The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1944-12-14
Resent School Board
Refusal to Reopen
Sang Run School
An Open Letter To Board of Ed
ucatiOn by Sang Run Resident
Represents Feeling There

Gentlemen:
The majority Of taxpayers here, and
all of the patrons of the Sang Run
school, have received word of your
refusal to take recissory action in con-
nection with your previous decision
to close the Sang Run school. 1t is
clearly understood, now, that on De-
cember you exercised your broad
power to eliminate educational insti-
tutions supported by county and state
taxes, and closed the Sang Run school
in the face of vigorous and conscien-
tious protests made both by petitions
and delegations, in which a consider
able number of citizens from this To-
cality voiced their frank disapproval
of the rapid trend toward the centrali-
cation of elementary schools.
Speaking for the patrons of the
school, and the greater part of the
local taxpayers, | should like to say
that we feel that your decision to
close the school was neither just nor
wise Furthermore, we feel that this
final action, over which there is APP
parently no channel Of appeal, carries
fragrant element of unfairness to
the entire community, with the eXcep-
ton, perhaps, of one OF two families.
The outstanding objection to the re-
opening of the school seemed to be,
from your point of view, the fact that
it was costing slightly more than one
| hundred dollars annually to educate
each child enrolled in the school. Yet
YOU do not seem to be greatly alarm
ed by the fact that eleven other one
teacher schools in this county have a
higher annual rate of cost per pupil
belonging. Stcyer, for example, has
cost per pupil belonging of $14l.69;
Hoyes Run, $135.3S; Casselman,
S135.35, ct cctera. Of the thirty-two
one-teacher schools that existed in the
county in 1913, only nineteen were
able to show an annual cost per pupil
below one hundred dollars, with Sang
Runs cost per pupil standing at
| $106.71. A number of Garrett County
schools, including Casselman, Hoyes
Run, Fairview. and Steycr, have en-
rollnents that exceed little, if any,
the enrolment that the Sang Run
school could show if officially opened.
Some of your earlier unfavorable de-
cisions, you will recall, were based on
erroneous figures that most certainly
did not give fair, balanced picture
of our case. | have at hand a letter
from the Sccretary-Treasurer Of the
| Board of Education admitting this
error in figuring the Sang Run
schools attendance average for the
43-44 school term, as quoted when our
delegation met in the Court House be-
fore you gentlemen early in Novem-
Der.
Beginning in July, we were led to
believe that there was very definite
possibility that the school could be
opened for the 44-45 term. Through
out August, September October and
November by letter, petition, and
twice through community delegations,
we made every effort to show our ur-
gent need for school. But only after
much disagreeable persistence were
we able to present our case directly
before you. Because there was a very
strong interest shown in the school,
and because fairly large delegation
was present at the meeting in the
Court House, Mr.. Earl Guard, Associ-
ate Member of the Board, chose to
open the meetings with this unpleas-
ant remark: "Who goes to school at
Sang Run: the parents or the chill
! dren?"
What motiveS-uterior or other
wise--that prompts such unWarrantcd
| frmness in this matter is not clear
(although most of US feel that we
have the aim and purpose pretty well
figured. Our school can, upon being
officially opened, show an enrolment
that is as high or higher than several
other onc-teachcr schools. We have
a good two-room building, fully
equipped in every way, with an cX-
cellent library. At the beginning of
the 45-46 term, there would be an en-
rollment that may safely be cstimat-
ed at seventeen or eighteen pupils,
and no children would graduate from
this school during the current school
year. We have. in fact. what VIC feel
is every reason for holding our school,
and we can see no reason for its pro-
posed removal to consolidated school
that already is admittedly over
crowded.
1t is unfortunate, too, we feel, that
we are located at the extreme end of
the bus route. The eighteen mile
round-trip journey to the Fricndsvillc