast ~
all the advantages and others of none.
There ~ uniformity of the gradn-
tion uf schools The first grade in
SunnyHidc schools II the same as the
first grade In Price. and 80 on. Each
grade has certain amount OF ground
to cover and II does that work. There
N no overlapping. Nor does teach
80 teach just what she likes and ne
giect other studies. She must teach
the essentials. where there In proper
graduation the pupil II taught certain
things In certain grades. and really
knows them. lie then passes Ia the
next rrade fully prepared for the
work. Under such "a system there IN
greater tendency Tor the hoy and
girl o. remain In school longer.
In the Granite school district after
ten years uf consolidation the annual
number OF failures la all the grades
had been reduced from ~ 10 20 per
cent The number OF eighth grade
graduates has been increased from
s.G per cent Of the entire enrolment
of all the grades 60 90 per cent. aud
has increased the eighth grade grad
yates from % per cent at the total
yearly enrolment Ia sc. aud the av-
urage number of pupils pcr teacher
has been reduced from forty-four Ca
thirty-four.
la Box Elder county school district
the statistics show that under the old
system In isO6-07, hundred aud
thirty-fiye pupils finished the eighth
grade while 1914. considering the in
crease of population, "a hundred and
seyenty-three would have graduated
but owing tn consolidation there were
three hundred aud twenty grad
yates In other words. under the old
system there would have been an In
crease OF thirty-eight, hut under the
new system there was an Increase OF
two hundred. Five times as many
pupils attended the high school In
I9ii-i5 as in l9O6-O7,
Classification becomes possible with
all the advantages Co the pupil when
working In class where all are APP
of his age and stage Of
mental development Here also the
matter of vitalizing subjects such as
music. drawing, agriculture and the
household arts In emphasized. Under
the old system these subjects were
hardly thought OF except In the larger
towns
The third point OF consideration Is
that consolidation insures efficiency
of teachers. Uudef the old system
professional standing Was impossible.
Principals and teacher might be re-