Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-31
Public School Improvements.

The school system of St. Paul has kept
pace during the year with the enlarge
ments and Improvements going on all
over the city in every branch of business
and industry. Of course the main critic
rion of the prosperity of schools is the
attendance, and in this there is the graft
flying increase of nearly 600 pupils over
last year. The school accommodations
have been added to greatly during the
year. Twenty eight school rooms have
been constructed. making an addition of
1850 sittlngs. With the present rapid
growth of the city, however, even these
will soon be found inadequate to accom-
modate the children in every part of the
city. In detail the additions are as fol-
lows:
An eight room brick building, the Web
ster school, has been built on st. Anthony
hill, on the corner of Laurel avenue and
Mackubin street. This has been con-
structed with reference to the addition of
four m ore rooms, which can be readily
made when necessary. The Van Buren,
school, on Dayton's bluff, an exact coun-
terpart of the Webster school has
been built during the year. Each of
these buildings cost in the neighborhood
of $4,000. The Mclean building has
been moved to the lots bought last
year, at the corner of Earl and Ross
streets, in Terry's addition, and
considerable improvements have been
made in the building. An addition of
twelve rooms has been made to the Frank
lin school, at cost of nearly $25, 900.
On October l an evening school was
started in the High SC hool rooms, corner
Jackson and Seventh streets, which has
proved most decided success. 1t is a
graded school, employing eight teachers,
and with an enrolment of 300. 1t bids
fair to rival in point of usefulness and
Importance all the other schools.
There seems to be prospect in the
near future that the High school, which
has long since outgrown its present quar-
tiers, will be provided with a suitable
building. The peoples sanction to the
10000 appropriation passed by the last
legislature for a High school building
has been secured, and plans have already
been adopted for the erection of build
ing at the corner of Tenth and Minnesota
streets, so that it will soon be begun.
The special studies of penmanship and
music, 50 successful in our schools, have
been maintained, and during the year the
Walter Smith system of drawing has been
introduced IN all grades.
An addition Of ten teachers to the pre-
vious force has been made, the total num-
Der employed now being 1913.
The financial condition of the schools
is most encouraging. The total school
tax levy for the year was four mills, three
mills being the amount levied by the com
mon council, and one mill being the
county school levy, as affixed by law.
This amount of tax, as compared with the
school tax of other cities is not large, but
it has been sufficient to pay all bills for
the year, though with but little to spare.
the total receipts were $3.50, O6O5s. On
the LIST of July there was balance in the
hands of F. A. REM, treasurer of the
school board, of s5O,O7775 This mas
been reduced by subsequent expendi-
lures. The salaries for the year of teach
ers, officers and janitors, amounted to
$70,90O.45.
There is no need of the use of any gift
of prophecy regarding the future of our
schools. We are concerned now only
with the present. But it requires no