The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-07-29
New School Law
Mr.. W. T, Loggins,
Somerville, Tenn,
Nc dear Sir,-


Somerville, Tenn,
Ny Dear SIR
Following a suggestion made to me
by member or The County Board of
Education that write an article for
The Falcon, am presenting this for
your consideration.
The change in the school law of Ten
nessse looks to the day when we hope
that every boy and girl in Tennessee
may be able to read and write and of
course if that ideal is reached it must
be possible that every boy and girl in
every county of Tennessee must spend
some time in the schools that have
been provided for the children of the
State.
Formerly each county of the state
received out of the State Treasury a
certain share of the funds of the state
based upon per capita arrsn cement.
or upon the scholastic population Of
the county receiving the funds: Under
the new law the county receives exactly
as much as it shows to the state that
the boys and girls of that county have
attended school. In other words each
county will have turned back from
Nashville out of the common school
fund exactly what the children of that
particular county earns, so to speak,
upon basis of average daily attend.
ance, based upon each and every
school running at least 100 days or
five school months.
Fortunately for Fayette County,
every school in the county can run at
least five mon'hs and may be longer;
but the length will depend entirely up
on just what our average daily attend
auce will be. The average daily attend
ance will depend upon, the carr estnsss
of the teachers. upon the activity Of
the school officials and upon the coop
Grafton of the mothers and fathers of
the boys and girls of the county.
| have just completed my annual
statement ready for transfer to Nash
vile and make this statement that
our average daily attendance during
the year just closed is barely above al
per cent. Think Of any corporation,
firm or business establishment running
upon Al per cent efficiency. Does it
sound like good business? From bus
mess standpoint we must ..either lower
the overhead expense or We must build
up the business to be commens urate
with the overhead cost. This can be
done. Will we do it? 1t must be done.
Every colored school is expected to
run two months, in summer August
and September, three months IN Jan.
uarv, February and March. 1t is the
duty of every man or woman interested
in Fayette county to see that every
child is present every day, bearing 10
mind that every child that absents him
self from school takes sway from the
county just that. money coming from
the State.
The white schools are lorganized for
nine months. Whenever school stops
and starts again from one week to a
month Of valuable time Is lost, The
School organization is not different from
the other organization 10 the matter Of
efficiency. Just as the constant start
ing and stopping of an automobile will
exhaust the batteries, just as you lose
power in starting and stopping locom-
olive engine; just so it is with the
school, you lose the momentum accum-
lated. When you have to stop the child
rem for work in the field, would make
this suggestion to those communities
and | call il fifty. fifty proposition to
the children and | believe that they
are entitled to that, that where any
community feels that the children must
be stopped; that the teacher teach
straight through the day from 7:S0 or
500 in the morning right through until
say loo, then allow the children to go
home and soend the balance of the day
in the field or wherever their labor
may be. | simply make that sugges.
tion as a plea for the children who
when they get older will realize that
after all it was best that they stay In
school every day of every month of
every year that they are permitted.
May | again stress without any sort
of telling or prejudice in the matte
that every child in every school locality
go every day possiblein order that be
may be benefited primarily and that
the county may come to the state with
a claim for q near as possible perfect
average attendance. Yours very truly,
]. B. SUMMERS,
County Superintendent.