The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-13
CURRENT COMMENT
New Hampshire,s Education Bill.

The commission headed by Frank S.
Stgceter Of Concord and Of which Presi-
dent Hopkins of Dartmouth and Justice
John +, Young of the supreme court
are members, which was appointed by
Gov. Bartlett of New Hampshire to pre-
pare a draft of a bill to reorganize and
extend the states educational system
has made its report. The bill present
ed is an excellent document, disclosing
incidentally that New Hampshire has
been behind some progressive states in
attention to its school problem but also
disclosing a keen appreciation of pres
ent day needs and possibilities.
The bill provides for a state board Of
education; a commissioner OF education;
four deputy commissioners, one of whom
shall be qualified to assist in the deysl-
opment of agricultural and vocational
branches and one to assist in ab0lishing
illiteracy and promoting the Americana
zatiOn of immigrants statewide school
supervision; standard elementary schools
in the unorganized parts of the state;
provision for educational opportunity
for non English speaking youth and
adults; a minimum of SO weeks attend
ance in standard" schools. The proposed
law involves an estimated increase in
annual outlay of S26d,700, an addition
of little less than half a mill to the
tax rate.
Especially interesting is the bills pro-
vision for the education of immigrants.
1t has teeth in it. Every person be-
tween the ages Of 10 and q years who
cannot read and speak English under
standingly, is required to attend an even
ing or special day school, if such exists
in the district where the person resides
or is employed; and every district in
which there are FIVE or more persons
eligible to attend is required to main
tain such a school. The maintenance re.
quirement also includes districts where
there are 10 persons over 2l eligible to
attend. The teeth of the bill are in this
provisions
No person or corporation shall, after
Oct ], 1919, employ a person between
| l6 and q years Of age who resides or
is employed in a district maintaining
an evening or special day school as pre-
! sCribed in section IA who cannot read
and speak English understandingly, I'M
less he or it prOcures and keeps on file in
| place readily accessible to all author
! lied inspectors a certificate of the SUI
! perintendent of schools for the district
| in which he or she is enrolled in such
evening or special day school and that
/ his or her conduct and attendance are
satisfactory; or a certificate that he or
she has been excused from attending
such a school for a reason satisfactory
| to the commissioner Of education or to
such person as he may designate,
| 1t is doubtful Of any state in the
union has such comprehensive plan for
direct state and local responsibility for
the elementary education Of its immi-
grant population, In not every state
would such a program be desirable or
possible. New Hampshire is peculiarly
well situated for the experiment. 1t is
an industrial state but with not so large
and unwieldy a foreign born population as
to make such a law mfavorabe, Much,
even in New Hampshire, would depend
upon having the right officials and teach
ers to carry out the laws provisions and
the cordial cooperation of the commu
nifty and corporations directly concerned,
/ The efficient carrying out of such a
program, though only an excellent begin
ming of Americanization, would surely
/ be worth in dollars and cents alone much
more than it would cost. 1t would be
much needed pioneer work also for 9th
er states to profit by.-Springfield Re
publican.