The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-01-04
ROSE HILL SCHOOL
CONSOLIDATION ELECTION TO BE
HELD ON WEDNESDAY.

the schools have been fortunate in Sc
curing Mr., J. A. Woodruff, state insDec-
tor of rural and consolidated schools
to explain consolidation, school laws
relating TO consolidation, and to an
swer any questions ON the subject by
residents of the proposed district or
other interested parties. Mr.. Woodruff
will arrive in Rose Hill on the APO
train Tuesday, Jan. 2, 1917. He will be
pleased to meet persons desiring to
confer with him before the evening
meeting. He will speak at the Metho-
dist church in the evening and after
his address will answer any questions
on the subject of consolidation.
But because some people will not be
able to be out to the meeting nor able
to meet Mr.. Woodruff for private con-
ference the Herald is requested to
publish this article to give such per-
sons reliable information.
"A consolidated school situated at
Rose Hill is the best kind of school
for a rural community surrounding
Rose Hill. ,.....
Last year the Rose Hill public
schools were approved by the State
| Department for the first time. 1t was
then approved for eight years of grade
work and two years of light school
work. The first year class of last year
enrolled three pupils, two of whom re-
NAMED in school The first year class
of this year enrolls seventeen pupils.
Eight belong TO the district and nine
lare tuition pupils. In the second class
| there are eight pupils, one is a tuition
Pupil, two are graduates of last year IS
class. This gives q total enrolment of
| twenty five pupils doing high school
work, ten of these are tuition pupils.
| This shows that the rural community
around Rose Hill desires the advan-
| tages of high school training. But the
$3.50 per month allowed by the state
does not cover the expense per pupil
/ per month for maintaining an ap-
proved high school. What shall Rose
! Hill do? There are three ways open,
viz: ta) Abandon it's approved high
school; (b) charge higher tuition and
maintain ten grades; (c) consolidate
with the rural community and have an
accredited high school of four years
and grade school of eight years,
making total of twelve years school,
as other communities have done and
are doing.
1t was decided to try the last named
plan first as the best for both country
and town, hence the calling of the
election Wednesday, Jan. 8.
The good accomplished by the con-
solidated school can not be overesti-
mated In the first place small town
and rural community may be able
to support an accredited high school,
thus keeping the girl and boy at home
| until they are Of an age suitable to be
| sent away to work or to college. The
advantages of an accredited high
school are many two however will
be enough to mention. Should a pupil
desire to go no further he has when
| he graduates from an accredited high
cshoCl, an excellent education. But if
he wishes to take up some line of en-
deayor, this requires a college educa-
ton, he is able to enter college from
his own school without the expense
of validating, examinations, or enter
ing some other secondary school.
The expense of building and main
tanning consolidated school is not
bGrdensome. If it had been found so
consolidation of schools would not
have increased as they have done in
the last few years. The cost of the
building is just what the people vote
to make it. The cost of maintaining.
| the school differs, of course, according
to the size of the district and the num-
Der OF pupils to be taken care of.
Sioux Rapids has the highest cost of
| any consolidated school in the state,
according to the 1916 directory issued
| by the State Department The cost for
maintaining it was $15,809, but Sioux
Rapids han an enrolment of 365 pu-
pills. 1t has a 90 room building and
employees IA teachers and drivers
Rose Hill will have about 140 pupils
enrolled and should employ 8 teachers
and probably drivers. There are
many such schools in the state main.
tanned at cost of from $4,000 to $S,.
000 according to the directory. For a
icopy of the directory write to the
State Superintendent of Public III,
struction, A. NJ. EDeYoe, Des Moines,
Iowa, Capitol Building
AS to transportation of rural pupils ::
Every pupil living outside the town
limits must be transported at the eX,
lpense of the district. There is no
such thing as children walking to con.
venient corners to. meet conveyences.
Every child living on the public high
way must be transported from his own
gate to the school, and those living
back in fields may be transported If
such an arrangement is made in the
drivers contract. One of the great
things in favor Of consolidation is the
transporting of the children Few
days are missed by children in con
solidated districts while in rural dis
tricts many children lose from one
fourth to three fourths their time
The question isr-what will Rose
Hills community do for its boys and
girls, it's future men anI women,
give them an opportunity to become
Jas we'll educated as other boys and
girls of the state, and other states, or
will it turn the proposition down,
handicap its boys and girls through
life just because some uniformed
persons scare them with the dollar