The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-01

General supplies Observation-Disclosures. 10 900
General repairs 81 observation-disclosures. 25 900
Free text books. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $1,000
Total .......................... $4,000
REHABILITATION.
Salaries of teachers. .......... 1858 500
Salaries of all teachers. ......... 80 $50
Night teachers and extra teachers.... $500
General expenses. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. $1,000
a<~ -. 81
IOtal Observation-Disclosures. 494, lou
The total amount asked fer-$494, $50
is about 1000 in excess of the sum
requested and allowed last year, which
was $477,250. The excess, however, is
not in the item of teachers salaries,
there being a decrease in this sum of
$4,000. Last year the board asked
for 1910, 200 for teachers salaries. Ref
erence to the foregoing reorganization
will show that the total amount re-
quested for the salaries of teachers,
including night school and extra
teachers, is only $360,000
The excess appears under the item
of general REPAIRS" for which the
sum of $25, 900 is asked instead of $10,-
600, as was the case last, year. There
is also an increase of 81, 000-making up
the total increase of $17,00O-in the
salaries of mechanics and laborers, to
pay which the sum of $4,000 is asked.
The increases it was explained, are
due to the dilapidated condition of
many of the school buildings, which
will render extensive repairs necessary
during the coming season. Inspector
Yoerg, who with the superintendent
of repairs, Mr.. Gerlach, has been in
specting the school buildings reported
ms Of
of repairs. The necessity of extensive
repairing caused the increase in the
amount needed to pay the salaries of
the mechanics and laborers.
The board, after approving the bud
get, ordered 1t to be submitted to the
common council.
A communication was received from
the teachers asking the board to in
clude in the tax budget for the coming
year sum sufficient to pay the balance
of the salaries due the teachers for the
year ending June 30, 1895. The board
recommended that the amount be in
serted in the tax estimate which is
made up in December
Inspector Scholle offered resolution
instructing the committee on text
books to purchase readers, arithmetics
and histories at an expense not to ex-
coed $4,000, the amount appropriated
by the common council for the pur-
chase of free text books. The resolu-
ton was adopted.
The board reelected Principal J. G.
Donnelly of the German school. and
reappointed. with two or three minor
changes. all the janitors, engineers
and firemen of the various schools.
The annual report Of Supt. Gilbert
was received and referred to Inspector
n ION Of ! a..
ST, PAUL, Mimi, July /, 1S9s.-To the
Board OF School Observation-Disclosures: I
nave the honor to submit my seventh annual
report, the same being the thirty eighth Of
the superintendent of schools of this city
Inc year just passed, the scholastic year
1896 49, has been year of struggle. Teach
ers have labored under great difficulties,
owing to uncertainty as to the future and
particularly to lack of suitable material. The
long continued financial stress is beginning to
affect the schools seriously.
uncertainty and unrest are conditions Of
mind which render the best work in the
schools absolutely impossible. AS I said
year ago, it would be vastly better to lower
the schedules, If 1t is absolutely necessary
TO save money, and then to live up to those
adopted, that teachers might feel sure of re-
ceiving the reward of faithful service in
the form of schedule advance from year to
year than to keep up the fiction of high sal
aries any longer.
1t is most unfortunate that the board does
not control its finances, for under the pres
ent law certainty can never be secured. When
the board has struggled with existing condi-
tons and with its wide knowledge of needs
and possibilities, have determined upon a
proper expenditure then the city council
with no such knowledge and often with
other interests than those of the schools tn
serve, can come in with the knife and COM
pletely destroy the wise plans of the board
The school board and the school officers will
certainly do their best to maintain the eff
cheney of our system. In this they have here
toforc been successful beyond expectation but
1t cannot continue forever. Unless we can
secure good school law which will place
give them necessary authority and unless
fair amount of money, reasonably uni !
form from year to year, can be secured no
man and no body of men can possibly pre-
vent our schools from retrograding. The ac-
ton of the late council, following the adj
vice OF the comptroller, in violating the ex-
pressed provisions of the law to the ex-
tent OF refusing to levy the tax which the
law requires for educational purposes, i'm
peTils the dearest interest of this CITY and
untcss the present council steps In ard rem
eoies the evil, or unless moneys ara taken
from other funds, do not see how the |
schools can be kept open during the en-
tire schcol year.
It is true that the board might have cut |
and kindcrgartens, and thus have possibly |
saved money enough to keep the remaining |
schools open throughout the year, but they |
have wisely decided to maintain the inteeritv
OF the system and to let the responsibility for |
the injury fail where it belongs. The peo- |
pie Of st. Paul, whose school system has |
been 20 them matter Of pride, do not want /
u MANNED or destroyed, and I have faith to |
believe tsat they will not endure any such |
course from any body of officials.
The fact tina. greater injury has not been I
done is due 10 the extraordinary fafthfuIness |
ami zeal at the teschers To them fha |
parents CT the children of this city owe 4 /
great debt. because they have not lost heart |
nor I9Serci t;leir standard of work in ths
q -<t
seas.hers have continued during fha nasf
year iher Efforts at sela-tmprovernrrt at
.he.c o-yn expense, and have maintained aha
teachers assscsa,i'sn az q point OF great en-
cheney. THIS serciatinH's chief wurl h.e /
isnsS' n organizing The teachers' library. This
tacy pesa-i n rooms IN tia basement of
- ai:''. srsa"l hatld:Eg, which tina board |