government. It is a means by which to secure cooperation, or team
work.

IN EDUCATION

When a schoolhouse is built to-day, it is not done by combined
manual labor, as in the pioneer community. As in all building,
there is cooperation of a highly organized kind in the production
and assembling of the materials and in the construction of the
building by workmen of different kinds. But more than this, since
the schoolhouse is a PUBLIC BUILDING, the community cooperates in
paying for it. This is done by means of TAXES. The people pay
taxes not only for the building, but also to meet the cost of
operating the school, paying the teachers, buying equipment, and
heating the building.

The community must know how much money is needed for the school,
the taxes must be fairly apportioned and collected, and the school
must be properly managed to perform the community's work of
education. In small communities the people may meet together to
vote the taxes and to decide on other matters relating to
education, as in New England towns. But there must be leadership,
and there must be an organization to perform the work which the
community wants done. Every community therefore has its board of
education, or school committee, a superintendent, and other
officials. Such organization corresponds to the board of directors
and business manager of the fruit growers' association, only it
represents the entire community and attends to the community's
business of education. It is part of the community's governing
machinery.