American Agriculturist, February 2, 1924 
97 
What Is In the School Bill 
Report of the Publicity Committee on Rural Education 
T HE undersigned Committee on Publicity 
elected by the Agricultural Conference 
Board of the State of New York upon 
nomination of the organizations within 
the same, submit herewith a brief statement of 
fact covering the Downing-Hutchinson Rural 
Education Bill which was introduced in the 
By 
MABEL G. FEINT DEWEY J. CARTER 
S. L. STRIVINGS THOMAS E. CROSS 
ENOS LEE 
Too little state aid is now given to rural schools. 
After all, the ability of a district to maintain a 
and liberalizes local control, but so adjusts it that 
it will utilize the resources of the state in a manner 
that stresses co-operation, and will operate for the 
utmost good to the public. 
Senate as No. 492. It is the hope of the com- good school depends upon its available funds, 
mittee that our readers will study 
the bill itself as a confirmation of m . m .-n i .. ■■■■■■ ...■■i m.i .. i —■ 
the statements set forth, and to 
assist in giving the truth to others 
touching the proposals made. We 
have hoped to give a true statement 
of facts without propaganda, or dis¬ 
cussion of irrelevant matters. 
In 
to keep 
What the Bill Proposes 
urging the farmers of New 
Why New Rural School Legislation 
Seems Necessary 
There has been a powerful under¬ 
current of public opinion for a period 
of years to the effect that the rural 
school system of the State of New 
York, established in 1812, was not 
meeting the demands of the present 
generation. 
Education is a function of the state 
and primarily should be supported by 
a tax upon the wealth of the state. 
That it should give equitable school 
opportunity to all its boys and girls 
is fundamentally sound and truly 
American. This justifies such state 
assistance to rural school units as will 
insure good schools while at the same 
time it leaves control in a large degree 
with the people locally, as best fitted 
to handle economically and wisely 
matters relating to the physical and 
financial concerns of the schools. 
Reported Faults of the Present System 
A few of the most apparent faults 
of the present system are: 
a. Inequality of taxes, with the present tax unit' 
too small 
for a Decision Based on Facts 
I N accordance with our policy of putting the facts in regard to 
New York’s Rural School Bill before our people, we are print¬ 
ing on this page the report of a special Publicity Committee. 
This committee was appointed for the one purpose of putting 
before the people an explanation without any propaganda of 
the chief points in the Rural School Bill. No member of the 
committee is a member of the Committee of Twenty-one. 
Every member, except Mr. Carter, who is editor of Dairymen’s 
League News, is a farmer. 
The report is printed in little pamphlet form, copies of which 
can be had while the supply lasts by writing to the secretary of 
the committee, Mrs. Mabel G. Feint, at Dryden, New York. 
The facts in this report are boiled down and stated so clearly 
that you can learn all of the chief principles of the bill in fifteen 
minutes’ study. After you have read this report, get a copy of 
the new amended bill from your assemblyman and check up the 
committee’s report by reading the bill carefully. After our farm 
folks have done this, so that they are acting on their own informa¬ 
tion—and not someone else’s misstatements, we are perfectly 
willing to leave their final decision, whether it is for or against, 
entirely to them. 
We think that copies of the new bill can be obtained very 
shortly by writing your assemblyman, care of Assembly Chamber, 
Albany, New York.— The EDITOR. 
York State 
an open mind towards the proposed 
legislation, this committee, appointed 
by the five leading farm organizations 
of the State, calls attention to the 
Downing - Hutchinson bill under 
several points. These, with direct 
reference to the bill are: 
Consolidation 
Withdraws from the district super¬ 
intendents the power to dissolve or 
consolidate districts without approval 
of the voters of the districts con¬ 
cerned. It permits the districts to 
continue their own schools so long as 
they desire. At the same time it sets 
up machinery through which con¬ 
solidation can be worked out when 
desired. 
State Aid 
Increased state aid is provided both 
for the maintenance of schools and 
the repair or erection of buildings, 
upon a graduated scale which in¬ 
creases as the taxable valuation of the 
district decreases. 
Tax Unit 
It provides for a larger local tax 
unit based on the activities of the 
people of the present, rather than the 
conditions of 1812, by grouping pres¬ 
ent school districts into a community 
unit. The taxes of the districts in his 
unit are equalized. This, with the 
Under the present system the people have too state aid furnished, will lower the tax rates in 
little control. The state now has the power of many rural districts, 
consolidation. The people have little control 
_ over the district superintendent. It is generally Free Hl §h School Opportunities 
c. Lack of proper accountability of supervising believed that local control to a generous degree is Provides academic instruction within each unit 
officers locally. wise. In many ways this proposed law increases or by contract with another district, which in- 
b. Inequality of school opportunity for rural 
children. 
d. Too much centralization of con¬ 
trol in state department. 
e. Too little state aid for rural 
school support. Isolation makes 
rural education more expensive per 
child, yet rural schools have been 
given relatively much less state assist¬ 
ance than have the schools of the large 
towns and cities. 
f. Under the present system the 
best teachers are drawn to the city 
schools. 
g. Inflexibility of system to meet 
present day needs, with poor correla¬ 
tion for benefit of rural children. 
The Downing-Hutchinson Bill 
Considerable criticism appears to 
have been directed towards the rural 
school bill, which passed the Senate 
last winter with but six negative 
votes and which might have had an 
equally favorable reception in the 
Assembly had it come to a vote. 
This criticism has in the main, so 
far as traceable, been based on a 
lack of understanding of the bill. The 
bill has been called too voluminous 
and too detailed, yet much of it is 
already contained in the old law and 
has been rewritten to conform to the 
tew important new proposals the bill 
carries. These deal largely with com¬ 
munity and intermediate units and in¬ 
creased state support. 
Ruinous taxes will never be plowed under while the Cx of Exemption 
is in the yoke 
Courtesy Capper’s Weekly 
struction is free. 
Local Control 
a. Increases local control by giving 
to the voters of the intermediate 
unit the employment and payment of 
the superintendents. 
b. Provides for consolidation of 
schools only when a majority of the 
voters desire. , 
c. Provides for transportation of 
children when needs require. 
d. Provides for proper equipment 
without burdensome expense. 
e. Gives an opportunity to or¬ 
ganize the schools of a community 
for well-planned service. 
WHAT THE BILL DOES NOT DO 
1— The bill does not consolidate 
schools without the consent of dis¬ 
tricts affected. 
2— It does not further centralize 
state control but rather the contrary. 
3— It does not provide for trans¬ 
portation of children without the 
consent of a majority of voters. 
(Signed) S. L. Strivings, 
Chairman; 
Mabel G. Feint, 
Secretary ; 
Enos Lee, 
Dewey J. Carter, 
T. E. Cross. 
