Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1882-02-15
Superintendent Notes.
or q nion County schoo.s for 1881.

| AHc EXTRAORDINARY events wnlCf
has made this year SO memorabl,
and which put such All effectua
stop to the various industries Of GU
county, also affected, to a great de
gree, our public schools. The deel
snow, and the intense cold, which
set in SO early in the season, reduced
the attendance materially, and~nan,
schools were compelled to clos,
their doors, OH account Of the impos
sibility Of obtaining fuel. Tn,
dreaded smallpox making its mp
pearance about the Holidays, com
pelled nearly all Of the schools OF
the Missouri bottom and many else
where "A close. s.ss.s..s4,,.,.,s,4..sa-..a.4....
We have to mourn the death o
quite Il number of scholars and q
one teacher. James Wood, who fell
victims TO the terrible scourge. Mr.
Wood was beloved by all who knew
him, and in his death, the rank Of
Union county teachers sustains a Sc
riorn loss.
Then, when the long and tedious
winter was over, the flood with all
its attendant evils, came 10 cap the
climax.
Quite number of school houses
were seriously damaged by the ice
and water and all the districts have
suffered more or less tllerefrom.
Owing to the condition of the
roads, the washing away Of bridges
and other unpleasant mementoes Of
the great flood, l was obliged to
neglect, to some extent, my duty re-
garding the visitation and inspec-
ton OF schools.
The greater draw backs to the
prosperity and usefulness Of our
schools are the irregularity of attcn-
dance and the failure of parents to
provide proper textbooks for their
children.
The aggregate average attendance
i'll the county is only SOC per cent Of
the enrolment. Now as financial
investment, oil will admit, that it is
very poor policy for parents tomain-
tain Il school by paying taxes for its
support and then fail to patronize it
and when VIC come to consider the
wasted opportunities, the school
days gone never to return, the ire
mediable injury and wrong done to
the boys and girls Of to-day, who
in short time will step on the
stage of action, we must indeed
think it a short sighted policy, not
to say criminal neglect, of parents to
refuse their own children the privi-
lege of attending school. In our
county, composed as it is to large
extent Of people speaking foreign
languages at home, there is impera-
tive need for every citizen to do. his
duty in the way of encouraging the
public school and by all proper
means secure good attendance.
Another serious dctrilnent is the
lack Of uniformity Of textbooks. l
found in one school, class in the
4th reader where each one Of the
four composing the class had diff
ferent book. This not only makes
unnecessary work for the teacher,
but robs the other scholars of much
valuable time and besides, deprivcs
them Of the benefit of class recita-
ton. In another school of thirty
eight pupils about twenty were un-
provided with books, and, Of course,
being idle themselves, diverted the
attention of the rest Of the school.
School officers and parents should
visit their schools frequently. They
will thereby encourage both teach
ers and scholars, and perhaps many
little misapprehensions would be re-
moved.
There are now sixty.four orga aniz-
ed school districts in the county,
and all Of these, with but one excep-
ton, supported term Of school dur
ing the last school year.
+ The average number months of
school is 4.O5.
The number Of teachers employed
is males, 36; females, 3S.
The average compensation per
month is males, s2S.18; females, s2l.
Ga. Number Of persons OF school
age, i. e., between 5 and 2l years oi
age, is males 1880, females 1913.
Total number enrolled in county
1866.
Aggregate average attendance 94S
u Il
Average cost Of tuition for each
scholar per month $1.61S.
Number of school houses in coun'
ty, frame, 46, log, 10.
Value of school houses, $l3, ,925.
Value Of school apparatus $2,44O.
Aggregate school receipt for year
tl3,9O0.50.
Aggregate school expenditures 70
| wear. Al .C31 .73.