Show consolidating SCHOOLS ST feb 16 tb 1897 on the school question again I 1 yen ven ture to ask aak a portion tion of your valuable space pace and shall hall take BB an a basis baale excerpts from the be governors governor late mos mea age go to the on that subject after referring to the vital imbor tadie at education in determining the and character oter of the ibe people of able tb ia state bis excellency says bay it should be the aim to increase inore aee oon coo the efficiency of the se bools yet jet there should b manifest mani feit a whole some regard for the rights of the altison to see aee that the burden of taxation arp are not greater than he be can beat bear and d to spend his bia money with such buob discrimination that the but beat possible results may be attained 4 further on OD in relation to radical changes suggested by the state superintendent in of public instruction he be remarks that the most important ol of these mose is in his bis recommendation that the he present school district organization of county schools be consolidated into a single district in each county to be controlled coot co 1 I rolled by the county board of education and saye maye it if it 11 shall ball be found upon in ton ion that the change it made would increase the efficiency of the be district and at we same ame time diminish the aggregate expense it should be adopted PS not having baying the privilege of perusing the state paper of the superintendent of public instruction it la in impossible to wisely question the general grounds of his argument but bat I 1 will present a low lew reasons lor for my believing ool leving the most moat important change would not increase the abe efficiency or decrease the aggregate expense of the district mo boole 19 the present county school organization consists in a bounty superintendent with three trustees in each school district the former is the choice ol of the majority of the county as manifest through ane elective franchise the latter too but as the manifest chalce of win citizens of the sonoal districts district in which they severally act these theme servants servant of the people generally have been unceasingly interested interest ou in the cause of education providing se best beat they could accommodations and cou conveniences onie noes in and around the school rooms have been at hand patiently to nar tae complaints of parents teachers and scholars icho Bob lars olare when required son answering appeals and andl understanding ly adjusting differences that have ex isted the county superintendent and county court or board of commissioners also alao attending to their duties in this connect ipa in years past pants the county superintend teo ten dout dent received a small compensation but later a fair salary is in given for services vices rendered none of the she school trustees in those these parts save perhaps in two or three districts district have received a monetary consideration tor for their la torl corb in this directions direction and those receiving have been allowed only a nominal in the he change proposed it to is pro presumed that the abe office work of we county superintendent will devolve on OB the county board of corn com priding turee three or more persons it will be impossible by correspondence to fulfill their heir duties they could not travel to perform the service essential to the proper establishing and oon conducting ducting of the public schools schoola of this and like counties at the same expense as a superintendent does it if at one time one member of the board of education only shall travel to set the schools in order how bow much better way may that one be than a county superintendent so far as suggesting for carrying out the purposes of the abe common commod in the locations any three of the trustees with the county on perince per inte dent and his receiving from time to time wise suggestions from the state board might more than equal the combined county board in understanding we varied interests of each districts district for it seems if the change takes place that the said board would and should be residents of one locality besides in case of call being made by two schools eo hoole ay ally fifty or a hundred miles apart one or both of the schools must remain demoralized zed awaiting action of the tans biard bard when perhaps it was only a trivial disarrangement that could if be set get right in a few minutes it if the ahe trustees as now were on the spot pot again jealousies are e to and do arise in counties because all or the great majority of the officers are of one locality in consequence of the existence nowadays ot et rings and cliques this feeling la in some tinges justly aroused in men fully as aa himpe tout tent and not lose lees ambitious to be useful in certain lines further it has been the prevail prevailing lyng customs custom per force of ef which in a very great measure still exist that when it became necessary to build school houses or improve bem tromm they were built etc ate by voluntary subscription or if an wall waa instituted it was collected not in cash altogether but in produce and let labor that would as an well their put par pose without creating hardship to any one by this hie means every mau mall village was able to provide reasonably suitable schoolhouses the soli kool board suggested would scarcely soar oely bub aab mit to this procedure and consequently buildings would linger from you to year unfinished some wl legal provision was made to obviate it because forsooth the necessary cash cannot be found in the district for these and other reste bensons ren sons ons me ground is taken that the efficiency at of the said schools would not be inore aJ amM or the aggregate expenses decreased JOSEPH OELTON written tor for this |