Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-01-23

weeks duration, have been held
These Institutes were well attended anil
| believe resulted in much good to all
Of the 80 schools in session during
the year [ visited all but two once each
term, making in all go visits of from
two 10 three hours each The schools
not visited are, one in the west part of
the town of Wood, the road to which
is almost if not quite impossible most
of the year aud the other is in Au-
burndale at Milladore
One of the two districts which does
not report having five or more months
school during the year had no school
while the other had school portion
of the year taught by an unqualified
person, that is, one holding no certi6
Cate. This, on the part of the officers
of the district was both unnecessary
and injurious to the best interest of
the district besides being wholly illegal.
I say the proceeding was unnecessary
because plenty of qualified teachers
we're to be had at the time = and injur-
ious to the best interests of the district
because creating and melting a spirit
of lawlessness and disrespect for legal
authority. IF such were to be the
practice to any large extent in this
county, certainly the Office Of County
Supt. would become a worse than su-
pernumerary and the sooner abolished
the better. | trust no case of the kind
will occur during the balance of my
term.
From the financial part Of this re-
port leaving out the amounts expend-
ed for building and other permanent
improvements and adding my allow
ance for salary and stationary, and |
learn that for each child who attended
school during the past year there was
paid out about $3.50 piece Take
this in connection with the amount
$50, 862. or nearly SIT per child, per-
manently invested in school houses,
grounds and apparatus and you have
something of an index of the opinions
Of the masses in your county on this
subject. Add to these items the indi-
vidual expenses fer books and extra
clothing, loss of labor on the part of
some, and the matter of education in
your county becomes an item, fnan-
cially, of no small proportions. Yet
no one asks that the work be discon
tinued Hence it must be apparent
that the schools of the county are in a
fairly prosperous condition supported
by so general and strong sentiment
healthful and growing,
That the variations of soil in this
county should exert an influence upon
the schools is not strange, and while
in one section tax of to Ii per cent
is required to meet simply the expense
of FIVE months school with a teacher
at $40. per month, another section
maintains an months school with {
teacher at $50 per month, with a taz
of one half Of one per cent. Sucl
instances are far too numerous show
ing simply how burdensome to some i;
the struggle to MAINTAIN the school 0
the district, while to others the tasi
is but light one. AS d means to i'm
provcment and equalizing these bur
dens in some Instances permit me tc
suggest to you gentlemen the adyisa
bility of adopting the township system
of school support and management il
some of your towns. A few district
in the county are badly in debt, owing
in some instances to unwarranted ven
lures and extravaganza and in Others
to dishonest officials and straw bonds
men. Hence SEINE districts repor
wages paid female teachers at 35 to A
per month when in fact teachers arr
obliged to take orders for pay anC
keep for year or two or sell at sac
rifcs of 20 to 80 per cent. Scarce too
much care can be taken by the peopl
in guarding the credit Of a district
In closing this report | might cal
your attention as gentlemen welding
large influence in the communities ant
towns in which you reside to SOM
other and prominent defects in schso
matters and ask your assistance il
changing and removing but probably
have suggested enough already aHt
would weary you with further detail
Thanking you for your kind atten
ton. [ remain
Most Respectfully Yours
GEO. J.. WILLIAMS,
Go. Sunt of Schools