Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-07-30

The above table shows eight teachers
in the primary schools, having an average
attendance of nineteen pupils each and
one with au average of six.
In school properly graded COM
petent teacher can easily teach school
numbering forty-fve pupils. This sys-
tenn of classification would of itself reduce
the cost of teaching in those schools more
than one-half. The total cost of tuition,
per pupil, based on the enrolment, in the
primary schools was $3.50. The cost of
tuition for the same grade of schools in
the following cities of the state of Ohio
was as follows: Canton, $1015; Chilli.
Gothic, $1O.S6; Cleveland, $12.S9; Cincin-
natl, $3.50: Columbus, $14.O9; Dayton,
1895; Hamilton, $1,000; Ironton, $500;
Lima, 1856; Mansfield, 1891; Massillon,
1913; Newark, 1854; Portsmouth, $3.50;
Springfield, $12.O5; Steubenville, $1O.77;
Sandusky, $11.5S. From the above list
it will be seen that the cost of schooling
is less than that of this city in all cases
except the city of Cincinnati. None of
these cities have as small a population as
this city. All of them have finely graded
schools.
| The wages of teachers are generally
graduated by scale having for it's basis
the number of years of experience had by
the teacher in graded schools. Appren-
tees in school work can not be expected
to do as good work as those who have had
experience.
I find from the treasurer's books and
from the minutes of the hoard that the
cost of the various items of school ex-
pense were as follows, to wit: Teachers
salaries, $500; janltors, $685.; repairs,
$3.50; rent, $462.95; supplies, $96.50;
coal and wood, $251, and other uneru
merated expenses making total for the
school year of $9,1OO99.
The monthly pay roll for the last four
that of the preceding six months. The
expense of teaching the schools for the
next school year need not exceed that of
the last four months in the ratio of ex
pense for all purposes.
The last four school months we're the
subject of an experiment in which the
number of teachers was diminished by
nearly one-half and two school houses
were abandoned. 1t was found prac-
ticable if not altogether convenient to
send the children from the Bird and 4th
wards to the LIST and End wards respect
lively. The success of the measure sug-
gests the possibility of further changes
in that direction, looking to better
system of grading the schools The
same experiment has been made with
success in the experience of the writer in
a city where the distances were greater
and the climate very much more severe.
The first thing to be done after the
board gets out of its present financial
straights is to build a school building in
a central location where all the schools.
can be collected together and the system
of classification can be perfected. There
are about ten natural grades now in the
schools and this number will increase to
twelve in due course of time as the high
school develops. At least eight of these
grades are taught by two teachers in the
End ward and by three in the LIST ward.
All these grades are taught by two teach
ers in the schools taught by the Sisters
of Loretto. The teachers have all done
good work, but it is evidently manifest
that the best work could not be done
under such circumstances. The children