The Mena weekly star., 1921-06-09
Keeping Up With Polk County
 Schools
(By W. H. MORDEN, County Super
 intendent).

7 intendent).
 This is the one month of the year
 when there are no public schools in
 session. but it is only short time
 now until the new school year will be- gin. Many good things have been
 planned by various districts toward
 improvement of school conditions. Some of them are as folIows:
 Grannis is planning to build new school building. It is needed tnere, and there seems to be tine. spirit o1 cooperation among the people in get ting it done.
 Consolidated District No. 2, Corinth and Thacker, has bought five acres of
 land for a school site. and plans are
 now in the office for nice two-rooml
 building. These people have used
 good judgment in buying sufficient ground for permanent use. Many school sites are too small, the loca- tion having been made when land was such a small item that just enough for a building site was all desired. No less than two acres should be the site for any district, and a larger tract is desirable in most cases. Five
 acres make mighty good school site.
 Alder Springs has planned to make their building larger, and will very probably buy new desks for their pupils. This is an excellent commun- ity with good school spirit. They try to have the best of everything. A new building is being considered for Dallas. This is another big com munity with one of the very best schools. They need the new building and from reports will very likely build before the fall term. The Independence people have vot- ed to build new house in August. This is a thinly populated district in the Southwest corner of the county. It is a large district with only few people. They have not had much school in recent years on account of net having building. We expect to
 get the new building this summer and have a good little school by win ter.
 Vandervoort is planning some ex- cellent things. They are doing their best to get good principal, and will very likely bring good school man into the county. They hope to build new room, and have four teachers next year. In the past they have had only three. They will also add to the number of grades in the high school as the situation demands it.
 West View and Piney, two districts west of Cove and Vandervoort which were consolidated some time ago are expecting to build new house. They will have only one-room school for the present, the school being little small for two teachers, and that at the time they must spend some money in building.
 Hatfield is building shop and la boratory in connection with the Smith, Hughes work there, and will also build another room to their nice brick building. The people there have fine school spirit, and they are now in position to add to the grades in the high school until they have full four-year course. They are ad- ding a domestic science department for the girls as well as the agricul- tural work for the boys and men. Prospects are for mighty good school.
 Cove has in mind the addition of the Smith-Hughes work with another teacher for the girls making six teachers in all. If their plans carry this will be another four-year high school soon
 Wickes is also planning for the Smith-Hughes work just as soon as they can get it. This is going to be a much better school in the future, judging from the renewed interest the people have. MT. E. W. Hamby will be principal there another year, and he is very much interested in having much better school than at present.
 Crystel Hill Voted 16 Mills.
 Considerable improvement is in- tended for the building and grounds of Crystal Hill, District No. 36. These people showed their school in- terest by voting a 16-mill tax. 1t is a pity that the law will not allow them to collect more than 12 mills. This is a situation that every elector in Arkansas ought to wake up to. l could mention several districts that need and want a higher tax but the constitution says they cannot collect more than l2 mills. One man says that his district would vote 25 mills if allowed to do so. 1t seems to me that if the people need it, want it, and have it to pay themselves they ought to have a constitutional right to lay and collect it. The limit is off in many states. They vote the tax that the people think they need, and I fear this is one of the reasons Arkan- sas ranks 46th among the 48 states educationally. We will have chance to remedy this situation at the next general election in October, 1920. Let us think about it, and give the people who need it chance to have the kind of school they need.
 Holly Springs has decided to buy new patent desks for the children. This is good idea for all districts that need them and are able to buy them. We have been delayed in get ting up the car lot of desks but have not given up the idea. Every district that needs desks should write the county superintendent. I will take desk out and show you what we can get and the prices.
 Forward in Teacher Training. Possibly the greatest showing that has been made by this county this year. is in teacher training. At least one-half of the next years force of teachers will have six weeks or more of special training this year. Just to show the reader some comparison Vul rath