Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-17
COUNTY
SCHOOL SYSTEM
INVESTIGATOR PLEASED WITH
LOCAL PLAN OF CONSOL-
lDATlON.
STUDENT COMES HERE TO
GET MATERIAL FOR THESIS
Gets First Hand information Relative
to Consolidation Of Schools Under
Iowa Iaws-Believes Iowa Plan
Riqht One. After Making Observa-
tons in Different States.

Choosing Marshall county as the
best field for material from which I,
prepare thesis on the community
problem as ii rs influenced by tn,
Sudent at the University of Wiscon
sin, visited this city two OF tire,
weeks ago TO investigate the tune
tioninS vi the Iowa consuiidatCG
school law ut fist hand. Hayes va
utaree oil PHI. d., and showed keen
interest in his subject. he spent II
day in the office Of County Super
intendent {. Il. Shut where he lis,en
ed to arg uments Tor and against "a
consolidated proposition IN the qucs-
ton to get the basic reasons for OPP
position or support and his observa-
,ions were 10 be embodied in his
thesis.
A.arshall county now has twelve
consolidated schools operating under
section 2794-a. two> organized under
that section yet without buildings.
three centralized schools operating
under the consolidated plan but or
ganiZed under section 2T94, and one
consolidated proposition pending
When the case pending is put thru.
as it probably will be, all centers of
consolidated organizations, have
been included. The task remaining
will merely be to attach the re-
mainipg country schools to the or
CARNATIONS which already exist.
Conclusions Of Observer.
The student was well satisfied with
the choice of Marshall county as his
field for observation. In a letter to
Superintendent Shut he says:
Permit me this opportunity Of
expressing to you some OF my con-
eli sions concerning rural school con-
soIidation as ! found it upon my re-
cent visit to your county.
LAS you will recall I am making
a study of the community value of
the consolidated school district.
chose your county for this study be-
cause 1t seemed to me that you and
Your people were making considerable
progress along these lines. and be.
cause, at the bottom. you seemed to
have the correct fundamental ideas
upon which to build your rural in
-stitutions am glad to say my brief
investigation has borne out these be-
liefs. Conversation with various
farmers and school board members
IL. Marshall county convinced me they
see in the consolidated school dis
trict vital force in the development
of a proper local community unit for
the farmer. The way you disregard
the old sterotyped lines, such as
township and county. in your con-
solidation shows that you recognize
the fact that the natural community
should be the base. 1t has long been
shown that the boundaries of com.
munities are not set by arbitrary
legislative enactments. but are form
ed by the people themselves out OF
the exercise Of their own choice. 1t
seems to me. therefore. that the in
stitutions Of the farmer to be most
effective, must be organized accord
ing to these natural community lines.
Benefits Of Consolidation.
"1n the Melbourne consolidated dis
trict of twenty four and half sec
tons, I found that since consolida-
ton in 1914. the town and country
people have come to feel more as
one: they now have common inter-