The record-union., 1896-01-07
~ uP-TO-DATE sYsTEM.
sacramento. January s. 1S!

AN UP-TO-DATE SYSTEM.
Sacramento, January g. 1896.
To the Hon. Board of Education of
the City of Sacramento-Gentlem I
herewith submit my second annual re-
port of the progress and condition of
the public schools of this city for the
year ending December 81, 1895, together
with such recommendations as to my
mind would serve to the best interest
Of the schools.
Our schools have kept step with the
rapid advance of our city during the
year Of 1895. Much Improvement to
school property has been made and the
department has been enlarged by the
addition Of kindergarten schools, the
formation and addition of new classes
and a marked increase in the attend
ance in all departments. The total en-
rolIment this year is 442 more than that
of last year.
KINDERGARTEN SCHOOLS.
On January 1, 1895, this board as
sumed the support and control of four
kindergarten schools, as follows: The
Sacramento, at Second and O; the
Froebel, at Seventh, G and H; the Mar
guerite at Twenty-third and K, and the
Orphan Asylum, at Protestant Orphan
Asylum, Nineteenth and K.
For some years previous to that time
these schools were known as the United
Kindergartens, and were successfully
conducted by board of lady managers,
who kindly gave to this board their or
ganization and all the apparatus then
in use by the schools. This board has
good reason to be well satisfied with
its action in adopting these schools as
IL. II \. M
of this city. They have met with public
favor and the enrolment is increasing
rapidly.
1 would recommend that as soon as
possible this board establish a kinder
garten school in the south central part
of the city building suitable for that
purpose should be built on the lot be-
longing to this board on o street, be-
tween Ninth and Tenth.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
There has been an unusual increase
both in the enrolment and average at
tendance in this department, two new
classes have been formed during the
year Two new classrooms were added
to Jefferson Primary School, at Six
teenth and n streets, which supplied
a long felt want there, to add another
fourth and fifth grade class to that
school, and avoid the necessity Of hav
ing to transfer half the pupils of those
grades to another primary school build
ing every year.
1t is my opinion that this board acted
wisely in making provision to lengthen
the time of the first and second grades
for their daily work, which will forever
do away with the halliday classes at
the end of the present school year.
Then will these grades command and
receive teachers of experience, fitness
and ability, who will be content to re-
main in that part of the work-a part
that should be more closely guarded
than any other, and which at the pres
ent time is subject to a change of teach
ers every time there is a vacancy in
any part of the schools.
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
One notable feature of this depart
ment is the increase in the number of
boys enrolled in the ninth grade. A few
years ago less than twenty-five per
cent of the enrolment in the ninth
grade was boys now there is over forty
per cent. 1t is to be expected that the
time is not far distant when the sexes
of the graduates of our grammar
schools will be equal
HIGH SCHOOL.
This year, for the first time in the
history of our high school, the boys
outnumber the girls in the senior
grade. 1t is so well known to this board
that l feel it hardly necessary for me to
remind you of the fact that our high
school has far outgrown the building.
Notwithstanding that two rooms were
enlarged last year and one new one
fitted up in the basement this year,
the school is now crowded to a great
disadvantage. We have endeavored to
rent outside room as a relief, but could
not satisfactorily do SO. The enrolment
in this school this year is sixty-five
more than it was last year, and we
have good reason to believe that there
VIII be as great an increase next year.
l would therefore recommend that
this board ask for sufficient tax levy
this year for a new high school building
equal to the growing demands of our
high school, and at the same time be a
credit to the city. An elegant and
greatly needed physical laboratory has
been added to this school this year.
NIGHT SCHOOL.
This school has grown rapidly in IA
vor by supplying a need much felt in
TINS city. Inc enrolment IOF DeCem-
ber, 1894, was 3d. and in December,
1885, 132. You viii find in this school
boys, girls, men and women who have
not the opportunity to attend day
school, and are not found here for pas
time, but for knowledge, good, useful,
practical knowledge. Many of the
faces found here at night may be seen
in the stores and workshops of our city
during the day.
Beside the common branches taught
in this school, are bookkeeping, stenog-
raphy, type-writing and mechanical
drawing The class in mechanical
drawing was formed at the beginning of
the present school year on trial, and 1
must report that it has proven a sue
cess far beyond the most enthusiastic
expectation. There are now more appli-
commodated on account of room.
COURSE OF STUDY.
The trend of this board has been. as it
should be, toward simplicity and not
complexity in the curriculum of our
schools. The State law has been made
the boundary line.
1t should be understood that in pre-
pairing course of study that every
child cannot be exactly suited. Our
present course of study which is to be
completed in the grammar school, and
which is calculated to give the pupils a