The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-20
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THE PAY OF TEACHERS--THE AVERAGE
ATTENDANCE OF SCHoLARs--THE
SCHOOL AGE.
The School Commissioner of Abbe-
Vile County Makes Many Susges-
tions of Vital Importance to the
panNuo

IcOUAcs
OFFICE OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONER
ABBEylLLE COUNTY,
ABBEvILLE, $. g., Jan. II, 1856.
The County Board Of Examiners have agreed
that the monthly pay of teachers shall be ac-
cording to grade Of certificate, or grade Of
school, as follows:
First Grade, Twenty-Five Dollars.
Second Grade, Eighteen Dollars.
Third Grade Ten Dollars
That the minimum average number of pu-
pills per month that shall entitle Il teacher to
full pay IN country schools shall be 10; in In
corpOratcd villages and towns 20. In cases
where the average number between the ages
of and 16 falls below the minimum the trus-
tees shall pay per capita share of the month
ly pay.
The following changes Of general import
ance to trustees and teachers have been re-
Gently made in the School Law:
|. Certificates granted by County Boards are
valid for years, and are renewable with or
without examination, ut the discretion OF the
said Boards.
2 1t shall not be lawful for any person who
is less than six or more than eighteen years OF
age, to attend any Of the free public schools.
The law requires the trustees to meet as ear
ly as practicable in the year, in order To locate
the schools and elect teachers. This ought TO
be done before the lst Of February of each
year, SO that by that time all the schools of
the district shall have been established and
all the teachers employed. No school ought
to he opened after the first week in February
unless under peculiar circumstances. The ap,
portionment Of the school fund to the several
school districts is made on the lst of February.
Or as soon thereafter as practicable. Unless
the trustees fix some limit to the time during
which they will contract with teachers OF pub
lie schools, they cannot know the number Of
teachers nor their grade In time to ascertain,
with the accuracy that the subject demands,
the length of the school term for their district.
The trustees, therefore, are urged to ascertain
as soon as the app ortionmcnt is made the
length Of the school term for their district and
report the same to all the teachers and to the
School Commissioner. The school term OF each
school of the same district, for the time 1t is
operated us Il public free school, should be the
same.
There has been q lcar defect in the admin
iStralion of the school law in respect to the To-
cation of schools. In some places the schools
are located too near each other. This distribu-
ton Of the forces and efforts Of community,
as wcil as the distribution of the public fund
has had the effect of shortening the school
term, and deprivihg such unfortunate COM
munties of the influence and advantages of
one good, we'll paid, well-eQuipped and well
sustained school. recommend to the trus-
tees the sentiment OF u distinguished com
mandcr who, when asked the secret of his
success, promptly replied, II concentrate my
f0rccS."
+ In some places, on the other hand, the
schools are too far apart. The effect has been,
probably, more disastrous than In cases where
the schools are too near each other. 1t has
leSsened, alarnlngly. the attendance in the
county schools, and, doubtless, smothcred the
spark of genius In many worthy youth.
This part OF the school law Is as difficult OF ad-
ministratiOn as it is Important. While the
law requires the trustees TO pay due regard to
any school house already built, or sites pro-
cured, it also requires them to have regard to
"othcr circumstances proper to be considered
so as best to promote the educational interest
of the district" am disposed to believe that
there are schools in the county that ought to
be removed from their present location, and
octo ohli Shpl in nlacpS accessible tn q larger
number Of children who are not now within
Il convenient distance Of any school. No two
public free schools for the same race ought to
I've within less than five miles Of each other.
tance from gOod school. 4 UerW JeW Oniy Will
be required to go even this distance, and they
can, surely, well afford to do SO, If. by having
and IN the r0lcieney ~ Of those that IRE ' Iave. Wv ~ "
1t Is q lamcntabe fact, known even to the
casual observer, that in some sections OF the
county there Is an increasing disposition. on
the part of parents, to shift the responsibility
of their children'S education from thcmsel yes,
where it properly belongs, to the public, where
it belongs only In cases of extreme. poverty
and misfortune, or wilful tglcct. They de-
mand that the public, which cXacts from them
q few dimes for school tax, Shall IN return edu-
cate their children, build and repair their
school houses, and even pay the incidcntal eX-
to be checked at every point, and especially in
the matter of building and repairing school
houses. It is a manifest injustice to the teach
crs to take any part of their already too small
salary and appropriate 1t to building and re-
pairing school houses. The school house Is Il
local matter, and the community ought to
build it at their own expense. The circum-
stances ought TO he very exceptional indeed,
which would induce the trustees to appropri-
ate any part of the public fund to building
and repairing school houses. / feel sure that
my views on this subjest will not be we'll re-
ceived but believe them to be right, and
that is sufficient reason for me to recon-
mend them to the earnest consideration of the
trustees.
The trustees will please see to it that tho
teachers monthly reports are properly filled
out, as the School Commissioners annual re-
port is based upon these monthly reports.
Any letter conveying suggestions and rec
concentrations to trustees is essentially dCfcc-
tive, that does not ask their hearty support in
the proper administration of the school law,
in raising the standard Of teachers ccrtit-
Gates, in increasing the efficiency of the
schools, in arousing an interest in the all-im-
pOrtant subject OF properly rearing and edu-
eating our children, and in making during the
short period of our office unmi$takable adj
vanccs all along our own lines In the grand
march of education.
Respectfully,
GEO. G. HODGES,