Here's lAA 

 Position On 

 Rural Schools 



Believe Farm Children 

 are Entitled to Same 

 Educational Opportunities 

 As Children in Cities 





CHILD. 



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B^e /A A 16 IN THE FIGHT TO IMPROVE 

 EDUCATIOMAL 0PP0RTUMITIE5 fO^l RURflL 

 CHILDREN AND FOR A MORE B?dirABLE 

 DlSTRlBUTIOM OF SCHOOL COSTS. 

 MA HAS PAVED THE WAV FDP 

 /«y/P/?/L CONTROL OF /fl/^/}l 

 •SCHOOLS 





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THE Illin^ois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion desires the best public school 

 system which is possible within 

 the reasonable limits of our ability 

 to provide and support. We be- 

 lieve . rural people will support and 

 favor that school system which offers 

 the best educational opportunities for 

 their children. We believe that chil- 

 dren in rural areas are entitled to the 

 same educational opportunities as chil- 

 dren in cities. 



The Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion believes that local people are most 

 able to determine the type of school 

 which will best serve their particular 

 ■community. We recognize that not 

 all large schools are good and not all 

 small schools are poor. In some areas 

 due to local conditions one room 

 schools must be retained. However, 

 it is important that children learn to 

 live, to work and to get along with 

 others. 



Very small schools do not afford the 

 opportunity for association with, and 

 adjustments to, others. Rural schools 

 should include an enlarged curriculum, 

 including vocational training in high 

 schools, which is generally recognized .as 

 desirable. The very small schools ordi- 

 narily cannot provide this enlarged cur- 

 riculum as at reasonable cost. 



We do not believe all rural children 

 should be transported to urban centers. 

 There are many advantages in schools, 

 particularly elementary schools, located 

 in rural areas. While not always true, 

 in general more flexibility and economy 

 in administration will be had and equal 

 <mphasis and importance will be placed 

 upon all grades alike when all twelve 

 grades are under one administrative 

 unit. 



One administrative unit can adminis- 



16 



ter both elementary and high schools 

 and can have attendance centers at 

 several locations. Many communities 

 do not have the financial ability to 

 provide a modern school program. 



By PAUL E. MATHIAS 



Secrotary 

 lllinoif Agricultural Association 



State assistance 'is necessary and the 

 amount of this assistance should be 

 substantially increased. However, we 

 cannot expect the State to support 

 ■schools which are too small to be ef- 

 ficient or schools which do not provide 

 an adequate program. 



It is recognized that in the reorgani- 

 zation of schools, mistakes have been 

 made. The objective of providing the 

 best educational opportunities possible 

 for our children has not always been 

 kept in mind. There has been "land- 

 grabbing" and efforts to obtain addi- 

 tional assessed valuation for some re- 

 organized districts. 



Some small schools, and particularly 

 some small high schools, have been 

 advocated not primarily because of the 

 educational facilities which they pro- 

 vide or because of economical opera- 

 tion but in order to further the trade 

 or economic advantages of some partic- 

 ular locality or urban center. 



Some of the larger administrative 

 units apparently have thought that they 

 must immediately close all rural one- 

 room schools and transport all the 

 children to urban centers. Some of 

 these children are on school buses too 

 long. Possibly some of the administra- 

 tive personnel employed has not been 

 too familiar with the problems of ele- 



mentary schools and particularly 

 schools in rural areas. 



However, in view of the progress 

 that has been made and the reorganiza- 

 tion that has been had, the mistakes 

 made probably have been a minimum 

 number. From 11,906 school districts 

 in the 1945-1946 school year, the num- 

 ber has been reduced to 5,859. 40 per 

 cent of the entire area of the State is 

 now organized into community unit 

 districts. This reorganization has come 

 about within just a few years. 



We need, and the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association is supporting, legis- 

 lation to prevent land-grabbing, to con- 

 tinue safeguards for rural areas and to 

 better protect the rights of all people 

 within a proposed district without giv- 

 ing any small area the right to veto en- 

 tirely the organization of a new dis- 

 trict, and legislation to facilitate the 

 correction of mistakes that have been 

 made through detachment and annexa- 

 tion. 



We also need substantially increased 

 State support. The period of reorgani- 

 zation and adjustment does raise many 

 problems and result in some inequities. 

 However, if we keep in mind the ob- 

 jective of providing better educational 

 opportunities for our children and test 

 proposals which are advanced by 

 whether they further that objective, we 

 should be able to meet the problems 

 and to build the type of school system 

 and provide the educational opportuni- 

 ties which we seek. 



Re-elected President 



Wilbur Swayer, Lake county, has 

 been reelected president of Pure Milk 

 Association, the largest dairy coopera- 

 tive supplying the Chicago market. 



L A. A. RECORD 



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