Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-20
COUNTY NORMAL NOTES

The state central committee of the
Women's Progressive Association met
in the senate chamber at Madison on
Saturday of last week to outline a
program of educational legislation.
Mrs. Harold Proctor is the local MEM
Der of the committee. The meeting
was to be addressed by educational
leaders among whom were State Supt.
John Callahan, Major Edward A. Fitz-
patrick, Sec. of the State Board of
Education, and Secretary Kittle of the
Board of Normal Regents Educators
throughout the state will be much in
terested in the program adopted at
this meeting.
All are agreed that the rural school
is the greatest problem in the educa-
tional world today. .Thos f. Finegan,
State Supt of Public instruction, of
Pennsylvania says: Notwithstanding
the fact that nearly every state has
put into its constitution the funda-
mental principle of the states obi
cation in public education, there is
not a state in the Union which has as
yet complied with these plain provis-
ions and given to the boys and girls
an equality of opportunity in educa-
ton. Those who live in country dis
tricts have not been provided facilities
for obtaining an education which are
in any respect the equal of the facili-
ties which have generally been pro-
vided in all populous centers.
There is no other institution In
America which has made so little pro-
gress in the last century as the rural
school. Is this great, rich nation TO
tolerate this condition of affairs for
another century? Or shall we COM
ply with the plain demands which have
been determined to be the American
policy in education?"
A partial solution of the problem
is to have the state undertake great
err part in the support Of education.
A recent report sent out by the u. S.
Commissioner of Education, John j
Tigert, contains the following:
"Many students of school admins
tration urge a shift of the burden of
school support from the local district,
where it now rests, to the larger units
state and county. This is urged be-
cause public education is conceived as
| fundamentally a state function, and
| it is held that adequate educational
| opportunity can be secured only thru
a much larger participation in school
| support by the larger units, particu-
larly the state. According to figures
compiled in the Bureau of Education
for the year 1920, the proportion OF
school revenues provided in the coun-
try as a whole by the three units
state. county, and local district, were
1858 per cent, liza per cent, and Ills
per cent, respectively. The advocates
of larger participation by the stats
urge that the states contribution be
increased to one-third Of the total, and
some would say to so per cent OF
more"
4 The share of the cost of education
contributed by the different states var
les from 81 per cent for Texas to L.
per cent for Iowa. Wisconsin contri
butes 1876 per cent, which is below th'
average for all of the states, Man.
of the states have been increasing tn
share paid by the state. Arizona nov
contributes $25 per capita of averag
attendance in the schools; Californi
gives $50 per capita; Utah gives 50
per child Of school age; and Washing
ton $50. These figures are interest
mig when we consider that Wisconsi
is paying about $3.50 per child o
school age.