Smyrna times., 1877-01-17


know, our Taxpayers and others are to be
enlightened about our Public Schools, by an
authentic, official report from a State
Superintendent. That a branch of our
State government, possessing the impor.
tance that this does, and consu ming an
nually over two hundred thousand dollars
of the public money, should be allowed to
run at loose ends so long, without an off.
cial head, is somewhat marvellous. 1t
seems 10 us that the State could as we'll
dispense with its Treasurer, its Auditor,
Secretary, Attorney General, aye, or its
Governor either, as with its Superintendent
of Publ ic Schools 1t is one of the most
response bic offices of the commonwealth !:
is so regarded in the other States. and will
be found so in this State.
The first annual report of Superintendent
Groves is now in press, and will be issued
this week. 1t will prove an interesting
document. Its statistical summary is very
complete. There are, it appears, 81 ,5S7
school children enrolled in the State, Ciyi-
ded as follows: New Castle county. 10,0ll !:
Kent, j,3l3; Sussex, G,263. This is about
III per cent Of the population. In Penn
sylvania the scholars constitute 2OI per
cent of the population. The average pay
of our teachers is S30.75 per month This
is less than most of the other States around
us. In Pennsylvania and Maryland the
average pay is $40 per month; in New
Jersey. so.
The Superintendent, during the year
ending April lst, visited 276 schools, viz ::
in New Castle, 76: Kent. So, and Sussex,
III. To accomplish this visitation was
attended with an amount of labor and ex-
psnse that makes the office anything but
sinecure. Out of the 30 schools thus visi-
ted, many had not even a blackboard
while only l3 had globes, and only 26 had
maps and charts. Scores of them had no
school appliances whatever, and in many
Instances not even tolerable schoolhouse.
particularly i'll Sussex and some places in
Kent. In Sussex. indeed, the schools do
not run, on an average, four months in the
year while the teachers, on the Superin-
tendent's first visit, were merely keeping
school rather than teach;ag The Super
intendent adds, however:
Our second visit found quite a changc-schools
having no backboards had put them in maps and
globes were furnished. new impetus had seized
.le "1chers Our examinations, teachers institutes
and the interest enkindled among the people are
working out change Tor the better
In addition to these 276 visitations the
Superintendent held 81 examinations oi
teachers and examined, for 1875, j2l appli
cants. OF these, 462 received certificates
2S3 males and l79 females On this point
the Superintendent says:
me schools in the State far can be ascerained
require the services of four hundred and thirty l
le'Isies dAring the summer and fall months and
mhes during the winter months there arc norC
chers required than there are schools in the State
Inc number Of teachers required without this change
"'uld be about one hundred and thirty N;Oi.
The next point considered by the Super
lntendent IS the question of expense-what
or Public schools cost us. They cost, last
year, s2lG,22j. Of this sum S29,2S4 wa:
appropriated from the School Fund, an
investment set apart by the State for that
purpose. The balance was raised by taxa
ton, viz: $lS6.940. And now comes some
interesting comparisons in the report. II
New Castle county the people paid schoo
tax to the amount of Sljl 1888; Kent
$-4l9l, and Sussex only $ll,360. vii
mlngton is included in New Castle county
OF course, but, leaving Wilmington out o
The question, the average amount of tax
per district in that county was $3S47l; il
Kent, 22307, and in Sussex, only S7l.OC
Sussex gets more from the School Fun,
than either of the other counties and relic
upon this to pay very nearly half of it
school expenses. Kent gets $9,427 iron
Tue Fund and pays $24, ,l9l in taxes; SUISSE
gsts slO,626 from the Fund and pays onl
Sll'56o in taxes. Yet it has twenty o
.".ry more school districts than Kent. I
hardly to be wondered at that there is al
0.'nieht OF opposition in Sussex to the offic
u "'ite superintendent. when the office
required to make such contrasts as these
yearly all the opposition to the new orde
things comes from that county.
Inc average cost of tuition per pupil il
'ne State for 1875 was $4.89. The averag
IO'' IN Pennsylvania is $3.50; in Mary
land, Sc.
mere are several important feature
""'eh we have not the space to give th
"ssk' but will try to call attention to ther
Lsssaiter. The examination Of teacher
as had most favorable results, and Pro
IVES thus refers to the subject:
was slons 70 act Of 1875 no examination of eaehe
.ers illvtnoe Ihe irst examination found the teac
beeanssP P,,S@red and numbers were given certifcat
the scboJIne we standard of qualification was low an
the veas needed the services of teachers. DuriI
seres ~ alq Of the Introduction of an ilnIiOr
fhemseiyA hooks, and diligent study they prepar
nation 49, ioi the second examination The exam
teaehers fer was the very thing needed 70 stimua
duties more thorough preparation for schO
benefit dafeSS unelr second attempt proved the gre
Change WI "a from yearly examinations. mark
who wara hnoueeaDle In the second effort Teaehe
ques,ionsS Dateiy able 10 answer sixty per cent
SEVENTY ~ posed at the first, could easily answ
more diaes,s,e IN cent IN the second il too being mu,
ry drove 81 lhls examination Of teachers necess
day yiev,ao r.on N the profession the drones. And
truthfuv Ma tnls part Of the work alone, It can
interests az SSr n,,v nrgher day Is downing the scho