The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1918-03-21

order TO save a few dollars in taxes.
Of course, very few signatures coulc
be secured to petition presented
with such arguments or reasons be.
hind it. However, it is interesting
sometimes to look thru tn eother end
of the telescope just to see how diff.
ferent everything appears. If oul
districts had been organized as con-
solidated districts in the beginning
and we had now accustomed our
selves to them, what arguments could
be used to induce us to abandon them
for the little one-room schools such
as we have thruout the state today?
Consolidation Not for All
Altho our consolidated schools are
located in all sections of the state and
have proved eminently satisfactory
wherever given fair trial, it is not
recommended that each community
try to consolidate at this time. AS a
matter of fact, there are communi-
ties in this state that should have
good consolidated schools, but where
1T cannot be recommended that such
schools be organized because the peo-
pie in the communities have not vet
learned to think in terms larger than
the small district school. Other COM
munities having people with broader
vision are so rough in topography,
poor in valuation, sparse in popula-
ton, and have such poor roads that
it would not be advisable for them to
undertake consolidation just now.
But there are many communities
where the people are earnestly crav-
ing better schools for their children
and where all the conditions for sue
cess are present.
The County Plan
1t is only question of time until a
majority of the rural districts in the
state will desire to organize consoli-
dated or union graded districts.
Therefore, a countrywide plan or
suggestion for each county should be
carefully worked out in advance by
the county superintendent and school
officers association in order that all
districts may be protected. 1t is a
mistake for a superintendent to sit
idly by and allow certain groups of
districts to organize as consolidated
districts, leaving some of the adjacent
districts situated so that they can
never consolidate. A definite plan or
program should be mapped out for
every county in the state before reor-
ganization proceeds further, and an
effort should be made to educate the
people of the county to an apprecia-
ton of the reason and justice of the
plan.
After making ID that the inter-
ests of no districts will be adversely
affected by the Organization of the
proposed consolidated district and
that it will not interfere with the
county program, the people are then
ready to organize the district.
In the first place preliminary sur
vey should be made to determine the
resources of the districts which it is
proposed to consolidate. The valua-
ton and area should be inquired into
for the purpose of ascertaining
whether or not the legal requirements
may be met and, also, whether or not
the valuation is sufficient for the
needs of such a school as it is desired
to establish and whether or not the
area is greater than practicable in
that section of the state. 1t is not
recommended that district be
formed with only 100000 valuation
unless the roads are exceptionally
good and the area somewhere near
the minimum required. Such COM
munities should organize union grad
ed schools instead of consolidated
schools. Only in exceptional cases
and under the most favorable of con-
ditions should districts having an ag-
gregate valuation of less than $780,
900 unite and assume the duties of
transportation.
The legal steps to be taken in per-
fecting the organization of a CONSOLE
dated district are outlined in Article
VII of the Oklahoma school laws,
1917, a copy of which can be secured
from the county superintendent. 1t
will be noted that such district can
be organized only by the people in the
districts and parts of districts affect
ed. A separate petition must be cir
culated in each district and part of
district to be included in the pro-
posed consolidated district, there be-
ing as many petitions as there are
districts and parts of districts seek
ing to consolidate. The petition must