The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-09
STATE SCHOOLS
SHOW A GAIN
Superintendent of Public instruction
Makes Biennial Report.
NEED OF HIGH SCHOOLS
INCREASED NUMBER REQUIRED
TO CONTINUE IMPROVEMENT.


TO CONTINUE IMPROVEMENT.
Advance sheets OF the fifth report
Of State Superintendent of Public In
struction A. G. Nelson for the biennial
term which ended June 30, 1904, says
the financial condition of the schools
OF the state continues showing i'm
provement- There. has, says the re-
port, been an appreciable increase in
Nne revenues during the biennial pc
li"d for which this report is made. The
state school fund is $50. 6S3-S5 more
. than Il was for the years 1901 and 1902
while the county school fund is $780,
S64l4 more than it was for the pre-
cedlng biennial period. NOtwithstand-
ing this pleasing and encouraging as
rect. still many of our schools are
forced to close with a five or six
months term, because the revenues
are insufficient, While others close with
large amounts of money on hand. This
condition is permitted to obtain be-
cause the county school tax levy and
the local or special school tax levy
varies greatly in different counties and
districts. Some Of the more enteTprts-
ing and philosophical districts make
ID local school tax levy of 20 mills,
while, am sorry to say, several dis
tricts fail TO levy u local or special
school tax at all. This difficulty,
which retards the growth of our
schools more thar all else, can well be
overcome when the various school dis
tricts of each county are consolidated
into one district
More High Schools Needed.
superintendent Nelson urges the ne
Cessity OF providing more high schools.
lie says: To some the high school
} ever reach its educational possibilities
until it establishes efficient high
schools in all the larger towns of the
state. to enter which the thousands of
tudeutS who otherwise will never re-
enter school after leaving the eighth
Srade viii be welcome" The high
school he says, is the poor mans col
l.ge. Continuing ne says:
1T is encouraging to note that in
the larger cities and in the most pro-
ETeSsiVe districts teachers salaries are
steadily increasing and that the life
OF the teacher is extending over a lon
ser period of years. In 1904, the aver
&c monthly salary of male teachers
in the county schools was SASS, of
female teachers $54.63. During the
slme year in Salt Lake City, where
the highest salaries are paid and where
Ihe greatest inducements to remain
ia the teaching profession are to be
1ound-such as an annual increase in
salary for number Of years for meri-
torious work. male teachers receive an
average monthly salary of Sis, female
teachers 500.
Where Best Work Is Done.
'It is needless to state that the best
school work is done in cities and dis
tricts having the largest percentage of
specially trained and experienced
teachers. 1t is hoped for the sake of
the children of the district and also for
the welfare of the community at large
that hereafter no school board will en-
deavor TO secure the services of the
cheapest available teacher. Every dol
lar expended on the best avaiIa BILE
teacher win be returned many fold.
q There are 693 buildings used by the
public schools OF the state, so of which
are owned by the districts, 81 of which
are rented by school boards OF the
zoe buildings owned by the districts, "a
nave been erected during the biennial
Germ just ended. at a cost of nearly
S4OC. GOO. The estimated value Of all
public school buildings in the state is
s.. Sc. fl4.34."
County Superintendents Underpaid.
superintendent Nelson contends that
many OF the county superintendent are
lnderpaid, and has compiled the fol-
lowing to prove the contention. It
shows the salaries received by superin-
tendents in the various counties OF the
state during 1904.
Beaver. $3.50; Box Elder, $500: Cache,
$500; Carbon. S416.50; Davis, $3.50;
Emery. S40O: Garfield. $3.50; Grand. $500;
Iron, $50; JUab, S275; Kane, $50; Mil
lard $500; Morgan. 1915: Piute. $50:
Rich. S12J. salt Lake 81. 500: san Juan
Soo; Sanpete. $722.5O. Sewer. $5OO1O:
fummit. $500; TOoele, $500: Uintah.
$500: Utah, 81 200: WasatCh $3.50;
Washington, $225; Wayne, $50; Weber,
Sl,2oc-
Recommends One-MiII Tax.
superintendent Nelson commends the
worl, OF the Agricultural college and
Of the state university and normal
school. and repeats the recommended
lion i'm his last report that a levy of
one mill be made TO sustain the Agri-
cultural college and university He
says one mill viii amount approximate
" to $4,000 annually, an amount suffi-
Client To defray all the expenses of the
two institutions. He says the work
of the state School for the Deaf and
Blind has been of such excellent char
aCtCr during the past two years that
the wisdom OF its establishment has
been fully demonstrated. In regard TO
libraries he says.
My observations while travelling
among the schools i'm all parts OF the
state nave convinced me that some
definite action should be taken TO get
suitable Libraries into the schools.
There are but few good school libraries
in any o. the districts. The books
which are owned by the various dis
trisis too often consist of reading mat
Ter which bears little relation to the
tcN- books i'm use or TO child life i'm any
a. its Interesting phases The reading
habit does not prevail TO any marked
extent among pupils of schools devoid
OF interesting juvenile literature To
remedy this condition. this department
has undertaken. fOn 4 somewhat thor
"uEn plan. the task of selecting books
adapted TO the requirements OF the diff
ioiaut grades and OF arranging with
Publishing houses to have these books
oHtaiaahie by Ou- school boards at the
lowest possible prices
ASKS HABEAS CORPUS.
Chicago. March S.-A motion for a
Ia