Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-01-07

too far and purchased much useless
material This is especially true of
charts. Every school should be prOvid-
ed with a good reading chart which can
be purchased from any responsible
school supply house at a cost of less
than twelve dollars. No other chart is
needed and as far as | have been able
to ascertain no other chart has been
recommended by the state superinten-
dent or by the county superintendent.
The trouble seems 10 come through the
old complaint of the persuasive powers
of agents. 1t il safe rule not To pur-
chase supplies of any kind from a
strange agent. His goods, if necessary
to school work, can be secured at less
than half the agents price of reputable
business houses.
While the economy in school expen-
ditures is 10 be commended, there is an
excessive economy on the part of a few
school boards that withholds from the
schools many things which might be of
great benefit, and sometimes This very
economy becomes an extravaganza
through the waste of time resulting
from lack of necessary material. The
schools should bey and nearly all of the
schools are, supplied with reasonable
amount of needed equipment.
The reports filed in my office show
that many districts are in the habit of
carrying large balances from year to
year 1t seems to me that it is unnec-
essary for school districts to carry a
larger amount than is actually needed
for school expenses This is especially
true of districts having good buildings
and iull equipment. The amount of
money necessary to provide the usual
number of months of school and the
ordinary expenditures can be estinat-
ed very closely at the annual meeting
and it is constant source of trouble
and danger TO carry over from year to
year large sums as balances on hand.
The school fund income is double the
amount received last year. The county,
outside of the city, will receive
$29, 1873 10. As the county school tax to
be levied by the county board next No
vember is based on these figures and as
the state school money will be as much
next year as it is this, it will be safe to
figure that next year at least $5S, 900
will be received from these two sources
by the schools not including the city of
Wausau. This will exceed by about
$4,000 the amount realized by the dis
tricts from the same sources during the
school year l900-l901. Because of
these facts very material reduction in
the amount of the district school tax to
be voted at the annual meeting of July,
1902, can be expected. In fact some of
the older districts of the county will
doubtless have surplus without raising
IL district tax 1t is to be hoped that
where this is the case the surplus will
be devoted TO more months of school
and the employment of better teachers.
Finally, gentlemen, | desire through
the medium of this report to express
my sincere appreciation of the many
courtesies extended TO me by this hon
orable board, by the school officers,
teachers and school patrons of the
county The kindly feeling which
exists at the present time in all the de-
partments of the educational system of
Marathon County argues well for Our
future. At no time in the history of the
county has the outlook been better and
we can congratulate ourselves upon the
very excellent conditions existing at
the present time.
Dated at Wausau, Wis, Dec 81, 1901
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN +. LAMONT,
County Superintendent of Schools.