Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-29
Features Of Superintendent
Luce's Biennial Report.
indications Of Marked improvement
Throughout the State.
Recommendations for Future Legislation and
Argument Tor Annual Reports.

duction Mr.. Luce says concerning the
law prescribing biennial reports for the
school department: "The annual reports,
heretofore made, have served two impor
tant purposes which the biennial cannot
serve, or can serve only in part. They
have served as q medium through which
the superintendent could annually give
such advice, suggestions and informa-
tion to the local school officers, as seemed
to him important. To serve this very
important purpose of the annual report,
this last year other means have had to be
adopted. The information, advice and
suggestions, made necessary by the rad
ical change in the management of the
common schools, consequent upon the
abolition of the school district system,
have had to be given to local authorities
through the medium of series of circu-
lars, the cost of the printing and distribu-
tion of which cannot have been much
short of what the printing and distribu-
tion of the usual report would have been.
If the purpose of the Legislature in pro-
yiding for biennial in place of an an
nual report, were to save expense to the
State, that purpose has hardly been re-
alized in experience, and especially SO
since biennial report must necessarily
contain double the statistical matter of
an annual.
Another and hardly less important pur-
pose of the annual report has been to give
help to teachers. To this end and in ac-
cordance with that provision of law
which requires the superintendent ito
prepare and cause to be printed and dis
tributed such portions of the proceedings
of State Institutes or teachers conven-
tions as he deems important in the fur
therance of education each of the
annual reports has hitherto contained
considerable body Of valuable pedagogical
matter, made up from the papers and
reports of our State Pedagogical Society.
Our best teachers have been glad to
secure these reports, which have been
distributed through our county teachers
associations; and it is certain that their
work in the schools has been improved
thereby. The cost of printing and distri
buting such matter in separate annual
pamphlets would be so much in excess of
what it has cost hitherto, that it has not
been, and probably will not hereafter be
deemed best to do SO.
two purposes, has only for its purposes to
show, by statistics, the condition OF the
schools at periods of two years each, and
to suggest legislative remedies for defects
in system and management. 1t has not
half the real value of the annual, while
the cost to the State is little. If any, less
can but think that the Legislature
providing for it was q serious mistake,
=. and should be repealed. 1888
The Common Schools.
The decrease in attendance upon the
common schools the past as compared with
the previous school year was 396S; the
decrease in the whole number of differ
ent scholars attending during the year
$40; decrease in average registered atten-
dance per term for the year 4431. There
was decrease in average length for the
year of two days; decrease in aggregate
number of weeks per year 1866. There
was an increase of 70 in the number OF
male teachers for spring and summer
terms but decrease in fall and winter
terms of 159. The number of female
teachers in spring and summer terms de-
creased PA and in fall and winter terms
436. There was an increase of 1873 in the
number of teachers continued in the same
school during the year, also an increase
of "a in the number who had had previous
experience: an increase of "a in number
who had graduated from normal schools.
The average wages of male teachers
excluding board show an increase over the
previous year of ga and of female teachers
$l92 There was expended for free text
books in 1884, $50, 6S2, and the previous
year S75, $50, showing decrease OF SIS,
s74. In the whole number of different
schools, 4706, there was decrease OF 80
while in the whole number of graded
schools, 1889 an increase of II is noted.
The number of towns and plantations
having the unit or town system is l6s,
or II more than the previous year.
Under the head of resources ana ex-
penditures it is noted that the amounts
available from town treasures is SsO2,
144, an increase of s131, 592 over the pre-
vious year, while there was an increase
in the amount available from the State
treasury, s5O6, ,O03, Of s34, 94s. There was
also an increase of $4,000 from Local
funds and an increase in the tota
current resources, 81, 4S5, ,05s, OF sl94' 44s
while the increase in total current ex
penditures was $179,6S1.
A part of the large decrease IN th'
number of children may perhaps be partl!
explained from misunderstanding OF tht
law relating to school age In SUMMING
up Supt. Luce says:
"It is unfortunately true that, while TN
population of our State has been siowi.
increasing during the last two decades
the number of children has almost con
stantly decreased from year to year our
ing the same period. And with this ue
crease in the number of children Tn,
schools have been growing smaller any
hence less efficient, especially the rura
schools. To the first Of these conditions
the constant diminution in the numpel