278 
American Agriculturist, October 27,1928 
Questions and Answers on the School Bill 
Socrates Said That Questions Bring Out the Truth 
HAT is the purpose of the rural- 
school bill? 
Its purpose is to provide a sys¬ 
tem of taxation and administra¬ 
tion which will enable the poorest districts 
of the State to give their children as good 
school advantages as are provided in the 
richest districts. 
TAXATION AND THE COMMUNITY DISTRICT 
Q, 2. How can these advantages be provided? 
A. By equalizing taxation in support of 
the schools. 
Q. 3. How would taxes be equalized? 
A. In two ways; first, by a larger local 
unit of taxation and second, by State aid. 
Q. 4. What is the plan for the larger local unit 
of taxation and administration?' 
A. A number of school districts that form 
a natural community unit would be grouped 
together and would form the local 
unit of taxation and administra¬ 
tion. 
Q. 5. What name is given to this 
local unit of taxation? 
A. The community district. 
Q. 6. Would every taxpayer in the 
community district pay the same rate 
of tax? 
A. Yes. 
Q. 7. How would the State aid in 
equalizing taxation? 
A. It has been estimated that 
three hundred thousand dollars of 
taxable property is necessary to 
produce a tax sufficient for one 
teacher. Any community district 
having less than this amount 
would receive from the State the 
proportion of its school expenses 
necessary to make up this difference for 
each teacher employed. The State would 
contribute also toward the construction and 
repair of buildings. 
Q. 8. How would the State tax be raised? 
A. By some form of State-wide tax. 
Q. 9. What part of the State aid would be paid 
by rural people? 
A. About one-eighth of the whole amount. 
Q. 10. What part of the total amount thus raised 
by State tax would go to the rural district? 
A. The whole of it. The rural districts 
would receive about $8 in State aid for every 
dollar that they paid toward this aid. 
Q. 11. Will taxes be increased under this bill? 
A. In some districts they might be slight¬ 
ly increased; in many rural districts they 
would be decreased. 
Q. 12. In what districts might they be increased? 
A. In those districts that have a very low 
tax rate under the present system, such as 
those that have the railroads and other cor¬ 
porations to pay their taxes. These districts 
would have nothing to fear, however, for the 
State aid would prevent their taxes being 
greatly increased. 
Q. 13. Are there some very rich rural districts? 
A. Yes. Some one teacher rural districts 
have several hundred thousand dollars valu¬ 
ation. A few have more than a million dol¬ 
lars valuation. 
Q. 14.'In what districts will taxation be de¬ 
creased? 
A. In the large number of outlying dis¬ 
tricts that have no or very little corporation 
property to pay their taxes. 
Q. 15. Is the primary purpose of the bill to reduce 
taxation ? 
A. The primary purpose of the bill is to 
provide good schools for all rural children at 
a cost that will not burden any of the tax¬ 
payers. 
Q. 16. Would the proposed plan do this better 
than the present system? 
A. Yes. The present system is very un¬ 
fair to rural taxpayers and to rural pupils. 
CONSOLIDATION NOT REQUIRED 
Q. 17. Does the bill compel schools to consolidate? 
A. No. Schools cannot be consolidated 
without a majority vote or a majority peti¬ 
tion of the voters of each district. 
Q. 18. Is there anything in the bill intended to 
bring about compulsory consolidation? 
A. No. There is nothing concealed or 
hidden in the bill that would compel school 
consolidation or make it necessary without 
the consent and desire of the people. 
Q. 19. How may schools be consolidated under the 
present law? 
A. Schools may be consolidated by con¬ 
solidating districts. Districts may be con¬ 
solidated by vote of the people or by order of 
the district superintendent without the vote 
of the people. 
CONDEMNATION OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS 
Q. 20. How would school buildings be condemned? 
A. By order of the district superintendent 
approved by the intermediate board of edu¬ 
cation. 
Q. 21. How are school buildings condemned under 
the present law? 
A. By order of the district superintendent 
acting alone. 
THE COMMUNITY BOARD OF EDUCATION 
Q. 22. How would the schools be administered? 
A. By the community board of education. 
Q. 23. What is the community board of education? 
A. A school board in the community dis¬ 
trict composed of at least one representa¬ 
tive from each school district chosen as at 
present by the voters of that district. 
