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Show GIVES VIEWS ON QUESTION OF HIGH SCHOOLS Dr. Thomas Offers Solution of Scherol Problem Now Before the County Board of Education Since tho quostlon of bonding tho Cacho County High School district for $100,000 to obtain money for High school purposes camu up, considerable con-siderable discussion has been hcaM about tho problem which presents It-solf. It-solf. Tho following well thought out nrtlclo from Dr. George Thomas Is worth the attention of nil Interested Inter-ested In this vital subject: Editor ot Tho Republican: Perhaps tho most Important quostlon quos-tlon before- tho citizens of Cacho ounty is tho establishment of a system sys-tem ot high schools. Tho rroblom In Us larger aspects Involves both taxation and education. Tho prop er nrrangomont of a high school h.vs-torn h.vs-torn so as to got tho maximum high school benefits educationally nt tho lowest rnto ot luxation, is undoul t-edly t-edly what tho pooplo of tho county want. Can this bo dono bv tstab-llshlng tstab-llshlng threo high school?, cno In the south, ono In tho north and one In Logan, In Cacho county? 1 urn strongly of tho opinion that It cannot. can-not. Tho coat of erecting ana equipping equip-ping threo buildings nuttahlo for tho work ennnot bo loss thnn J300.0DJ nnd should bo more. Almost all tho recent high school buildings erected In tho state have cost 5100,-000 5100,-000 or moro and In many iasos this doos not Include oqulpmont. Tho cost of tho buildings in tho long run Is only a smnll part. Threo high schools In this county 'Mil moan n largo, woll paid faculty, with very small classes. It a small f.r.ulty Is employed In each school K means Inferior work nnd poor Ulg schools. Box Eldor High School costs about $3S,000 n year for malntonancfl, nr about $70 per pupil, 'the three schools in Cacho county shoull havo If thoy. aro to ho offlclont at least $C0,000 to $75,000 annual maln'.aii.nv nnd as tlmo goes on ionsldnrably moro. This Is a burdon that Bhaulrt not bo assumed unless It can b'o homo with roasonablo caso. Anothor point that wo must alwayb boar In mind Is that tho people can afford only about so much for s.l'ools and If this monoy Is UBed for high schools tho elementary schools must suffer. This Is Just what Is happening In many districts of tho stato at tho present tlmo. Tho high schooh are being fod and tho grades a d. Only a small part of tho children go to tho high schools and It tho grade schools aro slighted and overcrowded overcrowd-ed all tho children will suffer. To my mindtho solution of this whole problem 'is the establishment of Junior high schools Including tho soventh, eighth and ninth grades In each of tho larger towns. This will add ono grade to tho present system already established in tho larger townB nnd mako It possible to kcop tho children at home ono year longer long-er whoro thoy should bo. Then establish ono sonlor high school of tho tenth, olovonth and twelfth grades for tho ontlro oun-ty. oun-ty. This would bring togothor tho small uppor classes Into ono school which could easily caro for tho needs of tills grade of students at a minimum mini-mum cost to tho tax payors. Tho results In tho way ot education would bo very much better unless this county Is prepared to bear a very hoavy tax for high school purposes. It would roduco, tho costs of "both building nnd malntonanco vory materially. ma-terially. Finally It would not bo an untried experiment, becauso othor states now havo this system Mn op-oration. op-oration. Respectfully, GEORGE THOMAS. |
