The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-01-08
SOME EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS
Plans For School Improvement BY
Superintendent McfIahan.

tains the following interesting ex-
tracts from the forthcoming report OF
| Hon. John J. McMahan, State Supt. OF
Schools:
"The length OF school session is the
most conspicuous fact by which the
school work is Judged. Each one feels
satisfied with the school term as long
as his own neighborhood school is do
ing we'll and the average for the state
is no worse than last year. 1t cannot
ne too much impressed upon each leg
lslator. however. that if his ncighb0r-
mood school lasts nine months (or even
SIM 1t Is an exception, and that the
! state average. and even the county
average, rhnritably covers, as with "A
blanket, the nakedncss of the back
woods country school. Tabl one OF
the statistical part of this report will
show the length Of session and many
othc" facts for each school district in
each county. An examination Of these
details would aStonish men who have
the schools in the State are satsfar-
| tory. Such an examination is not usll-
ally made. This is unfortunate. Surely
the conScicnceS Of legislators would be
aroused if the facts were brought home
to their minds BY averaging separate
| ~ for the schools inside and those out
side OF incorporated towns we come
nearer to an idea of the difference in
schools within county"
Some averages are here presented in
tabular form. He shows ;ans OF the
2.602 white schools in the State, the
average number of weeks of school
| session is 21 weeks: of the 2.111 colored
| schools 1927 weeks. The white schools
in the county have an average length
OF session of 20.3 weeks and 2S.$ weeks
III towns. Colored schools 1876 weeks
in the county and 81 weeks in towns
| In some Of the counties the average
length Of the sessions of white schools
is as follows: Pickens 1876; Hampton
1871; Spartanburg 1873: Horny 1876;
Charleston 34.4; Fairfield 29.9: Chester
2S.5; Richland 24.9: williamsburg 1913.
| etc, etc.
TEACHERS SALARIES.
Continuing Mr.. McMahan says Of
teachers salaries:
''The quality of the teacher is of
more consequence than the number Of
weeks he teaches. NO report can prop
erly set forth the qualities of the
teacher but the salaries received for
| the session or year will afford some
| basis for judgment. | regret that |
have not the data for scperate aver
| ages of salaries for town and country
teachers in the State and in each coun-
ty. In table the average in each dis
trict is given. but the schools Of one
district are not always exclusively in
town or in country.
THE average annual salary of
teachers in the State in 3S counties re-
| ported is: White teachers, $l95.2S:
negro teachers, $79.4I.
In Horny county white teachers
averaged $94.49; some received nothing
| In Williamsburg the average was
$104.3O. While the average in Chester
field was $126.11; there were five dis
tricts having % teachers whose aver
age salary was less than $40. In Saluda
the average was $13O.42. District No.
| 26 had seven teachers averaging ST. .l3
| In Lexington the average salary was
| $l1l.I1: yet four teachers, each in 4
district having but one white school
! received less than 500 each.
LOCAL TAX CANNOT SUFFICE.
\ favorite defense against the de-
. mand for legislative appropriation
! 10 the public schools is the Specious
, argument that the extra tax which
each district is permitted to vote is
the way to good schools, and that each
community should be left to apply this
remedy for itself. levy a local tax.
! This tax cannot br depended upon
; by the legislature 1t is voluntary. and.
: therefore. VIII not DC lcNlcu nnl!!
community ii alive to its own needs.
The darkest places will remain IN dark
ness until light comes in from without.
! Moreover. some school districts where
the people are willing to make Sacri-
fees for education arc yet SO poor that
tn" heaviest tax permitted by the E.w
still falls short OF yic!uing tho am0un;
! required for good school. The list Of
districts with Il voluntary local tax is
IN honor roll. South Carolina seems
, TO lead all other southern states in the
I proportion Of such districts, TO hear
| total OF districts. The truth is, how
| ever, that the richer community uSu-
| ally lcvicS a moderate tax. which
yields large sum OF money because
of the corporate wealth in the town.
while the poorer community is willing
10 pay largely of its means. with but
an extra 3-mill tax, or even the lnaX-
imum imills. in addition to It's regular
revenues. such u district still has only
an inadequate school fund.-
SCHOOL. EXPENDITURES PER
PUPIL.
The average cost OF schooling pcg
pupil is OF great significance. il wc
should take as The basis OF comparison
the individual schools of certain cOun-
try districts and Of cities or prosper
oUs towns. But there is considerable
significance in the comparison of the
averages for certain counties and there
ii some interest in the comparison Ol
the average for the state in surccs'
%i"c years.
me average cost per pupil has beer
as follows: 1859, white $i.9S, Negro
s. -; 1900. white $5.55, negro $l.%0;
'90!, white $3.50 negro $1.3O: 1902
white $6.01. negro $153. Un 1899 ss
. counties we're not fully reported, fou,
ir 1900 and two in 1902
IS efforts to secure Il State appro
priation for the public schools have
thus far failed. The only form il
which such bill has passed the lower
house has been to provide an addition
al county tax. Some Of the representa-
tivcs OF richer counties are unwilling
that their counties should pay toward
The support OF the schools or "thc
: counties. The idea seems to prcVal
that counties are distinct and separate
in interest and responsibility. The OF
ri is