The Nevada County picayune., 1916-02-03
III. ADVANTAGES OF A COUNTY
 UNIT.
By j. R. Jewell. Dean School of Edl-
 eaton University of Arkansas.

U M |
 By J R. Jewell, Dean School of Edn-
 eaton University of 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 Che county The school district IS an artificial unit, estab, lshed for single and special pur- pose, and like nothing else under heaven; consequently our schools are governmental outcasts, bearing no re lauon 10 tine county government which, for every other function, IS the only recognized unit. It is in such a school system alone that one sees three times as many officers as teach, CTS, which is lust like an army with three times as many officers as sol alers or business concern with three times as many toremen as laborers.
 There should be no words of abuse for school trustees Many of them arc honest and honorable men. But, in selecting 25,000 officers for any ad, mnistrative 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 acumsn, high aims for human progress, and capac. fly for intelligent leadership But the prevailing sentiment in a majority of districts is that anybody will do Tor school trustee The school district IS so small that few men care to incur the displeasure of their friends and neighbers in trying to perform the d,i. ties required of school trustees
 There are some who cling to the district system because. they assert. 1t is the most democratic form of 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 districts democracy gone 10 seed, a worthless inheritance from Massachusetts. from whose system our own was copied at its beginning. But Massachusetts, after a disastrous experience similar to our own. dis. cardod 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 of school government 1t is obvious that hs citizens would manifest the same interest in the administration of It's schools that is now had in other gov. ernmentsl functions In the citiss tha best citizens are selected by the en tire municipality to control the schools. and the whole city contributes 10 their support
 Under ths county system therswould be an average of Ave or six school on. cisls Surely 1t would be easier to ssl sct s school board Of this limited number who would have and would manifest an interest in popular education, than il would be 10 secure three times ss many superior men as there are schools And, too. 1t Is equally ob vtous that since this board would be elected by the whole municipality. the electors would hold them to . strict accountability for the success tul administration of other county at fairs
 This matter of county unit is in extrieSbly tied up with the matte: of better system of taxation. which win be the topic of the next article in this series Every county in Arksn. sss presents examples of adjoining school districts, one of which with very low taxation can raise more money for school purposes than it can stand. while the other by taxing itself to maintain school fit to send the children of the community to- For instance, in Monroe County, District No 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 foi school purposes yl,7sS2i, while the latter district can raise maximum, os S3o0.so District No. 3S, that ad toins No. 26 has a valuation of only sl7,0o0 and 80 oan raise a maximum of only Slls.3i Every principal O, democracy urges that every child in Monroe County and every other coun v Of our state e-havc equal opportuni ties for a fair education with every other child How unfortunate indeed a9r hose children of such districts a, >p aj H MorrHH County compared e-tb nose ot District No. I. until we aaa'y dn.t for their bsnent