The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-15
THE SCHOOLS OF THE COUNTY.
AN Interesting and Suggestive IssS by
School Commissioner KSfer.

which have been supported either
wholly or in part by public funds. In
good number eff communities the
patrons have helped considerably by
private subscription to better the con-
Gition of their schools. The average
public term for the year has been three
and four-fifths months, but the term
in some districts has been much longer
than in others, due mainly to the
small number of schools in the long
term districts. 1t should be the aim Of
trustees, therefore, to have as few
schools as possible, otherwise the term
will be short.
GIGS pupils have been enrolled during
the year, an increase over the session
of lSS9-90 of 763. This increase is graf
| flying, but we hLi. to see it larger still
in the coming session.
The average attendance has been
$3.50, or about 6l per cent of the total
enrolment. This average is rather
low and should have been as much as
IS per cent. The schools are open dur
ing the winter months, however, and
the weather is often 50 bad that it IS
impossible for the children to attend
school.
One hundred and nineteen teachers
have been at work, of whom Al were
males and IS females; 65 held first
grade certificates, Is second grade, 4
third grade, and 19 were licentlates.
1t will lie seen fron this that our
schools are fast falling into the hands
Of the women of our country, and how
necessary then is it for them to have
educational advantages equal to those
of men.
During the year more school claims
have been paid when presented to the
treasurer than in any previous year.
| Of the twelve districts under the con-
troll of the County Board of Examiners,
six are Oh a cash basis and pay their
teachers at the end of each month.
The remainder pay only part in cash:
The total amount of claims approved
and ordered paid by the school com.
| missioner and chairmen of boards OF
| trustees in the three special districts
has been ll,090.55. The average pay
of male teachers has been S2O.62, that
of females S2l.06. The small monthly
salaries are due to the number OF low
grade teachers employed.
There are about one hundred oulld-
ings in the county used for school pur-
poses, and only eleven of these are
owned by school districts. The condl-
ton of a great many of them, might
safely say one-half, is very poor, utterly,
unfit for school houses. have urged
trustees il many districts to better the
condition of their school houses, and
in several instances they have done so.
They have only a limited amount OF
money at their disposal, however, and
cannot do as much as they would like
to. The people who send to the schools
should provide comfortable buildings.
During %he year we have had talr
corps Of teachers in the schools, but
there IS room for Improvement IN this
"espect, and this improvement IS De-
coming manifest more and more every
year. Cut teachers want, and have a
right to expect, the hearty support OF
the people for whom they work, and
when they get this support, when they
find that their efforts are being appre-
ciated, they will work the more dill
gently TO prepare themselves better Tor
the schoolroom. Yes, we want earn
est, energetic and progressive teachers
in our schools, and the way to get
them is to show them that by doing
their duty they will be literally sup
ported. The County Teachers Assocl-
alton, which meets monthly, has done
much to improve our teachers, and the
County Institutes held here have also
done much good. The teachers are
more interested in these meetings than
ever before, and this is surely sign OF
progress. The people Of the county,
| other than teachers, are also becoming
interested IN the association work, and
this is also encouraging. ~
In September, 1SSs, the County
Board of Examiners adopted list of
text bookst0 Be used in the common
I schools. Before that time each school
had righc to use such books as IT
might think best. The County Board
could recommend, but this was ABOUT
as far as they could go. Since 1883,
they have more authority, and can en-
force the use of certain books IN the
schools. No teacher should be allowed
| to use books not on the State list,
adopted by the State Board of Exam
liners in 1883. A result of this has been
| that the schools of the county, with
few exceptions, are using the same text
books. The books adopted IN 1888 can
not be changed before 1898.
There are a few difficulties with
| which the school authorities have to
contend, and one of the greatest IS that
we have too many schools in some pol
tions of the county. The best way to
| lessen the number is to make the dis
tricts smaller. Townships are now
used as school districts, and the dis
trictsare entirely too large, with!the eN-
ception of the fourspecial districts. The
| Count Board of Examiners would
probably have redistricted the county
this year, but they had no funds for
the purpose. I think that the Legls-
| lature should pass an act giving the
| County Board the authority to use
funds for the purpose of dividing the
whole county, or such parts or IL as
they may think best, into smaller
school districts. These districts should
be about four miles square, and should
| have only two schools each-one for
white and the other for colored chill
| dren. Smaller districts are desirable
for several reasons: the trustees would
attend TO their schools better, the
school buildings would be more COM
| Portable, the poll tax would be IN
| creased, the enrolment of pupils would
be greater, and more interest IN the
schools would be felt generally.
Another serious drawback to popular
education in our county, IS the small
amount of money collected for school
purposes. During the year 1SS9-90
there was not as much as s. paid for
each pupil enrolled in the public
schools. This is not enough. 1tshould
be at least s. per pupil. If this much
We're appropriated, schools would run
six or eight months each year, and q
a shorter term than six months can
not meet the wants Of the people. And
right hore | would say that | believe
that the day is not far distant when
the common schools of the State will
be run entirely by public funds. The
present system is not efficient, and
must, ere long, give way TO L better one.
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