The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1918-03-21
CONSOLIDATION IN OKLAHOMA
Continued from preceding page)

| .
just as the city schools attempt to fit
the city boy and girl for work in the
city. An ideal consolidated district
will contain not more than SO square
miles with a valuation sufficient to
maintain a good school on levy not
in excess of 10 mills. The building
should be sufficient for the present
needs of the district and so planned
that it can be added to from time to
time as the school develops. The
school site should consist of at least
10 acres, at least 5 acres of which
should be used as a demonstration
farm. A teacherage sufficient for the
needs of the principal and his family
with rooms for the other teachers,
should be provided. The principal
should be a man who has had ex-
tensive training in agriculture and he
should be employed for IL months.
No child should be located farther
than Z miles from the school house
in districts where the roads are UNI
usually good; not so far in districts
where the roads are poor.
Make Personal Visits to Schools
There are few communities situat-
ed so far from a consolidated school
district in this state at this time that
a committee of citizens cannot visit
and make a personal inspection of
the practical working Of the consoli-
dated school; but it is ofttimes diff
fcult to persuade persons living
within half dozen miles of one of
these districts to go and see for them
selves whether or not it is the type
of school they desire for their chill
dren. A personal inspection will con-
vince one that the objections usually
offered are largely based on hearsay,
that the difficulties are largely imagi-
nary, and that those who opposed the
organization of the district in the be-
ginning are frequently loudest in
their praise of its benefits. In max
ing personal inspection the commit
tee should visit the school and COM
pare the work being done with the
work usually done in the one-room
rural schools. They should converse
freely with the teachers, pupils, driv-
ers and members of the district
board, in order to get from them as
much information as possible con-
corning the cost of operation, the ma
ture of the roads, the course of study
offered, the time when the first pupil
enters the wagon and the average
time each child spends in the wagon,
the health and punctuality of child
rem who are transported to and from
school, their regularity in attendance
as compared with those who walk,
their progress in studies, the percent
age of children enumerated actually
enrolled in the school and the number
transferred from adjoining districts,
the number Of pupils who have COM
pleted the common school work and
the number who are doing work in the
high school. The wagons or auto
buses should be examined and the
cost ascertained. In many districts
in the state wagons have been provid-
red by building bodies and mounting
them on regular farm wagon running
gears at very reasonable prices. The
motor truck is also coming into use as
means Of transportation. After
thoroly inspecting the school plant
and its operation, the. committee
should then go to various parts of the
district and interview as many of the
fathers and mothers as possible to as
certain at first hand their attitude to-
ward the school, Do not trust hear
say evidence, when in hese days of
cheap automobiles and improved roads
it is so easy to find out the facts in
the case by going and seeing and be-
lieving.
Nearly All Are Satisfied
This suggestion is made in all con-