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IF RURAL people will keep the wel- 

 fare of the child as the main guide 

 post in school reorganization, 

 there's a good chance they will 

 avoid shortsighted planning. This 

 was one of the major points 

 brought out at the recent Illinois Con- 

 ference on Rural Education held re- 

 cently at Springfield. The conference, • 

 attended by county school survey com- 

 mittee members, rural educators, school 

 officials and representatives of various 

 interested groups, was sponsored by the 

 Illinois Rural Education Committee. 

 Dr. D. E. Lindstrom, University of 

 Illinois, is chairman, and John K. Cox, 

 lAA director of rural school relations, 

 is vice-chairman of the committee. 



School reorganization, it was re- 

 ported, is moving ahead in Illinois, but 

 some folks are "jumping the gun" and 

 forming "protective" school districts 

 in order to prevent being absorbed by 

 other groups. 



It also was pointed out that some 

 reorganization isn't much improvement 

 over the old setup. The problem won't 

 be solved by consolidating a couple of 

 small schools. 



Earl J. Hughes, chairman of the Mc- 

 Henry county school survey committee, 

 and a member of the board of directors 

 of the Illinois Agricultural Association, 

 asserted that the reorganization in prog- 

 ress must be integrated with the final 

 plan of the survey committee. 



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a county-wide road district. 



The unit school district is being 

 favored because the folks want a 1947 

 educational model that will provide for 

 growth and development with chang- 

 ing conditions. The unit district is 

 flexible enough so that it can go in 

 pretty near any direction. This type of 

 district is one that maintains schools 

 for grades one to twelve under one 

 board of directors. It can have as many 

 attendance units as desired and it 

 makes the most efficient use of teach- 

 ers, equipment, buildings and transpor- 

 tation. 



Adequate representation on the 

 board of directors of a unit district 

 eliminates any fear of losing local con- 

 trol. 



While the Illinois Conference on 

 Rural Education is not an action group, 

 its members represent many action 

 groups, and therefore drafted some res- 



Resolutiont committee drafting action en niroi school problems at tlie Illinois Conference 

 en Rural Education, left to right, are: Luther Blade, office of state superintendent of pub- 

 lic Instruction; Lyman Bunting, Ellery, lAA director; Harlan Beem, chairman. Coles super- 

 intendent of Schools; Mrs. J. S. Woodbum, Rock Island; Mrs. Joseph May, LIbertyville; 

 John Butterfield, Christian county; George Hayes, Henry county survey committee chair- 

 man. Dr. J. A. Splekerman, DeKalb survey committee, and Dr. D. E. Lindstrom, U. of 1. 



The question of bad roads as a bar- 

 rier to good reorganization plans was 

 brought up. But one school survey 

 member said they couldn't afford to sit 

 around with poor schools until the 

 roads were approved. 



In some areas, such as Pulaski county, 

 the problems of poor schools and poor 

 roads are being attacked at the same 

 time. 



Pulaski county folks are recommend- 

 ing a county unit school district and 



olutions to show its position on various 

 school problems. 



The conference urged speedy enact- 

 ment of legislation to enable the recom- 

 mendations of county survey commit- 

 tees to be put into effect simply and 

 practically. 



Specifically they asked: for legisla- 

 tion requiring the approval of the 

 county survey committees before fur- 

 ther changes in present district boun- 

 daries may be considered. 



Provision for a partial report or 

 other means for a survey committee to 

 call an election in certain territory prior 

 to the complete report. 



Provision for the extension of time 

 until preliminary and final reports are 

 due to enable committees to take ad- 

 vantage of pending legislation. 



Provision of special financial induce- 

 ments for the formation of community 

 units districts serving pupils from the 

 kindergarten through the 12th grade, 

 and through the 14th grade where ad- 

 visable by special state aid provisions 

 for transportation, current educational 

 and building programs. 



The granting of additional power to 

 the state advisory commission especially 

 in matters pertaining to county boun- 

 dary lines where local committees have 

 not reached satisfactory agreement. 



The drastic and early limitation of 

 recognition to small high schools which 

 are far less defensible than small ele- 

 mentary schools and far greater factors 

 in impeding sound reorganization ; to 

 this end we deem 20 pupils in average 

 daily attendance per grade as not too 

 drastic a minimum in 1948. 



They also recommend that legislation 

 be enacted to permit the inclusion of 

 a dual control district in a consoli- 

 dated district by one election called 

 under the school survey law, the whole 

 consolidated district to be a unit con- 

 trol district. 



Endorsement also was given to a 

 single salary schedule of equal pay for 

 equal training and service ana urged 

 immediate positive steps to accomplish 

 this end. 



A state survey committee was formed 

 by the conference and held its first 

 meeting March 28 in the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association offices, Chicago. 



Members of the committee are: 

 Ralph L. Ostrander, McHenry county, 

 chairman; George Hayes, Henry, secre- 

 tary; Frank Shetter, Rock Island; R. C 

 Moore, Macoupin; Jeffrey Hughes, 

 Franklin; H. P. Ash, Macon; Thomas 

 J. Culbertson, Effingham, and H. T. 

 Marshall, LaSalle. Purpose of the com- 

 mittee is to facilitate the study of mu- 

 tual rural school problems and to pro- 

 mote legislation designed to make sane 

 reorganization possible. 



MAY, 1947 



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