The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-03-31
Com. OF SCHOOLS,
LIMBAUGH IN FAVOR
OF CONSOLIDATION
CLAIMS PLAN MEANS BETTER
EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN
OF RURAL DISTRICTS

The movement for better rural
schools, which has been talked for
many years, is being pushed now in
many communities, which are taking
advantage of the government pro-
visions for the consolidation of dis
trict schools and are building new
buildings and organizing new
teaching system and ia system of
transportation, in accordance with
the provisions of the state depart
ment of public instruction, which
will make the town schools look well
to their laurels in teaching lines.
The scheme which has proved so
satisfactory in many committees is
to consolidate three or more con-
tiguous districts and provide better
school houses to accommodate the sum
total of children attending, enlarge
the teaching force, and provide a
principal and inaugurate agriculture
manual training and home economies.
The transportation will be provided
for by having busses to bring the
children to school and take them
home again at night. The expenses
will not be materially higher espe-
cially for a whole township as one
district, than they are now paying,
if we take into consideration the
amount that the parents are paying
to give their children a high school
education. The state government
will contribute 5000 year to each
school thus organized and 5000 year
for each vehicle used in transporting
the children to and from school, And
if the school provides for good
four year high school course in agri-
culture and manual training, the fed
eral government provides through
the Smith-Hughs Act, abo1t 500
year.
The rural schools are not accom-
plishing as much as they should, al
though the teachers are doing the
best they can under the circumstan-
ces. The system is wrong. From
the reords in my Office l find that in
this county last year there were 288
pupils from the rural schools who
took the eighth grade examination
and of this number 173 or 60 percent
passed. Of the pupils from the vii
lage schools where they have from
two to three teachers teaching the
eight grades, 33 out of al who took
the examination passed which was rs
per cent. The year before, 1918, 149
out of 271 from the rural schools
passed which is about 55 per cent,
while from the villages 28 out of 80
who took the examination passed or
about n per cent. Does this not
show that a teacher can accomplish
more if she has longer class periods? I?
Does it not also show that our rural
schools are not accomplishing as
much as they might under better cir
cumstances?
The question is how are the rural
schools to be improved. / believe
that the Rural Agricultural School
Act as amended by the last legisla-
ture will answer that question, when
the people understand how 1T works.
The consolidation of schools IL not
new. There are several in this state
and they are giving satisfaction. The
Superintendent of the consolidated
school at Gaines, Genesee county,
says that the transportation system
is a great success. The children are
invariably on stime and arrive in
stormy weather with dry feet and
clothing.
There are many advantages of the
consolidated schools over the one
room rural school. The question that
is always brought to my mind in this
itSdIu 10 IillS. ARE HOI the C0lluTen
of the county entitled to just as good
educational advantages as the chill
dren of the cities and villages?
believe they are and that the con-
solidated school solves the problem.
So we would get busy and get these
schools started so we may get some
of the state aid and also the United
States aid. This year Genesee county
draws S4,400 from the state as state
aid for her consolidated schools and
we have to help pay this in our taxes,
vet we are receiving no benefit from
it.
Questions will be gladly answered
by myself at my office in the court
house at Ionia on Saturdays. / will
be glad to explain the steps neces-
sary to form a consolidated school to
any district so desiring. lie us all
work to advance the educational con.
ditions of the rural schools
j. G. Linebaugh,
Com. of Schools.