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"Difficulty has arisen in the joint district between Oxford and Seymour, and is not likely to be obviated from a want of a desire to compromise on the part of Seymour.
"All of our schools are in a position where financially at least they will meet consideration. The present law requires that after distributing $60 or its proportional part, if a joint district, the remainder of the school money shall be divided according to the aggregate attendance of scholars in town. This gives an advantage to the stronger district. The law will work well evidently in thickly settled communities by compelling or inducing a larger attendance - but in sparsely settled and wide extended districts & yet with a sufficient number of scholars to demand a school, no larger an attendance can be induced than there are scholars, and consequently although that district may stand high on the assessment list - it will receive a less amount than the district which has more scholars and less taxable property.
"This difficulty will be met by consolidation and subsequent action in that direction may be deemed advisable. If so immediate measures will prove the remedy.
"And herein lies one difficulty in consolidating that the joint districts are badly located for that purpose and we should have to redistrict - and if by redistricting we could do away with 2 or 3 schools and have only 10 schools to support where now we have 13, our taxpayers would eventually be the gainers - although some who are now provided with school accommodations near their doors might feel incommoded by a new arrangement.
"Our teachers as a class were capable and well qualified, judiciously adapting themselves to the wants of their several schools, and it can be truly said that our town has for several years had a corps of teachers unequalled by any of the towns about us. But owing to our inability to pay high wages, they are continually leaving for more lucrative positions which we are happy to state they always fill acceptably and with an ever increasing energy.....
"Though we are disposed neither to praise beyond measure nor to attribute unmerited blame, yet with a desire to encourage emulation on the one hand and repress indifference or faults on the other, we cannot avoid especial mention of Mrs. Tomlinson of the 5th; Misses Stoddard, Bassett and Ford of the 1st, 10th & 13th, and Mr. Riggs of the 6th, who has an ease and method in teaching which will eventually rank him amongst the foremost in that profession.
"In like manner we class the winter school in the first as partially defective & that in the 11th during the same period a total failure, the result of self sufficiency in one teacher and inefficiency in the other.
"It is one desireable feature in a school that a vacation should not be too long, especially in the case of younger scholars who are too apt to forget in a 15 weeks vacation much of which they have learned in a 12 weeks school. This evil must be inseparable with communities comparatively destitute of money and children, except it shall be met with a liberality greater than as yet experienced....
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