The Republican journal., 1920-02-12
AN OPEN LETTER
To the Citizers of Freedom,
Monfville and Knox.

Freedom Academy is in name an in
corporated private school. In effect it
has been for years the public high school
of the towns of Freedom and Montville
and the adjacent portion of Knox.
From the increasing costs of recent
years, schools have not been immune.
Teacher salaries have not increased as
much as most other wages, but they have
advanced. Other costs have also scared.
Freedom Academy is not endowed ex-
cept to the extent of its buildings and
equipment. 1t has no current income
except receipts from tuition and State
aid. The regular academy aid" of $500
can be counted On to cover heating, JAM
tor service and minor repairs. This leaves
teaching, books, laboratory equipment,
ETC., to be taken care of from tuition fees
and the subsidy received on account of
the agricultural course. The present tut
ton rate of S45, based on the amount the
State law makes payable by towns, does
not cover these items; 500 per student
would about meet them.
The high cost is not due to poor busi-
ness management. Our teacher salaries
are considerably below the average and
are particularly low when the quality of
the teaching force is considered. Nor
have we too many teachers for our stu
dent body; twenty students per teacher
is maximum for efficiency, and it is
upon this figure that the above estimates
are based. Neither is Freedom Academy
alone in finding the State-fixed rate of
S45 too low. Towns maintaining free
high schools are finding it necessary to
raise more than that amount to support
them. And most other $50 far as the
writer knows, all other private schools,
even those with considerable endowment
funds, are charging a higher tuition rate.
Some town high schools have a tuition
fee of S45; in these places, the citizens
must tax themselves a higher rate to
educate students from other towns below
cost.
The difference between expenses and
receipts at Freedom Academy must be
met from some source. This year. it is
being done by drawing from special and
temporary legislative appropriation which
should be used for buildings and equip
ment. This method of meeting the deficit
cannot continue.
1t might be met by the payment by
individual students of the difference be-
tween S45 and 500. Aside from the fact
that this payment might deter some stu
dents and deprive them of high school
it is out of keeping with our
American ideals of equal educational ad-
vantages for all.
Freedom Academy is going to ask the
citizens of Freedom, Montville and Knox
to authorize the payment of up to 500 per
student from the town treasury or the
making of flat rate contract which will
average that amount.
1t some such step for adequate support
of the school is not taken by the towns.
the writer fails to see how Freedom
Academy can continue to serve them at
the standard of efficiency they should
demand for their students The sole in
terest of the principal and the board of
trustees is to serve this community and
build up for it a school of which it can
be proud. If the towns do not wish Free
dom Academy continued as their high
school, 1t will be for the school officers to
meet their wishes. On that subject, we
await the instructions of the voters as
at the town meetings
FREEDOM ACADEMY,
by Harry M. Woods, Principal