Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-08-04
FREE TEXT BOOKS Trial
8Des Moines School officers Well Sat.
isfed With the Past Years
Results.
First Year Proves the Idea is Both
Economical and Educationally
Beneficial.
supt. sheakley Talks About the
Experiment and Gives Some
Figures

Figures.
Z Ds Moines, Aug. 4.-Free text books
in the schools of the West Des Moines
district haveshad a trial of a year. SUI
perintendent Sheakley and members of
the board are more than pleased with
the experiment. and pronounce ii sue
cess, both from an economic and educa-
tional standpoint. Just at present the
district is receiving several thousand
volumes to be used in the parts of the
district recently annexed, the texts to be
the Same as We're in use last year in the
big west side district. The work of send
ing them out to the schools is progress
ing rapidly.
Superintendent Sheakley has kept
track of the cost of books, the enroll
ment and the number Issued to pupils,
and from his statistics has compiled
some interesting figures relative to the
cost of the system. To reporter he
said: Our experiment, tho it is but a
year old and represents the first cost Of
all the books in use, has demonstrated
to us the practicability of the plan and
ought to recommend the system to ey-
cry other district in the state as mon
ey saver. We expended a total of ST.
0S2..27 for text books last year, and the
cost per capita for supplying the aver
age enrolment was just Sl.1os. For sup
plies, which includes pens, pencils, pa
per, scratch pads, erasers, copy books,
etc, etc.,the cost to the district was ST.
728, or s0.41T per capita on the average
enrolment, or 80 cents on the total en-
rollme1t.
The figures regard as conclusive
and believe, despite the fact that last
year We We're compelled to supply and
pay for the books, that there is not a
parent in the district who will venture
to supply child with books in the old
way for what it cost the district per
pupil last year. But the books used last
year are practically as good as when
delivered into the hands of the pupils
and will be continued in use for from
three to five years before they will be
SO worn it will be necessary to discard
them. From tllis5it will be seen the first
cost should be divided by four SO as to
apportion the average cost per capita
over the number of years the books
| bought last season will be used. This
would make the average cost per capita
for supplying books about 42Ia cents.
but the cost of supplies would not be re-
tduced and will probably continue along
1 at the figures given for the first year be-
cause they are used up soon after be-
ling issued. 1t will be readily seen from
! 1.-THE figures quoted that from an econ
lomic standpoint, the scheme is a sue
cess and lean not urge objections to i,
along other lines. The parent who OPP
poses the system. when he comes to re
allie that it will cost the district but 4
lcents a year to furnish books and al
cents to furnish supplies where it for-
8merly cost him several dollars, ought tc
4 be satisfied.
Last Year We supplied books to only
6two-thirds of our pupils. because of the
Il fact many had books that We're included
4 in the adoption left over from the pre-.
ceding year and used them. This year
we Will supply these as, we'll az the pu.
pills included in the enrollments Of the
flour districts enrolled, SO that we will
Il be supplying books 10 about 5, 900 pupil.
lat the end of this ss,hool year. whereas
1.-The enrolment Of TIE district last year
was 5.40l and about one-third of these
We're not supplied. 1t will cost US abou
4 Sc 600 to complete Decentralization OF free
& text books this year and from this tim,
}on We figure that the average cost Il
1.-the big district Will run from s1,5O0 t
s., 600 a year. This is low figure wher
Il it is understood thatit will fully equiv
and provide about 5000 pupils for til,
Il work
The rules we impose, requiring tina
the pupils give the books the best o
care and the fines imposed for failurl
to preserve books. we find ars. Workin.
out we'll and we have but few case
where we consider it necessary to i'm
pose fines for abuses Of the system. NJ.
& sobservation leads me to believe that TIL
q pupils take much better care of dfstric
property than they would If the book
a fWere placed in their hands by parents
l feel satisfied that the better class o
Fl books will last us on an average o
five years. While the poorer, grade
should last three years, making the av
Il erage life of all books about four years
But many books will be SO Well care
Il for they will last even longer and l be
lieve our estimate of a cost of betwee
J $500 and $1,000 per year from now o
Icught to hold good. Z
Two car loads of books to be used i
supplying pupils who ere not sup
= piled a year ago and for USE in the an
nexed schools are now being receive
i land checked out to the several schools
Two or three clerklsare$ engaged in III
& work in the Offices Of the board and /
n the next few days they viii dispose q
several thousand volumes. 1t is expect
!. led the entire supply fox the enlarge
: district viii be on hand in the next fe,
/ days and apportiomed to the severe
/ schools.
! Items from Cedar Falls.
Special to Times Republican.
. Cedar Falls, Aug. delightful law
parties are now all the rage. A nun
Der have been held here this weel
> These gatherings, too. have their draw
) backs. Never in the history Of our cit
: have the pesky mosqui.o had sue
e sway in presenting their bills as {
3 these lawn and porch parties this sun
/. mer. There are some twenty familit
camping along the banks of the ceds
t that complain of the mosquito pests, $