The sun., 1919-11-03

as school board members men whom
they knew would not spend any money
on improvements.
Educational Paralysis Found.
The report OF Drs. Flexner and Bach
man on this point reads;
Thus a popular referendum must be
taken as to whether a teachers salary
shall be increased from s45 to $50 per
month, whether heater shall be pur-
chased, or a school house repainted. Inc
necessity of submitting to popular vote
every detail Of school management in
volving expenditure results In educa-
tional paralysis. Here and there the
members OF district committee carry
on a continuous campaign among their
neighbors for greater liberallty In school
expenditure. But most committees are
content to follow the line off least re-
sistance-that is, they conduct the
schools at a minimum cost to the tax
payers"
In these conditions, the investigators
found. interest in the schools fell to such
an extent that the annual district school
meetings at which all voters were en-.
titled to appear were rarely attended by
more than ten persons, including the
three members of the board.
Tn one instance" tho official report
states, when the annual district meet
ing was called to order only two pa
irons were present, father and his SON.
in-law. both members of the district
school committee They elected son
Of the father TO the committee as clerk
and then proceeded to employ the daugh-
ter Of the father. although she had no
certificate. as teacher for the ensuing
year"
The amount OF effort necessary to
carry a reform into effect under the old
system Is characterized In the report as
prohibitive. and as an example OF the
many difficulties which beset such q
move a recent attempt to improve the
heating in the schoolrooms Is cited by
the experts.
Heating Arrangements Obsolete
The old means of heating these
rooms" they write, as by means Of an
open stove in the centre Of the room.
While children sitting near the stoves
are too hot, those at a distance complain
that they are freezing. A modern
heater insures a uniform temperature
In all parts Of a room and ventilates II
as well There is no question of the SUI
periority Of the heater to the open stove,
yet to introduce heaters into all OF the
one room schools OF Delaware II would
be necessary not only to convince 325
different school committees. but also to
convince me- jority OF the voters OF
each district. for the question OF a pur-
chased heater has to be submitted to the
annual district meeting Faced BY this
impossible task II Is not surprising that
the country superintendents have la
bored for years to introduce heaters into
the rural districts with only partial
success"
Under centralized control. such as is
provided for in the ness1 school code, the
experts point out. the entire school sys-
tenn of the State might benefit by i'm
provements which go now to only a few
fortunate districts. But this very thing,
many residents Of the rural districts
say, would be Interference with their
own liberties" and right OF ',self-gov-
eminent, and is one OF the arguments
raised by them in their plea to have the
new school law torn from the statute
books end the old one. which Drs, Flex-
ner and Bachman have condemned. re-
instated in its place.