The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-02-28
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


FuhLAp hCAhOOLS.
10. Change I'm the school Law.
To the Editor of the Comet:
7" AS there seems to be some difficult
In the minds of some in understand
p ing the amendment of the School Law
made by myself, / ask permission
i, through your columns, to give a full
: explanation of the same. However
in the outset let me make this state
e ment; that whenever a law passed
Is purposing to confer benefit upor
parties or class, and that law is at
= tended in its workings with injuries TIC
@ that class, then that law fails to ac-
/ complish the design for which it was
0 framed; hence a failure, and should
be changed or repealed. Now, claim
that the old school law has been at
tended with injuries to the children of
our State; the very parties it was de-
signed to benefit. The defect in the
law which has had an injurious ten
dency, is requiring too greataverage
attendance of scholars, before the first
assistant should be employed. My
experience is that there is falling off
from the number enrolled about TWEEN
ty per cent. in order to make the reg
ular average attendance. The law re-
quired an average of forty-five in reg
ular actual attendance before an assist |
ant could be employed, hence there
had to be enrolled from fifty-fve to
sixty before that average could be OBJ
tanned. Now, it is certainly true, one
teacher. cannot give that attention to
even forty-five scholars that they
actually need, unless it is graded
school; therefore, the following evils
have been the result: First, the schol-
ars, many of them, have suffered for
the want of attention. Secondly, the
child not being sufficiently employed,
making no progress, often becomes
discouraged, and i'm addition to that,
learns habit of idlenesss and lastly, i
many parents, have become sore upon
this point, and are refusing to send
children to schools where the teacher i
has a large number of scholars with t
out any assistant hence the cause
of so many small schools throughout \
the country. Now, all these evils are t
to be deplored, and it becomes the i
duty of the Lawmakers to remedy Il
them if they possibly can. Now, my =
plan is to do this at very little addi-
tional cost. 1t will be remembered r
hat under the old law q first grade ~
eacher received forty dollars for TWEEN % %
y scholars in regular attendance, that h
s at the rate of 81 go per scholar per I
month. Now, my plan is to allow W
My that very amount per scholar y
'er month with an average of thirty d,
i've in regular attendance and divide pl
his aggregate amount with the addi- ~
ion of four dollars, between two -
aachers instead of one. The Princi-
al to receive only $40 per month and
ne assistant to receive at the rates of
20 per month. There is to be no
lcrease of salary from thirty-five to
rty-fiye, and from forty-five to fifty N
We, then is to be at the rates of the M
charged per scholar, and this -
Iually divided between principa and D..
sistant. There is no change of the 4
d law proposed after the scholars n
ach fifty-five in regular attendance.
Now let US make an estimate under
e old law and that of the amend Jac
ent. adj
OLD LAW.
schools Of Is regular attendance, NJ
'rlnclpal ........,.........,"."S4S 90
schools Of 45 reg ular attendance,
iShlStiht SID J0-S67 so
UNDER THE AMENDMENT. lin
schools of 45 regular attendance,
rlhclIl ...................$ib 90
schools of 45 regular attendance
SSlstaht 30 -S73 90 I
OLD LAW. prop
schools Of 50 regular attendance, a sii
rincipa :.........;. ...:,.r.......".S4 90 'i'''
schools of 80 regular attendance,
sSlSttnt ........S26 00S7I 90
UNDER THE AMENDMENT. ~.
chools Of 50 regular attendance,
Tlncl
chooIs Of so reg tar attendance, BG
SslStint SO 75-S79 50
OLD LAW.
chools OF So regular attendance, nor
'nclpal. S4S 90 NJ
choOls of 80 regular attend. nee ~
sistant &..S32 50$79 80 narti,
UNDER THE AMENDMENT, visit
.hoos OF % regular attendance, VI 'i'
chools OF 80 regular attendance
SlStaht ..............,,S i3 00--$S9 90
-ow it will be observed that the MT
lcipafT; under the amendment, in M1
lie cases received less than the
lcipal under the cd law. Again
ould repeat that there is 10 more Do IS p p
rged or allowed per scholar for Give
l. gnteed
&c, for two teachers, except an adj RoBr
IN of 81, than there is allowed for RI
teacher per scholar for twenty
scholars. Why should there not
flowed that amount for that num- ia
while it may remedy the greatest Off,
ct in our school law. if it should Pearl
e small difference. 1 appeal in
If of the children of our State for al
change. Yours truly,
J. w. MCNEIL. 1
y -
WHY WUa nof n..,,os