The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-09
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Annual Report Of The School Com
mittee to the COnncil.
CONDITION OF THE SCHOOLS GEN.
ERALLY PRONOUNCED Salts
FACTORY.


Increased Expenditures for Free Text
Books-Changes in tho Course of
Study-The Manual Training Schoolv-
Cooking Schools Recommended-New
School House Needed on Munjoy-
Evening Schools Largely Attended.
The school committee submits the fol-
lowing report for the past year. I he
report is drawn by Mr.. George H. Allan,
member from Ward z:
To the Citizens of Portland:
In compliance with the laws of the
State we hereby submit our report of
the progress and condition Of your schools
for the years 1894-95, together with the
report of the Superintendent of Schools
and minor reports. E s
APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPENDI-
TURES.
The total amount of money assigned
by the city government for the support of
your schools for the fiscal year beginn-
ing April LIST, 1894, was in round num-
bers $15s,00O. Deducting from this
amount S37, ZOO designed for permanent
Improvements, there remained the sum
of SOL, 900 for current expenses. This
sum was made up as follows: salaries
OF teachers, ST, 600, repairs $4,000, TEXT
books 1900. manual training So, 600,
evening schools $500, kindergarten $500,
Deaf School $1,000, the balance being for
incidental expenses, Janitors, fuel, etc.
The total amount of money allotted by
the city government for all municipal
purposes for the same period was about
1898, 00O The amount, therefore, assigned
for the current expenses of ysur schools
for, the year was about IL per cent of the.
total amount set apart for MUM eipal
* purposes. ~,
The amounts thus specified have in the
4 main been sufficient for the purposes in
4 tended, except that for text books, which
s however, occurs from conditions not
within the control of your board. II
(, Will be rernem bered that the legislature
& of 1889 compelled cities and towns to
z furnish pupils with all necessary text
= books. This city, through your school
board, complied with this law in 1890 by
Z purchasing full supply of the books then
needed to take the place of those fur
nished by the parents, costing in the
neigh borhood of 10000 dollars. From
1890 to the beginning of the present
school year there have been purchased
only what books were needed to keep
our schools at proper standard of efficen-
cy at an average annual cost of about
1000 dollars per year. When the last es-
Inmates for school purposes were made
up by your board in April, examination
Of the text books showed that large
mum her were entirely worn out and
would have to be replaced at once, and
i
condition that they would have to be
replaced during the year. This, with
necessary additions, rendered II large eX-
penditure imperative. Your board, there
fore, estimated that an appropriation of
$500 would be required. The city gov
eminent, however, appropriated $4,000,
an amount equal to the average annual
expense of books for 1S3l-92-e3. During
the year there has been expended the
sum of S4029.9 %, an amount closely ap-
proximating the original estimate of the
board. Other changes and additions
from the same cause will be necessary
the coming year, for which estimates of
the amount required will be duly fur
nished your representatives. 1t is sub
lnitted, however, that full consideration
lis received for this. expenditure in the
Increased attendance and in the better
land more efficient services rendered by
your schools than could possibly be done
sUnueF GlH GU Sy sbGHl. SCI
., n COURSE OF STUDY
With regard to the internal care and
management of your schools, we report
g year of steady growth and improve
ment. AT the beginning of the year the
first matter demanding the attention of
the board was the revision of the course
of study in. the grammar schools. TO
make this revision a subcommittee was
appointed from the board. which made
q careful examination of the course AS
then pursued and reported that while it
was in the main admirably adapted to
its purpose, it was desira BILE that the
subjects be curtailed and rearranged, SO
as to gain time, without overcrowding,
for closer study of English and for the
later enrichment of the course by the
ADDITION of such other studies as expert
ence should prove to be adapted for
broader educational discipline. To this
end the course in history, which prior
to the revision had been commenced in
the third class was transferred to the
second, and American History substi-
tuted for the English of the first class,
and Eng lish History carried to the High
School. The study of Arithmetic was
shortened by passing over obsolete sub
JeCts and the whole made more practical
and correlated SO far as possible with the
work i'll manual training. More time
was allotted to the study of geography
under improved methods of instruction,
and still more for practice in English
Composition. To this will be added the
study of Elementary Physics and Ma
ture Studies, full details of which will
be found in the report of Superintendent
Lord hereto appended.
MANUAL TRAINING.
The course in Manual Training has
been extended from the first and second
classes of the Grammar Schools to the
THIRD class, ana SO arranged that each
pupil receives three years of uninter-
rupted exercise in the training of the
hand. To carry forward this increased
work another teacher was secured. MIR.
George ID. Babb OF Windham, Maine, who