The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-18
SHORT STORY IN FIGURES
What II Has Cost to Run the Schools
For Seven Years.
Current Fund Does MOI Hold Up to
the Paint II Should.
Feared That Increased Tax Levy Must
Made This Year.
Manual Trailinu Has Cost the District
Manual Training Has Cost the District
$500 Per Year.
From Wednesdays Daily.

During the past seven school years
the average attendance of pupils at the
public schools of the city, including the
high school, has not materially increased.
This average for the year, beginning Sep
TENDER, 1896, was l46l; for the year
beginning September, 1897, l349; Sep
TENDER, 1898, 1929; September, 1899,
1925; September, 1900, 1916; September,
1901, 1865; September, 1902, l406. This
average attendance as will be readily
seen has varied more or less from year
to year, but on the whole it is hard to
tell whether the general tendency has
been up or down. The average attend
once for the school year that was COM
pleted with the beginning of last sum-
mer's vacation was just ffty-fve less
than that of the sixth year previous.
CHANGING now at the expenditure of
money for these same years one may see
that while the amount spent has fuc-
tuated from year to year, the general
total expense for the fiscal year begin
ming Sept. l, 1896, was $29, SPOOL; for the
year beginning Sept. l, 1897, $2S, O62.62;
Sept. l, 1898, $2s,sl9.37; Sept. l, 1899,
$29,77l92; Sept. l, 1900, $3l, 644.22;
Sept. l, 1901, s2s,327.s3; Sept. l, 1902,
$33,9471l.
Dividing each years expenditures by
the average attendance of that year,
the. expense of schooling the average
pupil is arrived at for each year. This
expense has almost steadily increased,
the figure of each of the latter six
years being with only one exception in
excess of that of the previous year.
Thus for the first of the seven school
years last passed, the expense of edu-
eating the everage pupil has been $20.4l;
for the second, $20.sO; third, $2l.6S;
fourth, s22.47; fifth, $23.5l; sixth,
SPOTS; seventh, $24.l4.
There seems to be no one item of ex-
penditure, or class of items, to account
for this steady increase in the amount
of money spent for the education of
each of the pupils and all of them col
lectively. For library and apparatus
the district has paid out for the last
seven successive school years: SIS;
Sll5.s6; $399,l7; $52; $l3772; $5s.Ol;
10000; for furniture and fixtures,
s2s9.7l; $345. 40; 1915; $lOS.25; $l39.s3;
$lo5.5O; $lS79s; for repairs and i'm
provements, Sl,4ls; $l,239.34; $2,l76;
$2,2O5.l7; $2,42772; SS95.75; S1,sS7 ID;
for interest, $500; $500; 81 500; ST.
500; $500; $1,000; for real estate and
buildings, SLIP; for teachers salaries,
Sl9,SS275; $l9,6SO; $l9,99025; $780,
497 SO; S2l ,39O.ss; SD, 594.44 s22, 4797l;
for ianitors' salaries, S2,0ll.ll; ST ,9SS.67;
Sl,97S5l; S2,O7s.S6; Sl,99O.55; $2,O4s.54;
So, 1920; for fuel, $l,47S.S4; ST ,46l.42;
Sl,ls9l5; 81 ,52O.O2; l,544.06; $l,704.6s;
Sl,62O63; for stationery and supplies,
s2l2l6; SlSO9S; S4l9.l3; $435.s6;
S55637; 2l7.s6; $9S6.43; for printing
and advertising, sl232s; $l42.55 sl37. OS;
s94.l5; sl9s.ss; $lO5.62; S6l.Ol; for in
surance, S25O35; $2sl.2O; $l33.3l;
s556.37; s2l7.S5; s9S643; for printing
surance, s25O.35; $2sl.20; $ll3.3l;
sl7s.25; S323.70; $2l3.32; s2lO25; for
clerk and treasurer, 5000; $500; $500;
1925; $500; $500; $500; for all other
expenses, s7l3.Sl; S927.2O; S7l3.O2;
ss76s6; sl,l345l; s9s4.72; s929.37.
One item in which there has been a
steady increase, although this increase is
not nearly great enough to account for
the increase in the total expenses from
year to year, is the teachers salaries.
The corps of teachers has been steadily
increased During the last seven school
years there were successfully in the en-
tire district, 3S, 40, 40, Al, Al, Al, AZ.
During the first four of these years the
superintendent did some teaching During
the last three, however, as now, he has
simply supervised.
One may see by carefully inspecting
the above figures that whereas in the
first of the seven years mentioned there
were more pupils than in the last, l46l
being the average attendance In the
first and l4O6 in the last, yet the total
number of teachers employed in the first
was thirty eight and in the last forty
two; and the total expense of running
the schools in the first year was $780,
s2o.0l and in the last year s33,947.ll.
The last three annual tax levies, those
of 1901, 1902 and 1908, were each $780,
600. The levy of the year 1900 was $l9,-
500. The tax levies for the three years
previous to 1900 were from $4,000 to
2l,OOO. The district receives an
nually. from the state about $500.
The condition of the district treasury
as reported for Feb. Is, 1904, showed the
funds as follows: Current fund, over
drawn $2,344.92; sinking fund, balance
s5,sl9.ll; special fund, balance $l,393.75;
building improvement fund. $3.093.7S.