The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-03

Kate Gait Zaneis superintendent of
county schools, has inaugurated cam
paign for the consolidation of schools
in Carter county, and states that dur
ing her tenure of office proposes TO
make that one of the main features of
her work.
Consolidated school districts con-
tends Mrs. Zaneis are but marks of
progress along educational lines, and
she hopes to so interest the school
patrons of the county outside the city
OF Ardmore that they will demand con-
solidation which means a better sys-
tenn of rural schools. Mrs. Zaneis
states that many Oklahoma counties
are already consolidated, but so far
Carter county has but one consolidated
school district, and that she says is
not up to the standard. She has given
the question of consolidation close
study in this county and she says that
there is no reason why Carter county
should lag in the matter, she says she
is confident that patrons will favor the
idea as soon as it is prosecuted TO- them
in business like manner, and this
she is making every effort TO do
through literature on the subject.
Florence l.. Clark writing in Cap
pers Journal for March has the follow
ing to say on the subject which Mrs.
Zaneis is using as an argument in
favor of consolidated schools.
Consolidated schools may be the
dawn of the millennium for the rural
school system, but the say-so of per-
sons who have had little acquaintance
with the country life and its school
problems is not convincing. Such
opinions are more like an affront TO
the intelligence of farmers, who wish
to see the thing in practice or hear the
opinion of farmers who are supporting
consolidated schools.
"E. +. Hodges, county school super
intendent of Butler county, Iowa, has
the key to unlock the kind of informa-
tion farmers wish when they think Of
bettering their schools. This key fits
to his desk where letters from 1,4l2
Iowa farmers who have tried consolida-
tion are on file. Iowa farmers, it will
be granted, should know something
about the subject, for Iowa has been
captioned Headliner in Consolidation
and $4,000 Of her children now attend
consolidated schools.
"Alr. Hodges selected out of the 400
centralized schools Of Iowa the So which
had been in operation the longest, be-
lieving that the most reliable source of
information would be persons who had
tried centralized school several years.
He sent to the superintendents of these
SO schools printed post cards with the
request that they supply every school
patron with one. The cards asked for
the results of consolidation and they
read:
This card is stamped and addressed
for the information of others who are
considering consolidation. Will you
please take a pencil and fill in the ans
wers to the following questions at once
and return to the mail box? Thank
you.
81. How far do your children ride
in the school bus?
"'2. How long are they usually on
the road TO school?
"3. DO they suffer from cold? From
any other cause?
"'Are your children required to wait
out in the snow and storm for the bus?
"'5. Are the children absent from
school as much as under the oneroom
rural school system? Are they tardy
"a much?
&c. How has consolidation affect
ed land values in your consolidated
school district?
40. Are the increased school ad-
vantages worth the increased cost?
"S. Would you change back TO the
old way?'
"Ten TO 20 patrons of every district
responded and the signed answers from
l,4l2 farmers show that SS per cent
Of the farmers answered mo- 10 the
eighth question, Would you change
back to the old way?' OF these, the
highest percentage was shown TO oe
where consolidation had been in ex-
istence longest, indicating that the