7 7. We heard that there is some confusion in,, the school situation
' at McCarthy so we sent up our special investigator and legal advisor
and here is his report and Opinion of the matter'.
The McCarthy school*1ike all the small schools, is maintained by
the Terrirbry.* The Legislature>which represents all the people of Alaska
votes the money necessary to;keep these schools. The people Of Alaska
are very generous toward the schools in view of the fact that•a small
proportion of1 them have any children to attend, the., schools. They spend
more per pupil on schools than any of the- *3tabes. ‘Of course WO- are
ignoring the fact that the Federal Government pays most of the' bills in
the Territory with money that comes up from the states,and the Territory
can afford to'be generous or even. ex.tbava,gan.t ; just the same as we boys
can spend our money on books,magazines and toys as .long as dad; buys our
bread and shoes*
-.. Under the circumstances,the people of^ McCarthy,or any other
small.Alaskan community,regard the school from sdmewhat different points
of tvi,ew than would a similar community ip. the ^ t at e-sf where the: mbney
is! raised by taxation in the community its-elf. As a matter of fact, in
each of the small number of communities in Alaska where there is a school
very little of the money fob the support of the school comes directly,
or indirectly^from the people in that community.
Now the people in a school district wfo have children of school
age regard the school principally from'the po:nt of view of what it
offers in education and moral inspiration. They may have other reasons
for wantihg a school.,but that is the chief evw ,
' Experience and theory have shown, that o.t is the best system in
handlihg schools to permit each school 'die 7*4.,; t tc handle its own
affairs within the general provisions At- the Schools Laws that apply to
the whole State 'or Territory,Ae- long as . hoards, which are
“ elected' by. the people in each community ard reflect the majority opinion
in each,act within the letter and spirit of the s.chool laws,they may
properly be mindful of arid act in accorfarx'with any local conditions,
customs or opinions that they wish.' to rega'u, •
. * In &;'pme > districts the social factor enters into the matter.
The people desire that the teacher and the school activities be a
social asset, in so far as they 'can without loosing too much of the
primary purpose of the school.: '
In some districts the school is, regarded partly as a business
or financial advantage as well as an institution of learning. And
within certain limits this is doubtless all very right,
' when any of the people find their special interest in the school
too much neglected or opposed they begin to seek justification for their
position in the matter. If it suits their argument they are apt to
display an interest in education for the rising generation that is far
in excess of any interest they had formerly shown or that their neigh
bors supposed they could feel. Another person will become all excited
over social functions he could hardly in reasonablness have any interest
in, And another person will become most vehemently concerned about the
unwarranted spending of the public money. And while they are aggueing
on one plane they are aort of willfully unconscious of the real
interest that is impelling them.
Under the present scheme it is necessary to have children in the
District in order to have a school. People have a right to take their
children to another community for any reason that seem sufficient to
them if it is nothing more than the color of the school house or the
quality of the grocer’s butter and eggs, And under this system it seems
apparant as a matter of practicability,that all other considerations
Should yield to the opinions and wishes and prejudices of the parents,
when it becomes necessary to do so in order that the community may