The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1922-09-05
BACK TO SCHOOL

Next Monday morning a large army will be on the move in
every part of Hawaii marching to training camps. Though large in
number the army is composed of individuals that ar physically small,
the children Of Hawaii mel, and the training camps that will open
are the Territorial Schools.
There is more truth than metaphor in that paragraph. The chill
dren are being trained for battle, the battle of life and within a few
years all of those that are concentrated in training camps Monday
will have been mustered in, some as pivates in the ranks, some as
non-coms and some as junior commissioned officers. Then they will
take up and push forward the campaign that is now being conduct
ed by the grown ups Of today, they will fill the vacancies that are
left in the ranks by those who end their fight or fall by the wayside
in the march of progress.
When this fact is recognized there comes a clearer understand
ing of the educational problems that the Territory must meet, of
the reasons why so much of the funds raised by the taxpayers go
to the building of school houses, their equipment and the salaries of
the teachers.
One of the big problems that has to be met on Maui is the mat
ter of concentrating and centralizing into larger school centers. The
small, one room school is costly in upkeep and costly from the fact
that it can carry on only to a limited extent. Eight grades cannot
be taught in such a school. One teacher cannot be expected to carry
the children of a small community so far.
On the other hand the children of the rural communities have
the same rights to an education as have those of the larger towns
By reason of the demand for all the funds that can be made available
the department of public instruction closes small schools when the
attendance fall below a certain minimum. What is to be done with
the children in such communities. Perhaps, probably, the nearest
school that is maintained is too far for the little folk to walk r at
least so far that they reach the school tired out before the day of
study commences.
transportation for children remote from schools is the one an
swer that suggests itself, but there is no provision for such eXpendi-
lures in the Territorial Schools budgets. On Maui the experiment
ing year. In the County of Hawaii it has been tried longer and
more extensively, but in both instances it is done only through special
appropriations.
IL is agreed la IL transportation De u1llSneu o n larger
schools a considerable saving in cost of school maintenance can be
made by the discontinuance of numbers of smaller schools. 1t would
appear a matter of justice and economy then that the money which
can thus be saved should be devoted to the furnishing of transporta-
ton. In this respect as in some others, as for instance the distribu-
ton of school funds on a basis of attendance rather than school
age census the system is away behind the times.
Within a few months there will be a session of the Legislature
and new school budgets will be presented and the biennial appropria-
ton made. The legislators well may take into consideration changes
of system. The department of public instruction may well present
a plan under which a part of its funds shall be devoted in counties
that need it for the transportation to and from the larger school
centers of the children in outlying sections.
Such action may be taken next year but in ease it should not be,
Maui should get in line at once for a larger appropriation for the
transportation of school children. Five thousand dollars was named
two years ago, simply as a start to carry the idea into an expert
mental stage and at the coming session of the legislature at least
four times that amount should be made available. 1t will be found
sufficient of an economy to save a large part of that amount from
the maintenance of some of the smaller schools and it must not be
forgotten for a moment that every child on Maui is entitled of right
to an education at least through the grammar grades.