Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-07-30
1880 O|VE-ROOM
SCHOOLS CLOSED
CONSOLIDATION PUTS MANY OF
SMALL SCHOOLS OUT OF
BUSINESS.
TEACHER SHORTAGE
THUS BEING SOLVED
Higher Salaries Paid in Larger Dis
tricts Keeping instructors in Work
Fifty Thousand Iowa Children 3D.
ing Transported to Buildings in
Merged Districts.
Special to Times Republican.

SpSSiat W llIHeS-ItSpuDlICau.
Des Moines, July, DEMONSTRATED
schools In Iowa have closed 2,s00 one
room rural schools and more than
10000 school children are daily be-
ing transported to these schools
during the school year, according to
an article which appears In the
August number OF Review of Re-
views by Governor w. l.. Harding.
The article is headed. "Remaking
Country Schools in Iowa." and is
Illustrated with "A half dozen differ
emit views OF consolidated school
scenes and buildings. The illustrations
include a play ground scene at the
Pisgah. Harrison county CONSOLIDATE
ed school, the consolidated school at
Boxholm, school wagons used for
transporting children to and from the
Boxholm school. class In asricul-
tural work at Boxholm. noon lunch
con scene at the Alta consolidated
school and the consolidated high
school Elee club q ut Roland. The
teachers residence and superintend-
ents cottage at Boxholm is also
shown and photograph reprint of
State superintendent P. E. Nc
Clenahan.
Governor Harding says that dur
ing the past year. two types Of
school have had special development
In the state" the consolidated school
and the standard one-room school. On
July l. 1919. Iowa had 230 consolidat-
ed schools. Since that date new con-
solidated schools have been voted at
the rate of one for every school day,
until now we have 407 districts which
! have voted consolidation and are in
the process of organization and pre-
pairing to erect new buildings. At
commencement time this year these
consolidated schools had graduated
more than I SEQ four year high
school students.
Governor Harding states that It. is
generally agreed that the larger the
district the better it is for the pupils
provided road conditions do not in
terfere. The district legally must
have at least sixteen sections in this
state but very few are as small as
that. One has recently been voted at
Upton which has seventy three sec
tions.
Solving Teacher Shortage.
The consolidated school is largely
solving the teacher shortage proD.
lem" writes the governor. "as is illus
trated by the. Huron Township Con-
solidated school in Des Moines
county. In this school the superin-
tendent Is engaged for three years at
$4,000. year Het receives in addi
ton to this rent free, an $4,000. home
in which to live. with free heat and
free electric lights. a garage and
eight acres Of land for his own USE
Quite large number Of the con-
solidated schools offer the sam. ;.
ing conditions and even higher yearly
salary When school men and women
are offered opportunities of this kind
there will be little question about a
sufficient number Of people preparing
themselves for the, Occupation, pro
vided we have training schools
enough to equip an adequate num-
Der of teachers"
Iowa still has approximately H.
700 one room rural schools of which
only 700 have been standardized but
the law has only been In operation
about two years. A school cannot be
standardized unless it has at least
ten pupils. teacher with first grade
certificate and a proper building with
minimum equipment
1t at the close OF the school year"
explains the governor. "the school
has met the requirements, the district
receives S.. for each pupil who has
been In attendance six months. One
half OF this money goes to the teach
er IN addition to her regular salary.
The other half goes to the district for
the purpose Of buying more equip
ment." ,3sA