The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-05
Sources of Revenue for School
Purposes In St. Paul and
the Different Ways
to Increase 1t.

| to, in its appropriations for school pur-
poses, is wholly inadequate to meet
the requirements of our rapidly ex-
pandfng public school system New
school buildings are required in sew
eral sections of. the city, notably in
the Second ward and also the Seventh
| and Eighth wards. The board of school
| inspectors, in it's last annual report
estimated that $780, should be ap-
propriated within the next three years
| for new school buildings and a further
sum of about $50, 900 is urgently needed
for repairs and permanent improve
ments. Many of our schools are unsan-
ltary, ill-ventilated and overcrowded,
some of them averaging over fifty pu-
pills to a teacher. Further retrench-
ment has become impossible without
seriously impairing the present excel
| lence and efficiency of the schools, the
| just pride Of all our citizens. Yet such
is the inadequacy of school revenues
that nothing can now be appropriated
for new buildings nor for any but the
most indispensably-n needed repairs and
| Improvements. The laudable project
of provision for free text books out
of the school revenues had to be aban-
doned as utterly hopeless.
For the establishment of free text
book system, Minneapolis, during the
total of $103,2 46.55, making yearly
average of s20,e49.31.
Night schools In st. Paul have been
dispensed with for number of years
past, manual training has been elm
mated from the curriculum Of the
primary grades and the corps of teach
ers has perforce been reduced In num-
bers, in the face Of constantly in
creasing school attendance.
THE CAUSES OF THE EVIL.
In order to provide an efficient rem
edy. 1t is proper to consider the causes
which have led up to the present state
Of public school finances. Those causes
are not far to seek.
They may be summed up as, first a
rapidly increasing population covering
a vast expanse Of territory. Secondly,
the natural decay and deterioration of
buildings and instrumentalities. and the
Supersedure of the latter, resulting
from the mere lapse of time and the
| constant progress in educational meth
DDS and falicities. Thirdly, the general
decline in values attributable to alb
normal economic conditions and result
ing in the material reduction Of the
taxable valuation of property in this
city.
The first cause Of the stringency of
| the pupiic schooi finances. that or the
constantly growing school attendance,
is grapnlcaiiy Illustrated by compare
tive table contained In the last report
OF the board of school inspectors. From
this 1t appears that during the last ten
years there has been a steady
INCREASE IN ENROLMENT
of ,,,,,,;I, sro,,, 10 goo ;,,1eoo 90 :. 90 7oo
=, 1eoe 30 AZ 80 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ 100 an iiioi ease Vi over 1o'ooo IN
the number OF pupils during period OF
exceptional financial stress.
Year 1890 1895. 1893 1899
Average daily
Sattenoance 1884 1881 1859 1915
teacbar, u .so 59a .e sac
Average salary
of teachers. .ssS7 so 1891 20 5000 rs
Average attend
ance per teach
er 1870. az 2sT 342 S6.z
salary Of
u renJners per
age attend
ance) ......... 1854 90 s5 IL Sl7 to .......
II should be noted that the figures In
the foregoing table include special in