Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-04-03

TO PUT OFF AN EDUCATIONAL REFORM UNIDENTIFIED,
The present session of Vermont Legislature is
final adjournment not reasonably expect to start in
carry out all of the reform program outlined by
Governor Clement in his inaugural On the other
hand what you think, if the Legislature to
slider seriously providing that not one of the
business reforms which the Governor recommended
at once &C. "such proposition is absurd It nconceivabe
Under the head of consolidation Governor Clement in
directions greatly increased to the taxpayer and
asked these pertinent questions; .. ..,
ness principles and at our cost would we have
two State prisons at Rutland and one at Windsor when
Would we have two normal schools at johnson and
at Casteon, when one central school would suffice?
Would we have two agricultural schools, one at
RamVp and FOR At Lyndon when either of Sc %
Agricultural college in connection with the University of YER
would we have school for pedagogy in Middebury
and one at the University of Vermont?
Would we support ten municipal courts, ID county
Would distribute and scatter business interests
officers supervision to travel continually in order to keep
in touch with them, would aim at concentration in
"Do you recall single one Of these suggestions by Gov
ernor Clement that has been fully carried out by the
consolidation? Would you countenance declaration by the
Of the session that of their
one OF these much needed reforms? Any sensible man
Yet in the face of all this demand for avoiding useless ex
pense and unnecessary duplication Of effort the Vermont
legislators are to-day asked to consider seriously bill that
the recommendation of Governor Clement for the consoda
ton of the two State normal schools shall be carried
for twenty-five years at least or until after 1941.
To call attention to this attempt to postpone indefinitely
for the generation reform in education which 50
by and State ocas dvef haV
studied the situation carefully ought to be sufficient to
Considerations in this connection which ought to result in
positive action for the consolidation of the normal schools
Inc crying need OF Vermont to-day more and better
school Where
are your school teachers coming from You reply off hand
from the normal schools in part at least.
What farmer having two small farms widely separated
would consider the proposition of buying machinery and
providing labor for both separately by changing he could
make one the other into good sized single farm where he
could afford to have all modern appliances and have
of overhead charges in place of two? Every who
up on farm knows farm of seventyve hundred
acres can not afford all the machinery and utensils that
farm double that size utilize economically and to ad-
vantage Indeed must have farm of considerable
to think of all modern improvements.
Precisely the fundamental considerations beside
many others apply to two normal schools when
conducted separately.
should recall in this connection that according to the last
census Vermont had less than 1906 terates among
and shameful thing when stop to think that every
OF our people over ten of contains less
" proposed that far agency of providing teachers
Tor is concerned present conditions shall change
Tor two decades and more at least
On turning to the report of the State board of education
made without reference the normal schools relative to
head of Teacher Training"
the people of the State give immediate attention
TO the preparation of teachers the schools will certainly
suer Conditions such that Vermont reasonably
expect to obtain teachers from neighborng States"
Elsewhere in the Free Press appears the announcements
from Montpelier that school officials reporting the
department of education the experiencing of considerable
cuty in finding sufficient number of teachers for the
ing year. to nothing of the quality teachers are
leaving the service at the end of the than before
Now let US look at the situation from financial point
OF view The latest reports of the State auditor
SHOW that the total disbursements at the school johnson
IN 1917 were $1S4447 and in 1918 The salaries
tor 1918 alone $1708348 It turned in one year
twenty graduates, not all of whom taught.
The Castleton normal school had total disbursements
1917 were and in 1918 of $685. the salaries for
1917 were 1884 and 1918 $s637 The Castleton school
turned out forty graduates in year.
The State report for 1915 showed that the two schools
graduated few of standard training that of Cateon
and Johnson Z total of Is for the two while the
graduates of half standard % and al respectively
follows that the of educating few teachers
at both normal schools capita simply enormous as
compared with the of sending them at State
to some other State which should not be thought Of
We should have State normal school should make
it produce the best teachers to be had anywhere Good