New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-10-14

by system of voluntary conventions which have
place between members of the several Districts in
which the greatest harmony prevailed and from full
interchange of views, some approach has been
made towards equal and UNIFORM system OF instruction
and expenditure
The most difficult and serious matter however in this
connection grows of the fact that in this District the
French and English languages are both taught, It, while
natural desire of parents to have their children taught
in both languages has led many OF them to send ther
children into the schools here and this practice mas
been overlooked tolerated for years past Inc
Board in execution of what they regard as the
positive legislation of the State the subject and the re-
qurements Of the law that the appropriations shall be on
exact scale of ratio in proportion to the number OF the
children sx sixteen years of residing in
the District has felt it to be duty 70 exclude all such
children from all future coetinued admission INTO our
schools This was painful but imperative task for it
wns found that rreat number of childran thus situated
had been in schools through all the primary and inter
mediate departments and had reached the High School
with credit to themselves, and whose education would
have been finished with the present year They had be-
strongly attached to the teachers and the teachers to
them But we could make exceptions or exhibit the
least Partially in obeying the law. With it
question ofduty and not of sympathy This evil has been
carried far that in single school 1t found that
at least oneft of the pupils from an adjoining Dis
trirt The question is submitted whether the Council
will not take some measures to obtain further legislation
on this point
There another state of things which this Board deems
of great Importance to the interest the public and which
presses hardly upon them in with their friends
of the Third and Fourth Districts The schoolhouses sit
uated in the First District were mostly owned BY he late
Second Municipality by the act Of consolidation be-
came the property Of the entire city These
are now used and most properly So by of School
Directors of the First District the purposes Of public
schools Thus they not charged with any rent for this
public property and are enabled to dedicate almost the
entire amount Of their annual appropriation to the mme-
dao purposes of instructions in the purchase Of station
ary books and the employment OF an efficient corps OF III
tegent teachers evident therefore that the appro
priaton unequal and unjust Tomake the perfectly
suppose that the First and Second Districts have
exactly the number Of children say 600 The appro
praton money of $40 for each child would make 100000
to each Dsricaud apparently fair But in addition to this
you appropriate the use OF the public property invested IN
School House in the First to their use while the other is
left expend large part Of their appropriation in the
payment of rents This evil could be easily remedcd by
the Council paying the rents of the several Districts
erecting at public cost sufficient number school Houses
in each District to satisfy the demand The Council will
by examining the financial reports of the several Dis
rict how this matter operates in the practical admins
tration of the system
The season of the year has but commenced when our
Schools rery opened for the year and this Board feel
4nce that they will be able to satisfy the pub
lie judgment with the administration of the school sys-
tenn SO far as it is committed to their charge and they
earnestly ask the cooperation Of the Council their abors
They would rejoice there could be regular and constant
visitation the part of members from all parts of the city
This Board would be doing great injustice if they
omitted to state that the Superintendent and the
whole body of Teachers ably and diligently seeking to
perform their respective duties and to justify the conf
denca which has been placed in them The fact that both
languages before stated, being taught in school,
necessarily imposes upon them addition; quahcatlons
and beyond what would be ezcted case but one
was taught
This Board has yet been able to find any eectua
remedy against the evil OF Irregular attendance on the
part of the pupils but it is Of great magnitude and of
serious public evil Whether the public has such
right to have the children who hereafter becOmeits
citizens and under happy form OF to be
the controllers of the public destiDy-ts officers in all the
departments government civil and nilitaryas to u
thorise if not require. in view of sound public policy
such ordinances as will operate upon parents and guar
dams in such form to induce require them send
the Child to school, is left to the enlarged wisdom
your honorable body.
All of which is respectfully submitted,
(slgned) e. D. DUNcAS President.
true copy RrYNEs, Secretary
October Il. 1852
STATEMENT A.
NEw ORLEANS, October IL, 1852.
President and Directors Second District Public Schools
GEN1LENEN-In conformity to resolution passed at
the last sitting Of the Board the Finance and Account
Committee have the honor to present the following de-
tailed statement Of expenditures OF the Schools of this
District from the first Of June to the last Of September
This committee present also, statement of the proba-
BILE expenditures for the last eight months Of the of
Office of this Board