The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-03
School Consolidation
 Almost Completed
Entrance to East Farms, Rockville and opevlIe Leaves
 But Few Outside

As the schools will reopen after the holidays Monday with three new districts it may not be out of place to call attention to the matter of consolidation of all the public schools under one head, which has occupied the public mind for many years. The resentment of the town school people against coming irto the second district was so pro- nounced at one time, that many be- lieved q complete union of the out side and inside districts never would take place. The late David C. Por- ter and others were frequently heard on this subject, all declaring it An irroad on the rights of the Ameri- can people to force the town system of school government out of exis tence. But this feeling disappeared l., time and soon the last of the town school districts of Waterbury will have disappeared and all will be under the direct management of the department of education, that is provided the new charter cona- mission recommendation does not wipe out the school board and set up a city manager in its place.
 The coming of East Farms, Reid- vile and Hopeville schools nearly completes the consolidation of all the public schools of the city. The city now has three separate high schools, Crosby, Wilby and Leaven- worth, each of the three with a dis tinct course of study and q separate purpose. Up to the present, since the erection of Woodrow Wilson school on Birch and Wall streets, there were wholly in the second taxation district and under the com- plete supervision of the board of education and the superintendent of schools twenty-nine grammar schools, ranging in size from one room building with 21 pupils to h thirty-nve room building with over a thousand pupils. With the new school year. the number so governt is increased from twenty-nine to thirty-two. East Mountain school and Oronoke school, each with two teachers and Park road with five teachers iave chosen not to come ln. Heretofore, these three with Hope vile, East Farms and Reidville schools, while under the guidance of a district committee in finances, were partly under the direction of the superintendent and the board 'n such matters as courses of study' hours of work, and the pay of the teachers.
 The coming in of these schools brings up again the old and Vexed problem of consolidation. It may be known by the readers of this article that this Is a national as well as a state problem. For years, certain aroups of men and women in the co untry seem to have thought that it would be good thing to have secretary in the cabinet of the presi- dent of the United States, whose sole business would be to superin- tend the schools of all the forty eight states. At present, the states are in practically everything su- preme in school authority within their own boundaries. There Is national commissioner of education has been one in fact for over half a century. But his work is in one of the divisions of the department of the interior, and the authority and influence of the national com missioner are merely advisory. His office is a sort of clearing house of educational information; and he IS almost wholly dependent on state boards of education. influential su- perintendents of schools in the large cities. college faculties and the like for the tremendous amount or information which his office dissem- mates.
 In like manner, the theory on which state boards of education have been organized is that the state board and state officers have such power and Jurisdiction as the legis- latures give. And these legislatures,
 -t.,II Ia. ln d n are cautious not to antagonize local influence too much.
 It may be noted in general that a certain amount of consolidation IS always going on. For years. the Ma tional Education association has fa- vored the reorganization of educa- tion on a national basis. and for at least twenty years, bills have been coming up in congress for such orr and ccntraliZation. But our government being a democracy with much local lf-government such attempts at centralization have always met with defeat.
 When these three local schools came in, therefore, we had before our eyes a sample of the slow yield ing of the outposts to the authority of the center. However. there will be very little change in the actual running of the schools. Heretofore. the district committeeman appoint ed all teachers: and in most eases the district paid from its own taxes part of the salary of the teachers. There was, generally speaking. en- lire harmony between the superin- Iendent and the board on one side md the district committeeman on he other.
 or the three districts just enter ng Hopeville is the oldest school init. and Rockville is the youngest.