The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-09-20
Mr.. RH6E'S ANNUAL Talk
The Past Year the Most Progress
sive in the History of
County Schools.
Nearly Every District In the Coun.
ty Have Free Text Books
Heating, Etc.

uCIC ID oil w d.t SOAAlC AAcSA Noo LII
school reports for our people, who
are, after all, the makers OF our
schools. The school year just
closed is in many ways one OF the
best in the educational history of
the county. There were enrolled
in the schools 1880 pupils. 1t cost
for teachers wages $50, ,666. The
average for the county for females
is $33. 80 per month, for males $38.
These figures do not include Red
wood Falls or Lamberton. The
average rate of taxation in mills is
for Redwood Falls and Lamberton
IL mills. It will be seen that our
boys and girls do not attend school
after they have reached the age Of
16years. The divisions or groups
are as follows:
Pupils from to years.................1164
Pupils from to Is years.
Pupils from Is to q years............4l0
Total enrolment 1921
The average personal attendance
of each child in the rural schools
last year was only 81 days, against
the average personal attendance of
pupils in Redwood Falls and Lam
berton who attended 13Oidays. The
whole number of pupils between 8
and 16 was 1850. All these by law
should attend 60 days, yetonly 1882
did so. The city and village schools
made good record last year. So
did many rural schools. cannot
see how fathers and mothers expect
to educate their children if they,
the children, attend school only Al
days during a whole year. Ten
districts whose whole amount of
school last year was but 12O days
each, have for their pupils between
s and 16 years an average OF Al days.
No teacher, however good an in
structor she may be, can do salts
factory work for the pupil whose
record is like this. The schools all
over the county did as a whole last
year the best work. For next year
the following has been voted:
Is districts are to have mos. of school,
4S districts are to have mos. of school.
II districts are to have mos. of school.
10 districts are to have mos. of school.
3 districts are to have mos. of school.
This is the best record in the his
tory of the county. Never before in
the educational history of the
county have so many calls come to
this office for teachers who hold
first grade certificates. Eighteen
districts last year employed either
Normal graduates or first grade
teachers. This year the call has
come from 30 districts who want
first grade or Normal graduates.
This Office has been for weeks in
touch with the Normals of this
State, Wisconsin ana Iowa, seeking
teachers for rural schools at salar-
les of $40 per month and upward,
but they can t be had for all who
have called. The teachers seeming
ly can do better at other places or
in other fields. We must remember
that eight and nine months of SER
vice during year of II months is
not very remunerative. If one can
find steady employment for the year
at less salary, they are apt to take it.
Other fields just now are Offering
more money(and money seems plen-
tifuD to persons having ability
enough to secure certificates to
teach.
FREE TEXT BOOKS.
I'm not able to offer anything new
on this topic. Eighty seven dis
tricts loan free of charge all the
text books used by the pupils.
This certainly is expeditions.
LIBRARIES.
We have only IS public school
libraries in this county. We ought
to have "a. Some of our libraries
are good and are very helpful, but q
number contain books beyond the
range Of the pupils. Some of this
work is my own fault. A list is
now made containing 115 volumes,
which I think all will find helpful.