The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-06-28

BY the above table II will be noticed that the
per cent Of the school population enrolled In the
public schools Is considerable above the average
of the cities named. The increase over the en-
rollment OF any previous year Is 100. think the
additional school accommodations afforded by
the completion Of the Southwest building and
the addition Of two rooms TO the South School,
account TO great extent for this large increase,
as some children had been kept out Of school in
consequence of the over crowded condition Of the
lower primaries, If we add to the number regis.
tered In the public schools the enrolment In the
parOchal schools, which amount 10 not less than
40 and the attendance at several private schools,
we find that very high per cent. of the youth of
legal school age have attended school some time
during the year, though many for a short time
only, Our per cent of daily attendance on total
enrolment is the lowest given In the table. Dur.
ing several months Of the winter term the attend
ance was much reduced by the prevalence of
measles and scarlet fever,
Some parents are too ready to grant their chill
dren the privilege Of staying out Of school for tri
vial causes, not realizing how much this inter.
eres with their interest and progress In the school
work, and perhaps we should have enforced the
regulations with reference to absence more rigid.
ly. The compulsory school law which goes into
effect next September, If properly enforced may
cause some improvement in this respect. Many
pupils who were enrolled, did not remain In the
schools long enough to comply with the require
ments Of that law, had 1t been in force this year
Akron is the only city named IN which the cost
of tuition per pupil is less than Canton, and yet
teachers salaries In Akron are higher than In Can
ton. The average daily attendance of pupils per
teacher in Akron is 43, In Canton so this accounts
for the fact that tuition there is less than here
Since the occupation of the South West Building
we have five classes in the G and D Grammar
Grades, while the attendance in those depart
ments, especially in the grade, hardly jushes
having more than four classes. In one of our
Grammar schools the average daily attendance
for the year has been only SIXTEEN in another the
average per teacher has been H. The average
per teacher in all the B. C and D classes has been
%, If the same grades had been divided into four
classes EACH the average per teacher would have
been 49, believe that the number of gram
mar classes can be reduced to four without any
detriment to the work, and II this reduction be
made would recommend that the class In the
West A and grammar school be discontnued,as
1t would be better TO have only the grade in that
department. The and D classes are somewhat
larger than the B. but so long as they will not be
much larger than they have been during the cur
rent year, the pupils in each of those grades also
could be readily accommodated in four classes
In the two South East Primaries the average daily
attendance for the year has been 59-2S in one and
25 In the other; only about the half of these are
first primary pupils, Those above the first or D
primary could be accommodated in other schools
and thus leave only one school in that building
By making the changes referred to the number Of
teachers required would be three less than at pres
ent