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Twigs and Branches
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Schools General InormationThis page is just information of state laws that affected the schools in Greene County. The early schools were subscription - and were held many places: private homes, churches, etc. The early schools were primitive and reluctant as people had been to tax themselves for education, a graduated school system eventually evolved out the subscription school system, thereby carrying out the mandate of the Ordinance of 1787 for education o be free and compulsory. In 1883 there were 134 frame and 9 brick school houses. The buildings and grounds were valued at an estimated at $70,700. A few County Normal Schools were still the principal source of training for the teachers, although a few men would take a short course at nearby Indiana University, which was still largely a normal school. By the early 1880's two town schools, one in Worthington and one in Bloomfield had high schools, graduation from which with attendance at the County Institute qualified the graduates to teach in the common branches. Counties could not be blamed for the state of the school system. The schools were at the mercy of the township trustee who had enormous power over the county schools. The county superintendent of schools was little more than as supervisor or administration in title only. In 1915 a state law was passed affecting the entire school system. After this commissioned schools had to offer as four year study . This four year study had to be specified subjects for a certain period of months per year. Also for the grades besides the 3 R's other subjects had to be taught, such as: music, health, art, agriculture, domestic science, history, civic and geography. By this time a few two room brick school houses were in existence and being built; these were replacing either to log schools houses or the frame schoolhouses that existed. The brick schoolhouses were in township which could support the stronger tax base under the leadership of the trustee and advisory board. Football and basketball were the sports of the time and taken seriously. They did not only involve the schools within the county but also nearby counties. 1935 saw another major change - state law mandated that no child should be required to walk more that a mile to school and bus transportation had to be provided. But in Greene county by the late 1920's bus transportation was already in place. But because of the dirt roads alot of times the bus could not travel the roads during inclement weather and flooding that often occurred. 1959 brought another big change to schools and resulted in major school reorganization; the School Reorganization Act cam into effect. I was mandated by state law that each school district were required to have 1,000 pupils per school district. Greene was one of the two of the last counties in Indiana to resist the reorganization act. This was not completed until the late 1980's School mergers were:
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