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     Monroe: Two vans are provided to transport pupils from outlying territory. 20 pupils transported.

     Hastings: Kindergarten pupils are carried to the central building by means of two wagonettes.

     Hershey: District pays parents for transporting their own children.

     Central City: Two rural districts contract for school privileges, pay tuition and transport pupils.

     Maxwell: Two rural districts were consolidated with the Maxwell district. In one district a van is provided; in the other, the district pays the parents to transport their children to the Maxwell school-house.

     Norden: Three districts consolidated with the Norden district. Parents furnish transportation.

     Phelps County: District No. 31 consolidated with No. 55. Graded school with two teachers. Transportation provided by parents.

     City of Lincoln: Transports 75 pupils by covered vans.

     Burt County: Two districts contract with neighboring districts and furnish transportation.

     Cass County: Two districts contract with neighboring districts and furnish transportation.

     Milligan: Two vans are provided to transport pupils from outlying territory.

     Keith County: Two districts contract with neighboring districts and provide transportation.

     Meadow Grove: One rural district consolidated with Meadow Grove district. Consolidated district provides transportation for the rural pupils.

     Otoe County: Six districts transport pupils to neighboring districts.

     Perkins County: Eleven districts provide transportation to neighboring districts.

     Swanton: In August, 1907, by a majority petition of both districts, District No. 14 was annexed to District No. 113, in which is the village of Swanton. The consolidated district now has 205 children of school age. Since consolidation one teacher has been added to the teaching force. A wagon is employed to bring the pupils from the more remote parts of the district to school and to take them back at the close of school each day. Result -- Better school equipment, better teachers and better school spirit. The consolidated district held a bond election a few days ago and by an almost unanimous expression voted $12,000 for the erection of a modern schoolhouse. Consolidation is working excellent results in this instance and will work to the betterment of rural schools in all instances. It is the key to better results in the rural schools.

     Gretna: Two vans are provided to transport pupils from outlying territory.

     Seward County: Three districts contract with other districts.

     Guide Rock: One rural district transports pupils to Guide Rock school.

     Hooker County: All the territory of Hooker county is organized into four districts. District Number 2, containing the village of Mullen, has about twenty school houses. This district comprises the larger part of Hooker county.

     Establish county high school -- Course of study.--Any county In this state may establish a county high school on the conditions and in the manner hereinafter prescribed for the purpose of affording better educational facilities for pupils who have advanced beyond the eighth grade. For the purpose of this act all grades above the eighth grade in any public school district in this state shall be deemed high school grades. The course of study for high school grades shall be the Nebraska High School Manual issued jointly by the University of Nebraska and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction or a course of study approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and in addition thereto there shall be taught and practiced in the ninth and tenth grades, manual training, domestic science and the elements of agriculture, and in the eleventh and twelfth grades normal training and the theory and practice of agriculture, and for the purpose of teaching and practice the board is hereby authorized to purchase the necessary apparatus and material for those purposes, together with a tract of land not less than five acres, conveniently situated to said county high school for actual practice by all of the students or a part of the students under the direction of a competent instructor for experimentation in all forms of agriculture.

      Petition -- Election -- Form of ballot. -- Whenever one hundred freeholders residing in any county in this state shall petition the board of county commissioners or the board of county supervisors requesting that a county high school be established in the county, the said board shall proceed to immediately call a special election. Said board shall give the same notice that is required for general elections and shall include in the notice that the question submitted at said special election to the electors of said county at the designated time is: Whether a county high school shall he established in the county? The qualified electors shall vote by ballot for or against the establishment of a county high school. The ballot shall be substantially in the following form:

     "For the establishment of a county high school in .......................... County, Nebraska  Yes (......)

     "For the establishment of a county high school in .......................... County, Nebraska   No (......)

     The electors favoring the establishment of such high school shall mark in the square after "Yes;" those opposed to the establishment of such high school in the square after "No." Said special election shall be conducted in all respects and the returns and canvass made as in general elections.

     Kimball County High School was the first to be organized under the provisions of the County High School Law.

     June 16, 1908, the bond election was held and bonds for $5,000 were voted. The contract for the building was let February 19, 1909. Building operations were delayed for some time, but the building is now nearly completed.

     The county high school was opened the fall of 1908; arrangements were made for the county high school to occupy the upper floor of the Kimball public school building until the new building could be nearly enough completed for occupancy.

     Mr. L. F. Kreizinger was made principal of the county high school, and in consideration of the use of the public school building he also supervised the grade work of the Kimball public schools.

