Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-11-21
y, consolidation should be discour-

pay, consolidation should be discour-
aged.
AS Mr.. Reichel says. Consolidated
School District No. 305 was organ
lied through the consolidation of the
Moorehead, John Longmire, and Bald
Hill school districts. In the consol-
idation of these schools the tax levy
for school purposes could have been
less than the average rate of taxa
ton for the three separate districts.
A two-room school building instead
OF the present four-room building
would have answered for some time
to come and if the high school pupils
could have been transported to Yelm,
two teachers would have been all that
was necessary.
AS school district No 3O5 was
formed through the consolidation of
three school districts, the CONSOLE
dated district receives a bonus of
1000 days attendance which almost
equals the actual days attendance
and from this bonus the consolidated
district received, last year, over
$500. This, added to the salary OF
the third teacher, together with the
expense OF furnishing and heating
the building, would amount to about
$500, or enough to almost, if not
quite, pay the cost of transportation.
Ambition for fine school system
is always commendatory, but our am
bition should not lead us to make
preparations in the way of buildings,
etc, far in advance of the needs of
the community. This has been the
fault of great many communities
and interest is paid on really unnec-
essary expenditures that could have
gone toward the education of the
child, but all of us would prosper
better if we only knew the ground
ahead of us as we'll as that which we
have been over.
Evidently the patrons wanted to
give their children the advantage of
a better education than they thought
could be accomplished through the
employment of two teachers.
One matter Mr. Reichel loses sight
of entirely and that is that much of
the added expense is due to the fact
that the expense of maintaining all
schools is much greater than when
the separate districts of which the
consolidated district is made up, were
maintaining the on" room school.
Many of the one-room schools that !
could get along with a small levy
three years ago have. in order to run
a nine months school, had this year
to vote a special levy in addition tn
a 10mill levy made by the school
board. and some districts after the
maximum levy was made were unable
to have nine months school and
to help them out, nonresident prop
erty was transferred to them from an
adjoining district of greater assessed
valuation.
The conclusion is this that through
District No. 305 is CIV
Ing its boys and girls much better ad.
vantages for the preparation for life
than would be possible with the one
room school. This is admitted by
Mr.. Reichel. and the records of the
office Of the county superintendent
show that in the two years since Con- :.
,olidated School District No. 3O5 was
organized more than twice as many
pupils have completed the grammar
grade work and passed the eighth
grade examinations than in all the
years previous to the consolidation
md when the three districts were
the one-room school.
We should see that every available
lollar goes just as far in the educa-
ion OF the youth as it is possible to
make it go. Expending cents and
getting but little results for the
money expended Is an extravagant
waste, while expanding hundreds OF
dollars and getting results for every
1ollar expended is a sound business
policy. and surely it is our patriotic
luty, in the interest Of better citizen
hip. to give to the rising generation
very opportunity within our means
or their preparation for life
This opportunity is the right of
every boy and girl and is in no way
"a |