Brandon, Wisconsin: Free High School, 1877 Times Editorial

It must be admitted that our common schools are no better than they were twenty years ago. In them scholars rarely pass beyond the common branches required by law to be taught in every school, and if scholars wish further instruction it must be obtained away from home. This of course does not apply to large villages and cities, where generally more extended courses of instruction are provided. To furnish instruction in the higher branches in every rural community, the legislature, in 1875, passed the Free High School law. This provides that when a town, village, or city, shall establish a Free High School, one half of the amount paid for instruction in such school shall be paid by the State, out of a special appropriation made for that purpose, and not as some suppose from the school fund, The law also provides that when a town, by vote, declines the establishment of a High School, any school district in the town may do so and receive the same aid from the State.

The town of Metomen, by the vote last Saturday, declined to establish such a school, and at the special school meeting to be held to-morrow evening the district embracing this village is to vote upon the establishment of a high school. In view of such a vote we desire to lay the plan fairly before our readers, so that they may vote knowingly and with some idea of what is to be gained.

The first question that will be asked is, what change will be made in our present school, We answer practically none, but to make it better, and put the higher department where it ought to be. There is no disguising the fact that we have been wasting money on that higher department. We have been paying a good salary to a teacher, possessing the highest grade of certificate obtainable, to teach branches that could as well be taught by a teacher with a third grade county certificate. We want to set that teacher at work on a grade of studies which his qualification fit him to teach and which can not be taught by by any one that can get a certificate of any kind. For this purpose a course of study should be adopted in the higher department, which would include a higher range of studies, and make it an inducement for our young people to remain in school for a longer time. Every young person has an ambition to graduate and if a regular course is adopted, many would remain in school to complete it, who would otherwise leave a year or two sooner. We are satisfied that there are many of our young people who have left school in the past few years, who would be there now if there had been the stimulus of a regular course and a certificate of graduation at the end of it.

There is another difficulty with our schools. The lower departments are too crowded, and pupils have been sent into the upper room, before they were properly qualified. There is seat room enough there for them, but the principal should not be engaged in teaching that class of pupils. To provide for them an extra teacher should be employed, and must be if the high school is established. The principal being thus relieved of the lower classes he has usually taught, can carry the higher classes through a greater range of study, to complete the course prescribed for these high schools by the State Superintendent.

We come now to the question that will touch a tender chord with many of our readers--the question of expense. We cannot make some people see how we can support such a school without additional expense. But we think a few figures will demonstrate the matter. To support our school as at present organized requires,

This whole amount must be raised by tax, public money, or tuition received from outside scholars.

But under the Free High School law the State appropriates to the district one half the principal's wages, amounting in our case to $350, which takenb from the above amount leaves $1400, making the expense of the school to the taxpayers, fully $50 less than now.

But there is another consideration. Such a school will draw in more scholars from outside the district, and a larger tuition fee can be charged. It is safe to say that the district will make $100 a year more than at present, in that way.

As it is a matter of more than local interest, we will give here the course of study prescribed by the State Superintendent for schools in towns of lest than six thousand inhabitants.

FIRST YEAR.
First term--
	Arithmetic. Grammar. Geography.
Second Term--
	Higher Arithmetic. Grammar and Analysis. Physical Geography.
Third Term--
	Higher Arithmetic. Sentenial Analysis. Physical Geography.

SECOND YEAR.
First Term--
	Elementary Algebra. Physiology. History of the United States.
Second Term--
	Elementary Algebra. Physiology. History of the United States.
Third Term--
	Elementary Algebra. Natural Philosophy. German or Book-keeping.

THIRD YEAR.
First Term--
	Plane Geometry. Natural Philosophy. German or Science of civil gov't..
Second Term--
	Plane Geometry. Botany. German or Rhetoric.
Third Term--
	Solid Geometry. Botany. German or Mental Science.

To this another year may be added if the district see fit, and the pupils desire to pursue a full course, but this course is a good one for a place of this size and gives our scholars better opportunities for instruction than places of the size usually afford.

Now the question before the people of the district is the adoption of this plan. We have shown that it is not more expensive. We do not require more buildings. Fortunately when our school building was erected, we built for the wants of a village larger than this then was, and it still still affords all the accommodations that we need. As to the advantage to be derived, we do not believe any one in this community so dumb as not to see them.

During the whole history of the place, Brandon has been noted for interest and enterpsise in school matters It has been and is still our boast that our public schools rank even with if not above those of our neighboring cities Waupun and Ripon. But we must not stand there, we should go higher, and place our school a grade above theirs, and we can do it, and that without imposing additional burdens upon ourselves.

This matter is one of importance to our people, and we ask for it their candid attention. This is the golden opportunity, and if not improved we are confident that our schools will retrograde, and show that we are declining instead of increasing in enterprise and intelligence.