Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 308, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1920 — COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES. [ARTICLE]

COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

Most of the rural schools of the county are closing Friday evening for a week to enjoy the holiday vacation. South Marion closed last Tuesday on account of a scarlet fever epidemic that has reached the eastern end of this school territory. Union school in Jordan has not opened after nearly a month of closing on account of the scarlet fever. There are several scattered cases in Barkley, Walker, Union townships but not of sufficient numbers to merit closing the schools. A number of the leaflets from the State Board of Health will be distributed from the office here and it is hoped that teachers and parents wil lacquaint themselves with the care, symptoms and remedies of this dreaded children’s disease. The annual settlements of trustees with their advisory boards will be due on January Ist. Trustees were compelled to pay much more for teachers’ salaries this year than last. But with the incoming operation of the new law it will make the maintenance of single roomed schools ip the districts very expensive to tax payers. This law did not affect this year’s ‘ salaries but it will become effective next fall. Economy of the teaching personnel will force consolidation. The townships that have already built their consolidated buildings will be in a position to receive the new law without regrets. The tax payer should demand that the trustees make the dollar collected for taxes return by way of education as neaT its full value as possible. No trustee under this newly enacted law con do so if he must maintain the one-room schools. Most schools in the. county gave their semi-annual examinations on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday was spent on Christmas programs and grading of manuscripts. A few schools were unable r to give the examinations on the dates set by state department. These schools will have their examinations after the holidays. All queries must be changed but of equal weight as the state queries. Box socials were given at Blake in Jordan, South Lawn in Barkley and No. 8 in Newton last Thursday night.