The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-06-24
The Mounting Cost of Public
School Education

The perusal of some of the laws re-
lating to school affairs passed by the
last legislature, is enough to cause the
taxpayer to give deep groan and grab
his pocket book when he realizes what
these laws mean to future school bud
gets. For an example-after July l of
next year the board of education of
ievery school district in which there are
twenty or more pupils between the age
OF fourteen and sixteen, to whom work.
ing papers have been issued, must es-
tablish continuation school for such
children. A child with working papers,
who may be temporarily unemployed,
must attend such school at least twenty
hours each week. IL the child is en-
ployed, he must attend continuation
schoe at least six hours each week for
at least thirty-six weeks in year.
We do not know the number of
Mount Holly children having working
papers, but it is probably more than
twenty. This means that by next
year Mount Holly will be required to
add to it's budget the expense of con-
tinuation school. In counties in which
there is county vocational school, the
law permits the board of education in
charge of that institution to add a con-
tinuation school, and in such case
pupils are to be transported to the
central school and the cost is borne by
the entire county. The intent of the
law is apparently to relieve school dis
tricts of less than $4,000 population
from the burden of continuation
school, for it requires the county voca-
tional school board where one exists
to install continuation school when
petitioned by district board In any
case the taxpayer pays tie bills. A
county vocational board will consist of
five MEMBERSHIP cGsnty superinten-
dent, and four others appointed by the
county Common Pleas Judge. The
district boards of education in any
county may have vocational school
established by petitioning the Com
missioner of Education, who decid es
whether such a school is needed.
Moreover-At the opening of school
in 1920 there must be installed in each
high school two year course in Com
munity Civics, and also a course in
Problems in American Democracy.
The latter must be begun at the COM
mencement of the third high school
year. At least sixty hours shall be de-
voted to each of these courses. A
course in the geography, history and
civics of New Jersey shall be installed
in all elementary schools at the same
time. Since an earlier law compeIs all
approved high schools to employ a
supervisor of drawing by 1920, the bud
get of next year must provide for the
employment of two more high salaried
special teachers-for drawing and com.
munity civics.
There are numerous other ways in
which school expenses can be increas-
ed. The minimum salary law, and
the necessity of paying high salaries
to retain or secure competent teachers,
is adding many dollars to school ex-
penses. The installation Of agricultur-
al courses, the establishment of special
classes for deficient children, and the
employment of school nurses, are all
permitted by law, at the option of
boards of education. These things may
all be of great value, but it would not
be surprising if tthe cost of education
in New Jersey was doubled in the next
year or two.