Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-11-22

The Public Schools-M0re Force
Wanted.
As a member of the School Board
of course this editor hears of al
grievances which anyone may have
to complain of. Frequently these
are imaginary, but not always, and
we have now to speak of one which
needs, we may say demands RENE
dy, but cannot be corrected with
the present means at the disposal OF
the Board.
is complained that some of the
smaller children do not get the
attention necessary to secure their
advancement, and one case hasbeen
mentioned where little girl went
a week without reciting a lesson.
After making all allowance for the
exaggeration which is apt to enter
into school complaints, we are salts
fed that there is basis of substan-
tial truth for these representations.
Indeed, we were convinced that
there could not fail to be cause for
dissatisfaction before we heard any
of them, for we knew that several of
the teachers had more scholars on
their hands than they could posi-
bly, do justice to. In the Howell
building there are considerably
over three hundred scholars in at
tendance. Not counting the Super
Nintendent (who ought not to be
compelled to teach at all, but does
to the great deterioration of his
usefulness in superintending)-not
coanting him, then, we have only
five teachers teaching these three
hundred and twenty-five scholars,
or, on an average, sixty-three schol-
airs to a teacher. This would be
heavy enough, but does not give
near the number taught by the
teachers in the primary department.
From causes easily imagined, the
higher classes are numerically much
smaller than the lower ones, and
yet take as much time in teaching.
These classes being smaller, the
lower ones are larger, and the lady
in whose class this complaint was
made has on an average seventy
two scholars to teach every day.
That number need only be stated to
exonerate her and the Superintend-
ent from all blame.
Bet does the blame rest on the
Board? The only thing that could
be done by it to remedy the trouble
would be to appoint more teachers,
which they would quickly enough |
do but there is not money enough |
to pay those we have. For the first |
time in its existence the Board is
behind-hand in paying its teachers.
They are punctually paid, it is true,
but the money is borrowed with |
which it is done. This is partly at
tributable to the expense the School |
Board has been at in getting into
its new building. a part even of |
the building expense had to be
shouldered by it, the funds of the
Building Board having given out /
before the edifice was completed,
and the whole expense of furnishing
it had to come out of the funds of
the School Board. Bot besides, the |
permanent expenses are increased
from the increase of the number of
scholars. In private schools, the
more the scholars the more the |
money for expenses, but in these
the attendance increases very |
largely without increase in the |
funds.
We have made this statement as
a preliminary to one we shall make |
next week as to the finances of the |
schools and their sources, so that |
our readers may be in a position to
understand the whole question be-
fore we attempt to propose a rem
edy.