Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-15
FEWER SCHOOL CHILDREN.
Remarkable Showing Made in the
School Census.

School Census.
A decline in the number of children
of school age in Iowa is the remarka-
BILE showing made by the school CEN
sus for the year ending the third Mon
day in September, 1902 The general
summary of school statistics as COM
piled from this years school census
was made public yesterday by Super
intendent Barrett and it shows there
are nearly 1000 fewer children of
school age in the state than there were
a year ago. In 1901 the number of
children between 5 and q years was
735,159. This year tits 72s,s10.
Cause of the Decline.
Superintendent Barrett, in discuss
ing the decline in school population,
attributed it in large measure to de-
| fective methods of taking the school
census. He said: I'VE have investi-
gated considerably in this Office in or
der to get at the real causes for the
decline. have compiled the statistics
of thirteen of the counties separately
and intend to go through them ALL the
object being to see if there is loss in
any special county. / found in the
first thirteen counties in the state,
taking them alphabetically, there has
been slight increase. We have tried
to make special effort this year to
get an accurate census. Yet am rea-
sonably well satisfied there are seri-
Gus inaccuracies. One county super
intendent told me the sub-directors
did not keep books, showing the num-
Der of heads of families and the chill
dren of school age, and when it came
time for the annual census to be taken
the boards would meet and do little
more than make estimates of the
school population. Any such system
must of course be inaccurate. Then
there is another explanation that has
been suggested for the falling off. 1t
| is that in recent months many renters
have moved into the Dakotas and Min
nesota, and for this reason there
might be an actual falling off in the
school population.
| ''It is worthy of note that the actu-
al attendance has grown from 1913, SAT
in 1901 to 374,103 in 1902. I attribute
| this partly to the unusual efforts of the
county superintendent to secure regu-
lar attendance. In many districts
prizes have been onered for regular at
tendance, and this has had a good eff
feet"
| Other Features of Statistics.
The statistics are unusually com
plete this year and for the first time in
the history of the state show the num-
Der of children between the ages of Z
and Ia years. These figures have been
obtained under the compulsory edu-
cation law. They show that there are
about $4,000 more children between
the ages of and IA than the average
of daily school attendance.
! The figures on the number of vol
umes in school libraries are crafty
| ing. In 1900 there were 1874 800 vol
umes. In 1900 there were over 100,-
900 more and in 1902 the number fur.
Their increased over 100000, bringing
| the total to 554,110.
| AS to teachers wages it is shown
the compensation for male teachers in.
creased from $41.53 per month in 1901
to s43.66 in 1902. while the pay fol
female teachers decreased from $30.6s
in 1901, to $30.17 in 1902. This is the
| lowest since 1896.
The statistics show marked de.
crease in the number of teachers en-
rolled in normal institutes, both male
and female.
The total paid to teachers in the
state has been steadily increasing in
Iowa since 1896, when it was $685.
| 2S7. In 1902, as shown by the census,
it was $5,9S1, 652.
| The total expended on schools has
| Increased from $S,271, $50 in 1896 to So.
556,S90 in 1902.
| The report shows the whole number