The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-02-04
WOULD STIFFLE
PEOPLES VOICE
ON EDUCATION
Consolidated Schools AS AZ
fected By the Report of the
= School Code Commission.

mittee on consolidation has made &
careful study of the report of the
School Code Commission to deter.
mine its effect upon the rura
Schools rural communities, and espe.
cially upon consolidated districts
After due consideration we wish tt
submit the following report:
Forward
The special session of the legisla.
ture held last March passed a reso,
luton authorizing the Governor tC
appoint a School Code Commission
"To make a comprehensive and ex.
haustive study of the common schoo
system and incorporate its findings
and conclusions in bill, or bills
which shall be presented to the leg.
islature of 1921, not later than jan
uary II, 1921" This Commission
was appointed, has done it's work
and made certain recommendation
which will later be embodied in bills
now being prepared, to go before
the legislature.
These recommendation are of SUI
preme Importance to the people OF
this state. Many of them are ex-
cellent in character and should be
enacted into law, but some OF
them are so drastic and so far.
reaching in their effect that they
revolutioniZe the entire common
school system of the state, except
in cities of the first class and in
Incorporated towns having a popula-
zion of 1900 or over Aside from
the exceptions noted, all school dis,
trict lines are erased; all school dis
tricts are discontinued; all school
boards are dismissed, and the ex.
perience gained in dealing with these
vital questions for the last half cen
fury OF more is entirely ignored
What is to take the place of the
old district system wrought out of
our trials and necessities? The so.
called county unit plan, which, &C
cording to the recommendation of
the Commission, is to include all
districts of the third class and all
second class, and consolidated dis
tricts not including an Incorporated
town of 1900 or overall these to
form one district or unit and to be
under the control and direction of
a centralized county board of educa
ton of five members. This board
would have wide powers and would
administer the affairs of the district
in much the same way that county
commissioners administer the affairs
of the county. These are other minor
details but the main essentials OF
the plan are as set forth.
Protest and Declaration of Principles
We believe that the proposed
county unit plan is mischievous and
dangerous to the best interests OF
the schools for the following rea-
sons:
/. 1t takes the control and man.
agement of the schools out of the
hands of the people and places them
in the control of group of so-called
experts, far removed from the source
of authority, with no real interest
in that which they control. This is
contrary in both spirit and practice
to one of the most vital principles
of American government, namely
that government should be admins
tered close to it's source of authorit,
and by those most deeply interested
2. 1t will stultify and deaden the
real community life and neighbor.
illness of district because the com.
munity spirit manifests itself in ex.
ercise, in the control and manage
ment of its affairs, and this oppor,
tunity is taken away. The plar
might be tolerated in a state where
there are large colonies of ignorant
foreigners unable to govern them
selves but it should not be con
sidered by "a self-governing, self-re
speeding American population. As
matter of fact, the plan has beer
most favored in some of the south
ern states where because of lack o,
educational opportunity there are
large bodies of ignorant people, botl
colored and white. The plan prac
ticed among the more progressive
middle west states has been that OF
consolidation, wrought out by the
people themselves about some nat
ural community center-not a plar
artificially superimposed from above
by experts and theorists who know
little of geographical conditions anc
facts.
3, Who are the proponents of this
county unit plan? Strangely enough
they are largely made up of repre-.
sentatives from districts of the first
class, larger second class districts
and representatives from the normal
schools and college and university
and departments of education. But
these people would be absolutely un.
affected by the change. The people
concerned are not asking for the
plan-far from. it. 1t would look
as though these proponents of the
county unit thought that the people
did not know enough to manage
their own affairs.
4. If a larger district unit is
necessary for the rural schools, anC
we believe it is, why not use the
agencies already provided in the
statute for this purpose? More than
forty consultations have been work
ed out by County Superintendent
during the past year. These con-
solicitations have been made at the
request of the voters interested and
have followed the natural and ordi-
nary procedure in such cases. This
is fair progress but if greater speed
is desired why not remove some OF
the restrictions now hampering coun-
ty superintendent and school boards
rather than institute a program that
tears our school system to frag.
ments? The development of such
larger units can most naturally anc
best be attained in harmony with
the principle of school consolidation
already effectively at work. The
management within safe limits, OF
the schools of community by the
people of the community, provides
an important bond of union and a
nucleus around which general civic
Improvement may center and grow
The recommendation of the Code
Commission make in respect tn unior