Montana labor news., 1936-04-09
STATUS OF PUBLIC
SCHOOL SYSTEM
Continued from Page y

at So2, 44.249 50. School lands valued a
$40 per acre and farm mortgage
amounting to $4,250,625.95 make u
about ~S52,000,G00 of the total assets
The actual cash, or working capital, a
represented by city, county, school dis
trict. and state bonds, amounts TO onll
about S11 100000 of the S62,000,000. B,
Chapter III OF the 1885 Session Laws
the state took over the mortgageS
lands, recognized its debt, and promised
10 pay back $4,250.625.95 to the perma.
nent school fund within forty year.
with interest at 2 per cent. The vita
defect in this legislation is that the
rate Of interest is too low and the rev.
enue TO pay the acknowledged debt /.
derived solely from the mortgaged
lands, which is a doubtful source oil
revenue. These defects should be
remedied by legislation.
School Districts
There are approximately 2,3D sep
arate and distinct school districts in
the state. There is great inequality
among the districts and counties to fl
%nanoially support a basic program OF
education. The richest district is over
100 times as able TO support its schools
as the poorest district. In the richest
county the taxable wealth. back OF each
child is ten times as great as in the
poorest county. The countrywide
high school tax in one county is II
mills in another it is 4 mills. The tax
delinquency in n of the richest coun-
ties is 8 per cent in one OF the poor
est counties it is 90 per cent. To level
down some Of the peaks and fill up
some Of the valleys in the equality in
the ability to support schools there
should be a reorganization OF the dis
trict units and larger state support TO
replace part Of the direct district and
county property tax.
Enrolment
In the year l934-3s the total enroll
ment in the public schools, in eiemen-
tary and high schools, was 1923; OF
This number 1854 were enrolled in the
rural one-room schools. These are the
children who need the most assistance
at this time. High school enrolment
increased from 1880 in 1923 to 34.403
at the close Of the school year, June
80, 1885. There are still in Montana
between $500 and $500 boys and girls
eligible to attend high school who can
not do so because they are too far dis
tant from the nearest high school.
From the State Public School General
Fund about 100000 was distributed
this year for transportation for H.494
elementary and high school pupils. One
Of the most urgent and needed pieces Of
legislation is a workable transporta-
ton law with adequate funds for its
support so that rural children can at
tend elementary and high school.
Teachers Retirement Fund
The Teachers Retirement Fund dur
ing the year l934-35 paid $305 to each
of the 185 retired teachers. Some of
these teachers have no other means Of
support. If the mex legislature nro-
vides funds for the Security Act these
retired teachers should be included in
the benefits.
Health and Physical Education
While there are very good health
and physical education departments in
many of the larger school systems and
while some Of these schools are taking
care Of the physically handicapped
children, Montana as a whole is back
ward in this phase of education. 1t is
recommended that Montana as a state
should accept its responsibility for or
ganizing a program Of health, super
physical education and educa-
ton of the exceptional child and CO.
operate with local school authorities,
and state health authorities to
carry out an effective program that
would safeguard the physical and men,
tai health Of children Of school age
Courses of Study
The rural, graded, junior and senior
high schools have been provided with
modern courses OF study. These
courses include not only forty or more
Of the traditional academic subjects,
but also the cultural and vocational
fields such as fine and industrial arts.
public school music, together with
oand, orchestra, applied music, Smith
agriculture, home economics,
oart-time day and evening industrial
including instruction in Diesel
and ground work in flying
,chools- The supervisory staff Of the
Department has yearly visited
he high schools as we'll as many of the
schools of the state. Rural
meetings have been conducted in every
for all rural teachers in an at
empt TO carry out in the schools
Inctional philosophy OF education
which will ft the child into anv CO