The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1903-07-17
Consolidated Rural Schools.

Probably the most persistent advo
cate of the Capitalization of rura
schools in this state is Prof Geo. P
Glenn, superintendent of public in
struction for Duval county, where he
has inaugurated the system and
where it has resulted not only in bet.
ter schools, and larger attendance
but in a saving of money.
In recent address before the
teachers in attendance upon the sum
mer school at the university chapel
Athens, Ga, Prof. Glenn made q
powerful plea for rural school con.
solidation and gave the following ii.
lustration of the system as now in
vogue in Duval county,,
"There were, six years ago, in Du-
val county, Florida, forty-five rural
schools of one teacher each, for white
children, established by former ad.
ministrations. The work of these
schools in general was unsatisfactory
and the per capita of expenses ran SO
high in many of them that the pres
ent administration determined to re-
/ duce them in number to fifteen
schools of three teachers each. In
choosing sites for the centralized
schools, the ones having the greatest
number of school children within a
radius of one and half miles have
been preferred. This distance was
chosen as legal distance, the law
fixing the distance at which schools
must be established. Five of these
accommodating the children Of about
GO to 100 square miles of territory.
wAGoNETTEs USED.
The concentration of children into
these new schools Is accomplished
by wagOnettes, especially designed
for the purpose, and provided by the
board Of public instruction at public
expense. They are of such capacity
as to carry eight, ten, twelve, four.
teen, sixteen, eighteen and twenty
pupils, respectively, and cost from
$40 to 800 each. Twenty-seven of
these comfortable vehicles are now
running at an average cost of $22 per
month. These twenty-seven convey
ances enabled us to close twenty-four
of the old one-teacher schools, the
current cost of which had previously
been not less than $45.50 per month
for each.
"Hence the transportation system
now in operation produces a current
saving of $462 per month over the old
method. Taking from this 1925, the
increase in salaries for eight assis-
tants, and there is still left net saw
ing of $237 per month, which will
pay for twenty wagonettes annually,
if the term be only six months, or it
will lengthen the term of the schools,
or we can devote as we see fit.
SAVES MONEY.
1.-THE number of teachers is reduc-
ed, and in one district where six
tea achers were doing the work, now
three are doing it a great deal better.
Financially, therefore, the transpor-
tation in Duval county is very de-
cided success. Professionally there
seems to be nothing Objectionable,
and of the many advantages the fol-
lowing are the most important:
"The teachers work is so well Or
ganized that the average recitation
period is trebled. In the state of
Florida the teacher must teach five
hours, or 300 minutes, and most of
them are inclined to teach the limit;
with thirty to forty recitation periods,
making eight to ten minutes to the
recitation, which is a farce. | don't
wonder that the parents are dissatis-
fled and want change the next year.
With ten minutes to the recitation
all that the teacher can do is to hear
what the pupils have or have not
learned, and she does not do that
well.
GROwN-UP PUPILS
"The country maiden may contin-
ne her education without fear of
molestation by vagrant vagabonds,
and the youth prolongs his school
days because he can progress. When
u girl reaches her teens, in many
parts of the country, she ceases to go
to school, because her father thinks
it inadvisable for her to get out of
his sight or out of reach of his shot
gun. When / used to visit my
schools in the country districts |
would find few, if any, girls IN school;
now / find young ladies in those
schools nearly twenty-one years old.
And / find young men there who are
at least as tall, if not taller than ]
am, who are seeking to increase their
knowledge, and now, under this sys-
TEN, they are able to do this.
"The average attendance is in
creased 1919 per cent, giving a cores
pondimg increase of school funds from
the state. Many children, formerly
so isolated as never to have access to
any school, are now accommodated.
They are the best bidders for the
of the wagonettrs, those who
are far off on the outskirts of the
districts. for they take their own
children and all the others between
This system has been advocated in
Putnam county, especially by Mr..
L. X. Tucker, one of the county
school board.
BY cave in of rock at the Jesse
phosphate mine at Wade last FRI
day q miner named William John
son had his arms and legs broken,