Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-05-26
SCHOOL SYSTEM
ONE OF GREATEST
Education. of Minnesota Children
Has Been Well Provided for
Schools Are Excellent
BY j. M. MCCONNELL :.
Commissioners or Education

Commissioners or Education
Minnesotas public school system
is administered under the direction of
a State Board Of Education or nve
members, who are appointed by the
Governor, and whom the law pro-
vides shall be representative citizens
of the state, holding no other state
office and not employed in any state
institution. The Board elects the
Commissioner of Education, who is
its secretary and executive officer.
He is likewise an ex-officio member
of the Board of University Regents
and of the State Teachers College
Board, of which he is also secretary.
The other members of the Department
are elected by the Board on the
recommendation of the Commissioner.
Locally, the schools are administer
ed under district school boards, elect
ed by the people, except that in
few of the larger counties, county
boards of education have charge OF
ganized territory.
Enrolment Is Large
The public schools enroll approx
mately $4,000 pupils and \ employ
around $4,000 teachers. The ratio OF
teachers to pupils is higher, due to
the large number of small one-room.
schools. There are, in round num-
bers, 1900 one-room schools, of which
about 5000 enroll fewer than twenty
pupils each, and perhaps 500 of these,
fewer than ten.
There are two methods provided in
law by which this situation can be
relieved. The first is by the usual
process of consolidating several dis
tricts (not less than twelve sections)
into one, with a central school, to
which pupils who live beyond walking
distance are transported. The second
is when the school board closes it's
own school and pays for the instruc-
ton of it's children in the neighbor-
ing school, transporting them when
they live beyond walking distance. In
this plan, the district retains it's
identity and draws the usual aids
from the state. The process of con-
solidation by the first method has
been slow, due, in part, to economic
depression, and, in larger measure,
to the widespread misrepresentation
that consolidated schools are neces-
9sarily more expensive. This impress
sion has come about because few
communities have made the mistake
of building beyond their needs, or
because of economic reverses and
loss in valuation after their obliga-
lions were incurred. AS a matter of
fact, in the state as whole, tax
rates in consolidated schools are not
higher than in other schools which
do the same grades of work. The
second method, obviously temporary
in its nature, saves in money and is
growing in use.
Many Fine High Schools
During the last school year there
were in the state 25S fully accredited
state high schools, and 1874 high
school departments likewise giving
high school courses. There were en-
rolled a total, in round numbers, OF
$4,000 high school students, of whom
1850, or II per cent graduated
In 1915, there were enrolled 42,400
and $500, or Is per cent, graduated
The increase in high school enroll
ment, over this period of eleven years
has been SO per cent, and in gradua
ton, 131 per cent. It is evident that
the tendency is growing, in all classes
of schools, to remain in school ano
complete the prescribed courses, go
. ing on to the next higher institution
On school maintenance, in the ag
.gregate, about Is per cent is paid by
the state, the balance being loca
levy fixed by each district in the
form of a direct property tax. The
amount paid by the state, under it,
various laws, and distributed under
the direction of the State Department
of Education, aggregates around $40,
-. 100000. annually.
The states contribution comes from
three funds. The first is the Endow
ment Fund, which consists of the in
come from the Permanent Schoo
Fund, producing annually almost 81,
100000. The second is the Curren
School Fund, which comes from ;
statewide one-miH tax, producing no
far from 100000. annually. Thu
third is the Special State Aid Fund
which is appropriated biennially b!
the Legislature. 1t is paid from thu
General Revenue Fund of the stat'
which is made up, on the average, O
about one-fourth direct tax and three
fourths from other sources of income
such as gross earnings taxes on rail
roads, insurance companies, telephone
and telegraph companies, etc., als'
inheritance taxes and taxes on irol
ore.
This fund varies in amount from
time to time, the demand under tn,
several laws being, at present, i
paid in full, something more thar
$6,000,000 year.
The first two funds are distributes
together in what is known as thu
"Apportionment to Schools" on PEI
capita attendance basis, except tina
the law authorizes, and it has be
come the practice, to transfer a por