Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-03-06
School Report.
To the Honorable Mayor and Board Of A.
dermeR ~ the City Of Eas,eorth.
Iaufy.n.oa.

dermeR of the City Of E2is,corfh.
Gentlemen:
In accordance with the requirements of city
charter, we herewith submit our annual re-
port Of the condition and need, Of the public
schools for the year 1854.
The balance standing to the credit of the
School Fund at the close Of the financial year
Feb. II, IsS3. was 4a4.i5
Amount appropriated by the City. 10000
Amount received from the state. a6Ii.ll
Making a total Of s12es. .26
Under our present school system our city j.
divided into twenty-onc districts. Two Of
these districts. Nos. IL aud q. are united
with districts in the town - Orand The
money which the scholars in these districts
draw helps TO maintain the schools in Orland
where they attend. The number Of scholars
returned by the agents Of these districts the
present YEAR was fifteen. In the remaining
districts Il the city twenty-five schools have
bern maintained during some part OF the
year. The amount Of money distributed to all
the districts was sGss,s u. the greater part Of
which will have been expended. when the
heru fnishcd
\ ~pccfal school of ten weeks was main
tanned ~ Reeds Brook ont of the reserved
school lund. 10 which should be- added the
compensation to Superintendent school COM
mittec and other necessary hil-, amounting Ia
s3.-.,a. making total expenditure far
the city j. concerned Of s.Ol,..0. leaving
balance %. 9. I>>s, % SEQ. ~ Ia the credit Of
Tia. school fund There are obligations now
duc anil becoming due sufficient 10 cNhau~,
this balance before the next appropriation -hall
have been ma,is.
II appears by the ccn>u. returns Of thc >et-
rral school agents that We have in the city
lsss scholars children between the sG-S Of
four and twenty -onc YEAR. ~ th. number
1918 or sbout 81 per cent. ha,r attended -rh"ol
during the year.
When rhc school, now III operation shall
have closed each district in thr city VIII have
weeks school
DIST. Nc. |, seventeen " v-'k-.
:. twenty we,k,.
.. h," schools. ihirt,-two weeks
each
I. tweuty-cight week.
;, twrnty--cycn week.
8. tweniy-ninc week,
:. twenty-five weeks.
:. thirty wcck>.
Q. seventeen week.
lo. twenty -four week.
IL, twenty, wcrk-.
II. united with prilud.
m. twcnty-fuur weeks
~. Twenty-Five week.
II. two schools thirt, week. ra,h.
IL. nineteen work-.
l., seventeen weeks.
l., two schools, thirty weeks ,1rh
-. twcnty-cighr week.,
~. fifteen weeks.
II, united with Orlanl
tn" average attrndancc durn. th.' vrnr d.
compared with u" aycra4, number r-4i~t. r,-l
J. about eiShty->iN pr cent.
W. have thought il tue Ia til, scholar, anI
teachers in those districts whorc The att.n,!-
anre ha- l,cn al-,,r III, average +" maxi i
pmhlir recognition.
In ,li-i No. .. IL" aftrndancrha~ hrrrt nine
n pr rrnt.
>, hthftN Two lHF 'FtN-
.. eighty eight TER c.ni
" :. eighty eight per cent.
-. ninety four percent.
" II. "ighty--,,"u per cent.
l.. nincty-thr," per cent.
i. ciSht,-njn, I-.r c,n'.
=" F" ~. nin.t, I~r cent
special -,h"oj ar Rtrl'- Brn,k. righ, --..,sn
l-r emit.
several " tAr ,ch,r!. w h"-.. I,r,..nia.,. uf
ATTENDANCE. fall i-.lnw thc a,-r7t.... have had
eNe'll'ni t.:,rhcr-. ami they should no, l,. h.I
responsible Ihr cau-' resi- largely with th,.
parents. " b" krrp their children from school
{" assist them Ia their work about th, farm.
~ th' h'-,nnin-. "f thu ,.honl. ihr t,.,,hcr
may register -no.lly number. hut rhr AVER
a-' Il mad, small hl III, fr,yIilcn, absences
fnrrni- y h. ,ilur thr futur, Wcll-iriu. N
their chidr"n should suffer murt incun, cn-
i"nc' hrfor ,l-pri,n4 thrir Children 81 thu
mcs-rr schooling obtained IN th. rural districts
Daring the pl-i YEAR thirteen school, has,-
been taught by male and thr balance l.y female
trach"r-. The committee. have visited nrarlN
every school IN thr city Al h.a~t iwirr turing
each term. They are clad To report good prog
r., ia nearly all ~ them. IN thn-, districts
whcrc ia, least progress has b,rn mati,. isno-
ranr" and prcJu'licc on tllr part of the parents
haV' b'en thu principal cau-..
Parents lc-iru. ih- he-t results from our
school. will do well To y-i, them Frequently,
Show 10 pupil and teacher that they are lock
ing after them. The influence for cool can b,-
hardly oNer-c>tmaied They would learn al>r
that the conscientious teacher, position va
not always b-'l of roses and would hr H.
liable 10 rritic-.' AMI tind fault with their
mctho,i-
There are twenty-ninc >cho"l-hou-.'- in th,.
city. bu, very few of them arr iii places for
children t. stay in. The houses in districts l.
and ~ worthless. The inhabitants of ii--
trict 4. commonwealth erection of 4 huu-, lat
fall which j. now only partly completed. such
houses \, We have quite well supplied with
blarkboar,l-. maps and other school furniture.
To suppl, them better would be a,iornins
uglinc->. The scholars attending the several
schools have been well supplied with text
books and in eases where parents have been
unable 10 buy for their children they hay.
been furnished by the city.
You are aware that during the present win
ter the committee recommended. and Your
honorable Board adopted change in school
geographic, and spoilers. We were led to do
this for two very good reasons. First. tn.
books, viz; llarper's Biographies. are better
arranged. more correct and Of a later t,li-
ton than those displaced; and the >peller-
Harrington's. stand, without a rival. II *
BEING introduced very rapidly hy the towns
throughout the New England STATES. Our
second reason was for economy. These books
are to b. sold ~ long as used in our schools, at
price, at least fifty per cent. less than i. being
paid for the books displaced We feel tina, the
textbooks OF our common schools have cost
double what they ought. and that any action
which can cheaper them will BE- thankfully
received by those who have 10 buy them
The committee in closing this part Of their
report cannot forbear condemning the district
system. Under the school District system.
each district is district corporation with pow
er to elect it- own officers. employ teachers.
fix their compensation, and in all respect, to
manage their affairs they tit; leaving the
experimenting School Committee power to
- Hal l.a 4.