     A regular high school course was established, and special courses in domestic science, manual training, agriculture and normal training were established as provided by law. During the school year 1908-1909 domestic science and manual training were carried in grades 11 and 12 rather than in grades 9 and 10. This arrangement was made in order that those completing the high school course that year could have the advantage of this special work. These courses are given this year in the 10th and 11th grades, and the arrangement is for them to be given next year in the regular places, -- in the 9th and 10th grades. The course in agriculture continues throughout the four years. The course in normal training is given in the 11th and 12th grades.

     Since September 10, 1909, the county high school was transferred to the court house building, the high school using the court room as an assembly room and different offices as recitation rooms. Since January, 1910, the second floor of the new building has been occupied. This includes the assembly room, one large recitation room, library and office, and on the lower floor there is one large recitation room, science and store-room, hall, and three cloak rooms. The basement is provided with a furnace room, a steam heating plant and rooms for domestic science and manual training.

     The school is now organized as a regular four year high school with three years accredited to the University of Nebraska. It is expected that the course of study as carried the ensuing year will be such that it can become a four year accredited high school.

     Kimball county is thus enabled to provide free high school Instruction for all the young people of the county and to give them in addition thereto, courses in agriculture, domestic science, manual training, and normal training.

     4

     The school law of Nebraska provides that any two or more adjoining school districts in any county of the state which are not able or do not deem it expedient to maintain a school of more than eight (8) grades may unite for the purpose of forming one high school district and maintaining one high school as hereinafter provided. (For detailed information as to method of forming rural high school district, see Sections 9 to 19, Subdivision 6, School Laws of Nebraska.)

     The consolidation of school districts is one of the most important and delicate of 'the superintendent's duties, always to be performed with great care and deliberation. It must not he confused with, the discretionary power of the superintendent to create a new district from other organized districts upon petition signed by one-third of the legal voters in each district affected. See condition first, section 4, subdivision 1, School Laws. The creation of a new district under this provision will not permit the discontinuance of any district. The consolidation of school districts contemplates the discontinuance of one or more districts every time a consolidation is perfected. "One district may he discontinued and its territory attached to other adjoining districts (or district), upon petitions signed by one-half of the legal voters in each district affected." See fourth condition, section 4, subdivision 1, School Laws.

     It must be remembered that the petitions for the consolidation of two or more school districts shall contain an exact statement of what changes in district boundaries are proposed. The notices of said petition shall be likewise specific relative to changes proposed. Said notices shall be posted in three public places, one of which places shall he upon the outer door of the schoolhouse, if there be one, in each district affected, or territory not organized into districts proposed to be attached to an existing district, at least ten (10) days prior to the time of presenting the petitions to the county superintendent; provided, that changes affecting cities (districts organized under subdivisions 14, 14a, or 17) shall be made upon the petition of the board of education of the district or districts affected.

      Suppose districts Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of a certain county desire to consolidate with District No. 5. Separate petitions must be circulated in each of these districts, 1, 2, 3 and 4, asking to he discontinued and to have its territory attached to District No. 5, which district shall retain its old number. Four separate petitions must also be circulated in District No. 5; one asking that the territory of District No. 1 be attached to District No. 5; one asking that the territory in District No. 2 be attached to District No. 5; one asking that the territory in District No. 3 be attached to District No. 5; and one asking that the territory in District No. 4 be attached to District No. 5. This plan is somewhat

cumbersone, it is true, but under the existing statute it is the only legal way. The consolidated district shall take the number of the said District No. 5, and be under the control of its officers until the annual meeting, when it may organize as a high school district; provided, it contains more than one hundred and fifty children between the ages of five and twenty-one years. See section 1, subdivision 6, School Laws.

     The limits to which consolidation may be carried is left to the good judgment and discretion of the county superintendent. Every consolidation of school districts must be determined by the circumstances and conditions surrounding it. The only manner by which free transportation of pupils may be obtained is according to the statute given in sections 4b and 4c, subdivision 5, School Laws.

     Where several districts are consolidated, the new district not only becomes invested with the property rights of the former, but also becomes answerable for their debts. This includes bonded indebtedness as well as all other obligations. For the court's decision and exposition of the law do this question, see 15 Nebraska Reports, pages 1 to 7, Inclusive.

