Evening journal., 1919-10-16
Says Operation Of Schools
is Up to the Public

ent, MT. Holloway, Is CONSULTING uic
people upon all school matters. He is
trying TO get them the teachers they
want and the other things they want.
some Of the districts are getting fairer
treatment from him than they got from
their old school committee. which ran
things 10 suit itself, without consulting
anybody
Moreover under the old law, the old
local school committee did not have to
consult anybody. II made a report, yes,
But wien? Why after the school year
was an over when nobodys objection
would amount 10 anything. That was
the only meeting the local school COM
mittoe had 90 hold. under the old law.
Under The new law, the local school
/ trustees must hold not less than four
meetings "a year. one in September, one
I i'm December. one in March and one IN
July. These meetings are on the thlrd
Friday of the month named, and must
/ be held i'm the school house. This gives
/ the pc0ple OF a district a chance TO be
I heard on their school affairs While the
/ school is going on and while there was
vet time for the local school commit
tees 10 act upon the suggestions or
complaints
There is one thing the local school
/ trustees cannot do under the new law
0x their own school taxes They had
ihis power under The old law but win
vhal results? Poor schools School
committees tried 10 be popular ny
keeping down school taxes instead OF
building mp a splcndd school system
A few In each school district VINO were
interested i'm keeping down school
taxes could get control OF The local
srhOol committee and sirangle the IRE
ont OF the local school The result was
few schools worthy Of the name, few
schools OF which the people Wero
proud. few schools that were so well
built and well equipped physically as
lo make the children want TO attend
them
undoubtedly, this system Of raising
school taxes had 10 he changed II Del
aware were TO have good schools uh-
der the new law The time had come
when we would have had to Increase
our school taxes II we kept our schools
open For years we had not been pay
ing enough and we reached That point
where we had TO choose between pay
ing more or abandoning our iree
schools
However. u should be empraslzed
that the higher school, taxes are not
going 10 he satisfactory. The story
is being curculaied and the impression
being given that lhe new school taxes
win be so high that the small farmer
cannot pay them. / have heard TAX
about farmers being compelled TO sell
their farms In order TO meet their
school taxes. That Is all nonsense.
without the special road tax the Kent
county tax rate IS 30 cents. The special
road tax varies from five TO nine cents.
That makes the total tax rate In Kent
county run from - TO 80 cents
Although The Levy Court hasn't yet
flXed The county school tax rate for
support Of the country schools, II has
been thoroughly dlscusused and. u Is
understood 70 will be about 65 cents
This win be only from six TO ten cents
higher than the county school rate
which has been a generally satlsfac-
tory that n has been unchanged for
many years. Certainly such a school
tax rate Is not connscatory u Is not
unreasonable or unusual. Even under
the old law, several school districts in
Delaware had a school tax rate higher
than 60 cents.
"Au Of these things were not under
stood az first But the people are be-
gnnig 10 get the facts and agitation
against the law is growing less. There
Is a growing disposition to give the
new school law a chance. If that is
done Il VIII Nindltatn itselfn