Smyrna times., 1919-08-06
PNIlIA BOARD EDUCATION
| EXPLAINS SCHOOL CODE
I. deer TERRITORY IN CONSOL-
n,T1ON TO KEEP TAX DOWN
o.tiOn of Site For Building Up To
|S.ato BOARD Which Passes Resolution
'N r.voring Smyrna-ClaytOn Road

Io .o Code to local conditions. The
pDorJ Ino feels the heavy responsibilities
lI"+ gU~-T rest upon it. 1t owes great deal
u s"' consideration to the best and
s.,ost ~ sentiments of its constituents;
y owe owes all in its power to the children
~ The community, for, after all, it is
.lo children, their education and pre-
orot;on -nI for the future that are to
p"fer ~a; or gain by the mistakes or cor
sootness of decisions made by this
posTd and by this community. The
DOard Osy must not only follow its own
;yScment in many scholastic prob
or"s concerning which they have the
Sost ', opportunity to become familiar
Sut Il must also make its decisions
'onsrp with the laws of the State
wEich define the powers and duties of
tho various educational agencies.
Nth these premises to start with, the
BOARD believes the citizens of this COM
munitv should be correctly informed
If the situation of our schools and the
measures contemplated for their
maintaipance and improvement.
suvrna Has Become Special District.
The last session of the General Assembly
passed an act generally known as the Del
aware School Code which changed many an
cient school regulations but which retained
noanv old features that had been proven bene-
6ciai This Code established for the larger
toxvns what are known as Special Districts
Ti+b sneeisl uowers and duties. Smyrna was
designated as such Special District. That is,
SMYRNA became a Special District subject to
of
by the School Board of seven members then
n Office That Board unanimously accepted
+be Code after it had been fully explained
tbat the aid. privileges and powers of Spe-
caI Districts also carried with them certain
duties and obligations among which was
definite standard to be maintained both IN the
Elementary and High Schools. Thus the new
School Board found itself working under an
agreement and subject to certain obligations
that must be fulfilled. From a financial point
of view il had to meet the following: In
creased cost Of school salaries; the maint-
nance of the three supplementary courses
horticultural. Manual Training and Home
4 Ec0nomics). which were agreed to when the
Code was accepted; provisions for an addl-
/ uonal teacher in the High School as re-
quired by law; the higher cost of operation
such as fuel, ianitor's wages, books, repairs,
etc. the payment of at least a portion of
the $4,000 debt inherited from previous years,
and the need for improved facilities as to
grounds. buildings and the like necessary to
be started during the school year l9l9-20. as
the present facilities are entirely inadequate
and unsuited for all the pupils and can only
be permitted by the State authorities tenn
porarily.
Desire to keep the Tax Rate Down.
In view of this situation and not desiring
to raise taxes to the oppressive figure that
would have been necessary had the Smvrna
haoV1 10 L.
alone. the Board thought it not only wise
but absolutely necessary to ask for addi-
tonal territory. It knew that if this COM
munity was to take its proper place among
the good schools Of the State such consolida-
ton would, of necessity, have to be brought
about Also from the view point of the ter
niory asked for, this Board knew that the
citizens in these rural districts would not de-
SIRE to be excluded from the advantages and
Ine opportunities of such a consolidation
The one room school would be unable to give
me same educational advantages as the grad
ca sehool and consequently handicap the
country pupils. The Board also had good
reason to believe that if this Board did not
.aAe some action looking toward a eonsolida-
gon tnat It would endanger the future of the
smyrna Schools as eventually the County
Doafd would have had to make some modern
glGGvlsion sGon elsewhere in the county for its High
ochOol pupils. The Board knew that this
would be a calamity for our schools as it
"9uiu mean the practical isolation of this dis
.LlcI @ and the draining from it of all the
oJuny uiy Grammar and High School pupils
L "llicn make up very large per centage go
peL cent IN the High SCHOOL, of our present
enrolment and add materially to our reve-
luz from an entirely financial angle it
"as Ehown that this Board would have to
;fpsnu -, as much on its High School with only
- O"h resources TO draw upon if we re-
soI;dot.I Iu oy ourselves as we would if we con-
1o,,ualeu and at the same time not have much
aGle roI.. % man malt the assessment valuation to
School ~ '''o'ii'"ii '"e Aiis"
preparing Budget For Coming Year.
ooIii IN Iact' IN preparing the budget for the
~ 5le . year the Board is of the opinion that
to ID, .eA rste Tor the town of Smyrna alone
70 support a modern school as renuired bv
rnsv;-.I e..l uy our agreement would be the
tIe L,'II allowed by law. namely s1.50 on
NY. e hundred Relieving that such a figure
es 700 nigh and knowing that it would be
,bs % ueai less in a consolidation, and that
loroo 9'ile advantages could be secured at a
srse rate by distributing it over a larger
a co... 1t seemed entirely wise to form such
atoJ '..Ss.oiidatlon ~. Another motive that actu-
was tL pOard IN deciding on a consolidation
lisbsd &c Iact that under the recently pub
STATE !. o'er OF public spirited citizen of this
hall a., would be possible to have probably
fund ...t,. VI d Duliuln8 ueIfdyeu from
lirg ,b;s a'solished by said citizen, thus enab-
eusl - community to have without doubt the
ofe- eVu. ~ any school in the State. AS this
given Spsasized n.paasized that consultations would be
resson5p p'sleTenee and as this Board had good
by s,a con.., % believe that in no other way than
to ~ tbsa99noation could this very generous aid
thor,,S. 'ssADayers be secured, this Board
dren en-, ~ Us duty to the taxpayers, TO the chill
corpTag. % the general improvement of the
was clear and well defined.
districts in the Consolidation Plan.
COUNT qp,ngly a request was made to the Kent
lowing Rosid for the consolidation of the fol-
Smyrns.l SSs-flcts' or portion of them, with
No 4 20. ll9 (Clayton), No. 2 (Alley),
49 nJ.{1inlg Oak, No. 6 (Serverson's), No.
Kent soh 81 and No. (RaymOnd's) in
made y, ,oun'y Also a similar request was
Of NJ the New Castle Board for portions
(WsIJo., izS (Green Spring) and No. SO
psssaJ 81. At the same time this Board
Thai a.; ;he following resolution: Resolved,
favor;si is (Smyrna) Board 90 on record as
School lne erection of Consolidated High
lation ~ n a site as near the center of popu-
at by ~ ~ 1ne consolidation as can be arrived
the St.e e revised Board in conjunction with
resoiusio.es board" While not embodied in the
would ~ II was thought that such site
Clavtor piODaDly be at some point between
clavfor and Smyrna. Shortly thereafter
Board presented a petition to the County
arsntaa ieqaesting that the consolidation be
.sl' lnis the County Board did includ-