The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-10

DOaT0 ana IL Indicated 6uch q clos
association with bootlegging in pas
years down to recent dates, tn
question was raised whether the wifi
and daughter are entitled to yer,
much aid from the county until sucl
time as they shake the bootlegginl
element from their associations. TIL,
commissioners got to talking abou
schools and the tremendous amour
Of money that 1t took to run thu
schools. The statement was mad,
that more than half of the total take.
that we pay are for the maintenance
of schools and that the people voting
these local school taxes, could If they
wanted to reduce taxes start in right
at home and make substantial reduc
tons when, as matter of fact they
blame the commissioners, the good
roads work and the governor if the
taxes are high. 1t was stated that in
some OF the schools where they have
three, five or eight high school stu
dents, that they maintain a special
teacher at an expense of upwards OF
$125 a month for this mere handful
of students. Commissioners Williams
and Miller said they doubted the
wisdom Of maintaining such depart
ments for so few pupils and said that
, 1t might be better to combine the
high school students with some stu
dents in the lower grades, say the
sixth and seventh and put them all
under the one teacher and cut out
the extra expense. They said that
some of the districts have not enough
house room and are clamoring for
new buildings when if they would
just suspend the work in the primary
department until spring comes and
start that work then when a lot of
the larger pupils leave schC oil to 20 to
work on the farm, there would be
plenty of house room and the pri-
mary grades could go to school from
spring till fall and get more benefit
from the school than during the cold
weather They did not think it was
wisdom to have the school houses
oyercrowded during the winter time
and standing idle all spring and sum-
mer They had notices that the
pupils ging to the more thrifty
families, generally stayed out to help
with the farm work and they be-
lieved that in the long run, the boys
and girls who had spunk to get out |
and help conduct the farming opera
lions and help make a living, will get |
their education as soon as those who
are pampered more and kept in
school the full length of the term
with father and mother at home, hir-
ing help at SIS day to do the work
which their own children could do
as well or better.
Commissioner England was not
quite so sure that it was mistake
% conduct the high school. He said
t might cost more money to send
,hese students away somewhere else
% be educated and he was not sure
hat combining too many grades was
he best thing to do.
One of the other commissioners II
eplied that good many of the
eachers are not efficient anyway. +,
)ne of them said that there are I
'ood many young girls teaching t
chool who do not have a proper re- &
ard for the responsibilities of their
york and that matrons, not so we'll I
ducated, but having more apprecia- G
lon of how to handle children could a
robably teach in the primary grade
etter than they could. Commission
RS Williams and Miller were pretty
ell agreed on those things, but Mr.. q
ngland thought different. He said [
lie most important years of a child's o
fe are the primary grades; if they a
ave the right kind of a primary n
'acher they will be able to learn the 1
ght habits of study and can get e
lru the rest of the grades even if X
ley did not have such good teachers. II
e said they had an awful demon N
ration Of that in his district when o.
was on the board. One incom- :
'tent primary teacher held the posi- n
IN two years very much to the detri-
ent OF the pupils. She might have -
en good teacher in some other
AIDES, but not for primary work and
at those pupils are handicapped in
their work and pupils who started
later are passing them.
He CoumlSSlOn0TS were wander
g in their remarks and everybody
esent took hand in the converse
ct where they took a notion they
lnted to secure some more school
ound while the getting was good
d they bought one acre of ground
joining the school house for $500.
was ordered up at mass meeting Al
thout taking into consideration the
lount of money they had and the
lount Of debts they had to meet
n. Mention was made of one dis
d the prospects for maintaining
Dir school for future and within a
months after they made this ex-
1sive purchase of some ground
Vt is not yet needed at all, they had
close the school for lack Of funds. -
melody mentioned a case where
" had operated the school on
mill tax in the long ago when
" had to put up a building and
Zip it and in recent years without
king any additions to the build
they had got the tax up as high
Is mills and are just as hard up
ever.
Somebody remarked that some of
teachers employed in districts
t are on q cash basis when thov