St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-24

u s11, ,5O6 SO
Purchases of fuel and supplies for the
schools are made annually by a commit
tee, composed of the mayor, city treas
urer and president Of the common coun-
} Gil, upon competitive bids, invited by pub
for determining whether fuel delivered is
Of the quality purchased, or of the quaint
I 1ty billed for by the contractors.
/, ..ar,cr r. ~ TEXT. BOOKS. ~.-1 - -,'
These are prescribed by the school
board.
; During the past five years the follow
t ing changes of books previously in use
: have been adopted:
On Aug. 2S, 1894, Smell G Fowler's first
book in Latin was substituted for Jones';
+ on June 5, 1895, the text books in each
branch, for use in the primary and in
termediate schools were made uniform, by
the adoption for each branch of some one
book already in use; on Sept. 5, 1895,
Walsh's Grammar School Arithmetic,
parts 1 and 2, were substituted for Rob-
inson's, for use in the higher grades, and
Carhart C Chute's Physics was substitute
ed for Cages, for use in the central and
Cleveland high schools. The text books
now used are practically uniform
Z throughout the schools, which is an i'm
portant measure of economy.
CONCENTRATIONS.
In considering the subject of possible
changes in this department, the commit
to the schools and to the present officers
and teachers; and with the purpose of
maintaining high standard of excel
lence and efficiency in the educational
department. Nearly every member of the
committee has been or is patron of the
schools, and directly interested in having
them what all good citizens of the place
would like them to be. Our conclusions
are as follows:
1. The school hours in all schools
ShOnld he increased tn SiY school hov
The number of pupils per teacher
| should Immediately be increased to forty
five, and ultimately to fifty, based on
average enrolment. This would require
from forty to forty-fve pupils, as the av-
erage attendance is about that much be-
low enrolment, and the work of the
teacher is limited to scholars who come
time.
Considering the scale Of teachers salar-
les in st. Paul, which compares favorably
with the average incomes from other
skilled occupations that demand exertion
throughout usual business hours, on
be entirely fair and reasonable to ask a
teacher to instruct from forty to forty
FIVE pupils six hours per day, for 1856
days in the year. Your committee would
not consider 1t quite reasonable for a
teacher to expect to do less for her money.
Our school buildings should be arranged
to seat an average of fifty pupils in each
room; and room SO seated. with an en-
rolled pupil assigned to each seat, should
be regarded a unit, for the purpose of
computing the number Of teachers re-
quired. Such a school, kept in session
six hours daily, while not causing any
undue draft upon the teachers physical
ly and mentally equipped for so well-paid
place, should not be so numerous as to
deprive any pupil Of the attention re-
quired. Naturally, it will not be con-
venient to arrange school attendance so
/ that the number enrolled may be precise
ly divisible by fifty; but that number can
be used as an average. In thirty of the
larger schools principals are employed; !;
and these might we'll do such class work
as should be required to make fair dis
tribution of the work of the school among
all the teachers, on the basis suggested.
At the outset, an enrolment of forty-five
might be a standard, and the number in
[ creased afterwards to fifty, with the in