Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1920-10-29
FREE THE FREE SCHOOLS

Three amendments TO the State
Constitution of the greatest impor-
lance to the development of the pub
nc school system Will BIO voted OH at
the general election in November.
when the Constitution was adopted
IN l9Ol not only were certain gen
eral principles set forth, but in adj
ditlon number of details were stip-
uiated. The public school system has
clearly outgrown the limitation of
these details and its future deyelop-
ment must depend primarily on their
elimination. A favorable vote on
these amendments will mean that the
public school system can be organic
ed on safer financial basis which
Will guarantee reasonable salaries
for competent teachers, and can be
administered in accodance with n
plan which is simpler and more d.
rect than the method of local admin
istration now in vogue.
These amendments have passed
two Assemblies of Virginia. Practic-
ally all Of the republican members
of the assembly voted favorably on
the propositions, and the democratic
party, in its platform at the Roanoke
Convention, heartily endorses the
amendments, and urges a favorable
vote upon them in November. The
amendments, therefore, are in no
sense political, but essentially social,
educational and economic in their in
huence. Practically every important
organization in the State, which has
given consideration to the amend
ments, has voted resolutions in ia
vor OF their adoption. Hundreds of
tax payers, a very large number of
schooi leagues, innumerable citizens
meetingss and the great educational
organizations inthe xzfiflxzfififf
organizations in the State are SQUARE
~ behind the proposed amendments.
The first amendment is to section
1873 of article 8 of the Constitution.
which now provides that i'm each
school district there shall be three
trustees. The proposed amendment
provides that in each school district
there shall be not more than three
trustees, and that men. and women
may serve. While this change seems
Insignificant enough, yet it is neces
sary to me made in order to give
some latitude to the Assembly of
virginia in adopting, if it seems
wise, n simpler and more direct and
more responsible scheme Of local ad-
ministration. Too much cannot be
said of the earnestness and patrio-
tlsm OF hundreds of trustees of the
State of Virginia who have given
their time and energy to the de-
velopment of local school conditions.
They have labored, however. under
an organization which is complex and
awkard. If this amendment passes,
the Assembly may, in its discretion,
provide for the county as unit of !
operation rather than have, as now, |!
the State chopped up into about
seven hundred small school districts. |
each one of which is an independent
corporation. Under the county unit !
plan the district will still be prescrv- I
ed rs n basis of representation on
the coeinty school board, and par
tlcularly us the basis of local taxa
ton, in order that each district NAV
provide funds requisite for it's pecu-
liar needs. Under this plan also in
corporated towns may constitute
separate school districts lust ms I'M
der the present law.
The second amendment, Section
l36 Article 8, refers to the agpre- /
gate local school tax. The present
provides that the max
imum district and county tax for
school purposes shall not exceed fif-
ty cents on the hundred dollars. The
provides that the aggre-
gate county and district tax Shall
not exceed n maximum to be fixed |
by law. The rural school system has
imperative and immediate demands
far in excess of the funds which can
be raised under the present limita-
tons. The amount for teachers sal
arys raised by local taxes in the
majority of counties does not even
equal the amount sent out by the
State. 1t is impossible to hope for
adequate salaries, and in consequence
instruction., unless the |
present limitation is Immediately re-
moved. Practically every county and
district i'll the Commonwealth today |
is now up TO the limit under the |
Constitution, and many of them by