Not sure what this was all about.
Looks as though the governor might have vetoed the act. The year is 1899 and it does not make much sense.
If this was for a county-wide high school in Howard some kids would probably have had had to fly. Not many would have been as lucky as the kid in Fiat who rode the train north each day to attend Severy high school and then rode the train back after class.
Howard had its first high school in 1886, an $8,000 stone building combining grade and high school. A $40,000 high school was erected in 1916. The $1.9m West Elk consolidated building came along in 1978.
The recently torn down grade school cost $45,000 in 1937 and might have cost that much or more to tear down.
First Howard high school football team was in 1904. Don't know if that was the beginning of the Pirates or that mascot came along later.
The Advocate & News, March 22, 1899.
(http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/waldoegray/Howard%20high%20school_zpsas1xkmis.png)