The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1928-01-06
RETURNS FROM
HELENA MEET
SUPT. LIVINGSTON REPORTS
ON DELEGATE ASSEMBLY
CONFERENCE
(By supt. F. H. Livingston)

Culbertson was the other repre-
sentative from Roosevelt county.
About $50 delegates were in at
tendance.
Chancellor Brannon of the state
university delivered an excellent
address. He divided his subject
into three parts. 1. Kinds OF
schools desired. g. Facilities for
using them. 3. How to Finance
them.
Another interesting number was
the discussion of the regulations
adopted Oct. 3, 1927 by the State
Board of Education for the dis
tribution of the state common
school equalization fund. Wolf
Point is interested in this fund.
Other topics taken up were
School Lands, Professional Ethics,
Vocational Guidance, Sources and
Distribution of School Funds, Ex-
tension Education, Moral Educa-
ton, Illiteracy, Compulsory Educa-
tion and Uniform Grading.
On Wednesday the Administra-
tors conference was held. We
missed the forenoon session, but
heard many things of interest IN
the afternoon and at the banquet
in the evening. A number of men
from different schools in the state
told in short talks of experiments
they were conducting. We were
surprised to find out that some OF
these things were considered new,
as the Wolf Point schools. have
taken them as a matter of course
We are beginning to see that 1t
pays to advertise.
Our testing program here is IN
an advanced stage when compared
with many. We go a step farther
than most schools in the grouping
of the children. Few schools have
a vocal and instrumental music
program that will equal ours.
Our outside reading course is
unique. A number of schools
have asked for copies of the plan.
The commercial survey OF the
state of Montana, made by MISS
Reed and Mr.. Livingston, is to be
mailed to men who wish to know
whether their standards will COM
pare favorably with those of other
high schools.
Other experiments that we nave
studied but have not seen tit TO
try out in Wolf Point, are being
tried in other schools. The ex-
perimenters said little about their
success. One is the 60 minute
period classes in high school and
the other is the introduction OF
science and Latin in
to the Sth grade. We contend
that a As minute period is long
enough for high school pupils and
that the eighth grade has enough
subjects to carry without trying to
load him with any more. We have
always wanted to put more agrl-
culture into the high school ana
believe that Supt. Moe OF Big
Sandy is carrying on an interest
ing experiment.
Mrs. FacFarlane has a vocation
al guidance course in Freshman
that is far superior
10 those that were discussed at
the conference. One elementary
business course was discussed that
rave me some ideas that may be
If some value to us here.
School Finances
NV main purpose in attending
he conference was to get line
IN how we may bolster our f1nan-
,ial situation. Tax exempt lands
md delinquent taxes are the Hoo
loo" for district As. For four
months the committee of which
am chairman has been collecting
records to build up our report.
The finances of every county IN {
he state have been checked. we I
we're particularly interested IN
he schools share of delinquent ]
axes. penalty on school taxes, IN {
crest on delinquent school taxes /;
md interest on sinking funds be- S
onging to school districts. t
Our Investigations show that
With one exception the counties OF !
he state have been putting this t
money into the general funds OF S
he county instead of into the var {
GUS district funds. This money '
amounts to a tremendous sum-
asst year the counties of Montana {
collected delinquent taxes amount j
ne to s1,O22,496. The penalty and i
interest on this delinquent tax t
collected was s562,424 for the {
rear 1927. Except in the Billings {
school district, not one penny OF {
his was turned over to the school {
districts of the state. Is it any l
Wonder that the schools are short {
If funds?
In addition we have interest on {
school sinking funds, school funds !
n insolvent banks for which :
are responsible. A num- s
,er of school districts of the state {
Turn to Page 8, Col. 1, Please) {