Evening journal., 1921-04-18


horatory and other equipment were
left TO the State Board OF Education.
Under the law Of 1921. there - no
statement as to teacher requirement.
nor as TO the distinction in grade or
group or high school. 10 is specific
ally required that the State Board OF
Education shall grade and standard
re all high school courses and an
high school curricula. The new law
provides for high schools and insisls
that they must be up to standard and
even makes specific requirements OF
standards in various high school de-
partments wherever the high schools
have such departments. The require
mcnts are as follows:
IAN four year high schools
shall have supplementary
reading and reference library OF
at least two hundred and fifty
volumes and must be provided
with equipment equivalent in
value 10 tho following amounts.
whenever such high school do
partmcnt is required: Biology.
five hundred dollars (t5O0):
Physics. six hundred dollars
$4,000; Chemistry. six hundred
dollars $1,000; Manual Train
ing, twelve hundred dollars
Cs12OO); Agriculture. FIVE hun
drod dollars (s50O)."
Tho law limits the amount which
/ the State Board Of Education can
apportion 20 any high school to 500
per pupil enrolled
At the same time. the school law
provides that all white public schools
/ OF the State shall be free TO all white
| children resident In the State and
only limits this provision by direct
| ing the State Board Of Education
whenever and wherever they deem
10 advisable. to divide the State or
any section thereof into high school
attendance districts and to prescribe
rules and regulations governing the
attendance therein"
10 is not quite clear to the average
citizen just what will be the prac-
teal working OF this arrangement.
All high schools are State supported.
az least up TO the limit OF 500 per
pupil. All such high schools shall be
free and open TO all high school chill
dren In the State. except where the
state Board Of Education finds IL
necessary to limit the attendance.
AT the same time, tho Limitation
Of tho State apportionment to all
high school children OF 500 per pu-
pil would, we are informed by school
officials Of the State. not meet the
needs OF the present situation in
p Delaware a few high schools do
not now spend quite 500 per pupil,
= but the average in the State Is re-
= ported as about $3.50 per pupil II
y is difficult to tell just what the fran.
FL ers OF the law and the members OF
the Legislature foresaw or desired
e az an outcome OF this provision
They report that the present system
is expensive and must be re-ordered
% before tho State is justified in as
r. suming all tho high school costs Of
the present high school program In
the State
4. TRANSPORTATION OF CHIL-
u DREN.
The school authorities Of the state
q report that in the last two years the
schools have made at least three
d marked advances:
1. Increased enrolment OF chill.
dren;
D 2. Increased daily attendance oN
- children from 80 days TO 11S days;
I 3. Progress in the standards an,
I attendance OF high schools
Perhaps the high school attend
- ance les the finest indication we havl
Of the development our schools arr
e now making. The school authoritie
also insist that large percentage O
~ the increased high. school attendanc
- is due TO free transportation OF al
T. pupils that are more than thre
Is miles distant The only way in whicl
i equal high school advantages can b.
i extended TO children in remote dis
IA tricts rs for the State to bear the ex
. penses OF transportation IN case
= where expenses are necessary.
10 The present law provides that chill
!, dren OF high school age may b'
h. transported to school az tho expens'
u OF the Special School District or tn,
~, county according TO their residence
whenever they are more than three
. miles from school
The present law also provides that
children who have not completed the
- sixth grade OF the elementary school
- when there is no public elementary
!, school within two miles. by direci
:, Travelled highway, from the home Of
=. the children, may be transported q
school AZ the expense Of the echoo
authorities. Children in grades abov
the elementary schools may be trans
!. ported when the school is more tha
~ three miles from home.
The new law makes no provisio
u for transportation OF children eiths
y to high schools or to elementar
' schools or to newly consolidate
y, schools. The entire subject Is oml
Il ted from the law. There is. ther
'e fore, no prohibition OF transports
- tion.
le 3. CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOL
The 1920 Law and the 1921 Ia
% appear to agree in the matter
OF consolidation Of schools except IN
1e the initiative for such consolidate
in the 1920 Law is placed in q
County Board OF Education and
the Special School District and
IN the 1921 Law in the state Boa
ne OF Education or in the voters OF q
or school district concerned. In bot
M laws a popular referendum is necei
'rs sary before the consolidation can Z
o. made.
rst 6. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGhAA
rst In the Law Of 1920 the Board q
ur Education OF the Special School DIS
ne trict and the County Board or bau
les cation are empowered and directed q
IN provide. whenever necessary iol
mt school building program 70 meet IN IN