     After several districts have been consolidated, any property which shall no longer be needed for the use of the new district may be sold by the district board of such district when authorized and directed by a two-thirds vote of the qualified voters, present and voting, at any annual or special meeting; and when real estate is sold the district may convey the same by deed, signed by the moderator of the district, and such deed, when acknowledged by such officer to be the act of the district, may be recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds of the county in which the real estate is situated, in like manner as other deeds.

     1. All pupils shall be ready in the morning at the usual time for the hack to arrive at their respective home or at the place of meeting, if hack does not pass their home. Drivers shall reach said homes and meeting places the same time each day and shall not be required to wait more than two minutes for pupils.

     2. The first to enter the hack in the morning shall be seated in front and the others next, in the order in which they enter, and shall occupy the same places in the hack at night in order that there may be no confusion in entering and leaving the hack.

     3. There shall be no profane or immoral language, quarreling or improper conduct in the hack.

     4. Pupils shall not be saucy or disrespectful to the driver of the hack or those whom they may meet while riding in the hack.

     5: The right of pupils to ride in the hacks is conditioned on their good behavior and the observance of the above rules and regulations, and the drivers of the hacks are hereby respectively authorized and empowered to enforce the same.

     6. If any pupil persists in disobeying any of the above rules, the driver shall notify said pupil's parents or guardian of his or her conduct and the result of the same if continued, and if the same be not corrected at once the driver shall thereupon forbid such disobedient pupil the privilege of riding in the hack until such a time as the matter can be brought before the board of Education.

     7. A copy of these rules and regulations shall be posted in each hack and also in the several school buildings to which pupils are transported.

THE WORTH OF A BOY.

     What is a boy worth? What is an education worth? An Indiana jury awarded $599.99 for the killing of a boy. A friend of mine, who is a superintendent in West Virginia, called that award an outrage. I asked him why. He answered: "To say nothing of the value of the boy's personality and all that a boy is to his father and mother and home, the commercial value of a boy's time at school is more than the award of that Indiana jury." I asked him how he made the calculation. He said: "You find the value of a boy's time at school by subtracting the earnings of a life of uneducated labor from the earn-

ings of a life of educated labor." Then he gave me a calculation that I have used this year before every institute, for I am anxious to get it into the daily papers, to have it carried to every school room and put upon every blackboard, so that the pupils may carry it home and discuss it with their parents.

     He said: "If an uneducated man earns $1.50 a day for 300 days in a year, he does very well; and if he keeps it up for forty years he will earn $1.50x300x40, or $18,000. An educated man is not generally paid by the day, but by the month and by the year. If you will strike an average of the earnings of educated men, beginning with the President of the United States, who earns $50,000 a year, the presidents of the insurance companies and of large railroad companies, and run down the scale until you come to the lower walks in point of earnings among educated men, you will admit that $1,000 is a low average for the earnings of educated labor. For forty years you have $40,000 as the earnings of an educated man. Subtract $18,000 from $40,000, and the difference, or $22,000, must represent the value of a boy's time spent at school getting an education."

     You will all admit that a man who works with his hands at unskilled labor puts forth as much muscular effort as a man who earns a livelihood by his wits and education. Now, if $22,000 represents the value of time a boy spends at school getting an education, what is the value of a day spent at school?

     The average school life of every boy and girl in Massachusetts Is seven years of 200 days each; let us say that it takes four years more to get a good education. Reckoning eleven years of 200 days each, you Will find that the 2,200 days at school are equal to $22,000, and a simple division on the blackboard will bring it home to the comprehen-

sion of every boy that each day at school, properly spent, must be worth ten dollars.

     One director asks whether it is a violation of the compulsory law if a farmer keeps at home his eleven-year-old boy to plow, because It costs one dollar a day to get some man to do it. While he is putting one dollar into his own pocket, he is robbing the boy of ten dollars in the shape of future earning capacity. Is not that high-handed robbery by the father of his own child? -- State Superintendent N. C. Schaeffer, in Pennsylvania Report.

(According to the Illustration Index, above photo is Maxwell Consolidated School)

SUMMARY OF STATISTICS FOR SCHOOL YEAR ENDING JULY 12, 1909.

RESOURCES.

Amount on hand at beginning of year		$1,336,516.01
From county and township treasurers	$5,445,462.03
From sale of district bonds	835,701.56
From tuition of non-resident pupils	113,481.07
From local fines and licenses	695,378.24
From all other sources	262,813.56
		7,352,836.46
Total		$8,689,352.47

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© 2003 for the NEGenWeb Project by Ted & Carole Miller