The pioneer family was dependent at first upon its own efforts for the education of its children.  When other families came, a schoolhouse was built, a teacher employed and the work of teaching the elements of knowledge was handed over to the school.  This was the origin of the “district school,” which is characteristic of pioneer conditions.  As the population grew and local government was organized, the unit of local government tended to become the unit for school administration.  In New England this was the “town” or township; in the South it was the county; in the West it was sometimes the township and sometimes the county, or else a combination of the two.  In a large number of the western states, however, and in a few of the eastern states, the district school persists in many rural communities, a relic of pioneer conditions.  It is often felt that it is more democratic for each district to administer its own school, subject only to the laws of the state.

Under the district system there is an annual school meeting of the voters of the district, who vote the school taxes, determine the length of the school year, and elect a board of education or school trustees.  The trustees look after the school property, choose the teacher and fix his salary, and in a general way manage the school business.  Each school is independent of all other schools.

TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION

Under the township system all of the schools of the township are administered by a township board or committee (or by a single trustee in Indiana) elected by the people of the township.  The chief advantages over the district system are that all the schools of the township are administered by a single plan, the taxes are apportioned to the schools according to needs, and pupils may be transferred from one school to another at convenience.  In New England two or three townships are sometimes united into a “union district” supervised by a single superintendent.

COUNTY ORGANIZATION

Under the county system all the schools of the county are under the management of a county board and, usually, a county superintendent.  In 29 of the 39 states that have county superintendents they are elected by the people, in 8 states they are appointed by the county board, in Delaware they are appointed by the governor, and in New Jersey by the state commissioner of education.  Election of the county superintendent is losing favor on the ground that there is less assurance of securing a highly trained man.  The chart on page 293 shows a plan of organization for county schools proposed to the legislature of South Dakota by the United States Bureau of Education.

ADVANTAGES OF SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

Among the advantages of the county system are greater economy, more nearly equal educational opportunity for all children of the county, and better supervision because of the larger funds available for this purpose.  It is under the county system of organization that the movement for school consolidation is progressing most rapidly.  By this is meant the union of a number of small, poorly equipped schools into a larger, well-graded, and well equipped school.  Its advantages may best be suggested by an example.