Q. 24. What power would the community board 
have? 
A. All powers at present held by school 
district trustees and boards of education. 
Q. 25. Does this mean more school officers? 
A. The present trustee would act as a 
member of the board of education in manag¬ 
ing the schools instead of acting alone as he 
does now. 
HIGH-SCHOOL ADVANTAGES 
Q. 26. Would high-school privileges be provided 
for all rural children? 
A. Yes. 
Q. 27. Who would pay for the transportation of 
children to high school where transportation is neces¬ 
sary? 
A. The community district and the State. 
Q. 28. Could each community district have a con¬ 
veniently located high school? 
A. Yes. 
Q. 29. Is it right to provide high schools for all 
rural pupils who desire to attend them? 
A. Yes, rural boys and girls should have 
the opportunity to go to high school the same 
as city boys and girls now have. 
Q. 30. Would not high schools increase the cost 
of schools greatly? 
A. No, the plan for equalizing taxation 
would take care of that. 
THE INTERMEDIATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 
Q. 31. What is the intermediate board of educa¬ 
tion? 
A. A board of education in the supervis¬ 
ory district composed of one representative 
from each community board in the super¬ 
visory district. 
Q. 32. How would the members of the intermed¬ 
iate board be chosen? 
A. Each community board would elect one 
member. ' , 
Q. 33. What would be the duties of the inter¬ 
mediate board? 
A. They would elect the dis¬ 
trict superintendent, fix his salary 
and act with him in managing 
the schools. 
Q. 34. Would this be creating new 
officers? 
A. No, the intermediate board 
would take the place of the pres¬ 
ent board of school directors, but 
would have more duties as rep¬ 
resentatives of the people than 
the board of directors has. 
TRANSPORTATION 
Q. 35. Would small children be trans¬ 
ported long distances without the con¬ 
sent of the voters? 
A. No. Transportation of 
small children would be unneces¬ 
sary unless schools consolidate 
and schools could not be consolidated unless 
a majority were in favor of it in each dis¬ 
trict. 
COUNTY AND STATE COMMISSION 
Q. 36. What is the county commission? 
A. A temporary commission of four mem¬ 
bers appointed by the board of supervisors 
in each county to represent the people in es¬ 
tablishing the community districts. 
Q. 37. Would this commission have anything to 
do with the management of the schools? 
A. No. 
Q. 38. Would it continue in office after complet¬ 
ing its work? 
A. No. 
Q. 39. Would it receive pay for its work? 
A. Yes a limited amount fixed in the bill. 
Q. 40. If commissions were not appointed what 
officials would be expected to establish the com¬ 
munity districts? 
A. Probably the Commissioner of Educa¬ 
tion and the district superintendents. 
Q. 41. What is the reason for having county com¬ 
missions to establish community districts? 
A. To give the people a large voice in 
their establishment through their represen¬ 
tatives chosen for the purpose. 
Q. 42. What is the State Commission? 
A. A commission of three consisting of 
the commissioner of education, two persons 
who live in the rural districts, appointed by 
the governor to provide plans for establish¬ 
ing the community districts, to decide ap¬ 
peals, and when disputes over boundaries 
and other questions arise and to determine 
the number of supervisory districts neces¬ 
sary in the State after 1926. 
MISCELLANEOUS 
Q. 48. Does not the bill centralize control over 
the schools in the State? 
A. No, in many matters the people are 
given more local control. 
(Continued on page 286) 
Your Problem 
F OLLOWING the several explanatory articles on the Bural School 
Bill that have recently appeared in American Agriculturist, we 
are getting at the explanation in another way, by answering ques¬ 
tions, After you have read the articles that have appeared and these 
questions and answers, if you have any further questions on this im¬ 
portant subject, we will be glad to answer them either by mail or, if 
space allows, in future issues of American Agriculturist. 
We want to do our part toward getting the information about this 
bill before you. After you have the facts, the final judgment is en¬ 
tirely up to you. The judgment of a majority of farm people never 
yet went very far wrong on any important problem.—The Editors. 
