The Monett times., 1922-11-03
COUNTY UNIT OR PROPOSITION
NUMBER IL EXPLAINED
BY Lester V. Galbraith.

BY Lester V. Gator2lIn.
All of the Voters Of Missouri on
November 7 will. be called upon TO
rOee for or against the welfare Of
pahRc education in Missouri. The
welfare of Ais 900 children is at stake
&sNetly. The educssdonal welfare,
snd by this the general welfare of
everybody in every phase of progress
ia~indirectly at stake. We. as MIS-
sSuHans realize the low rank OF Mis-
>seuri In education ought certainly to
cvasider our vote very seriously be-
Tore casting it for or against any
Legislative measure.
ThesCounty Unit Law as is now
written and held up By referendum, Is
aN biggest educational measure
which has ever confronted the people
yf Missouri. If we as voters permit
T@Saw to be taken off our Statutes
weeks, We have made a very big step
backward. The real condition OF the
rural schools throughout Missouri Is
M generally known by the people
throughout the state. According TO
AM State Superintendents last report
HAfe are 81 districts in Missouri
Wsth four months or less Of school
each year. In order to give these
students the same amount OF time to
cover an High school education which
IL devoted for that in the city systems
Ne Rural child would have to spend
twenty seven years in school. Out OF
tsse e,l77 rural districts in the State,
aOhly 69S have eight or more months
In their school term. That is only one
phase Of the injustice that is being
done the rural boy aud girl in getting
his education. There is also wide
variation in the amount OF taxes paid
fSr school purposes an the different
districts. There are - districts IN
Missouri that levy absolutely not a
cent for public education, while there
are 5,S79 that vote for the full limit
Hliowed by the Constitution of Mis-
souxi and many go even above. This
discrimination in favor of the wealth
iew districts which can maintain their
schools with absolutely no levy,
against the proper districts which
have to vote the full levy permitted
by the Constitution is certainly very
far from being an ideal or just con-
aitioA. There is nothing in American
snS6tutions which smackS more OF
class distinction than does the school
condition throughout the state.
Let us consider the condition in
Barry county alone. According to the
State Superintendent report for last
year, there are only Is standard
schools, so that the conditions l speak
>of now are the conditions in the best
schools of Barry county and do not
take into consideration those III the
worst condition. Eagle Rock or Dis
trict No. lis has an assessed valu-
alton of $48,016. Vanzandt or Dis
trict No. 90 has an assessed valuation
yf $780, ,7O6 or almost four times the
assessed valuation of Eagle Rock
With the IS cents levy, Eagle Rock
has total school revenue of $312.1O
from taxes, while Vanzandt has a
total revenue of $1233O9 from taxes
or for an eight months school Eagle
: Rock can have $39.01 per month to
pay the teacher, buy the fuel, pay the
janitor fees, and all other Incidental
and necessary expenses while Van
zandt may have $154.13 per month, ol
on the basis of time if each school
spends the same amount of money
per month, Eagle Rock can have two
months school while Vanzandt may
have an eight months school. AS this
is the condition among the best