The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-18

education" There Hes the chief difficulty
Arouse the people.
And you wish to know what Is bol,..,
done in the counties. Briefly. / can A.
swer for Isle OF Wight. Let's make com,
parison with five years ago. Agitatign
with us antidates the May cammlgn.
Some years ago we begun by having d.
tlnguished speakers address the citlzens
on educational subjects. The interest OK
inc people, however, was not great. Five
years ago our local levy was five cents
on the hundred dollars. two and one-haIf
cents ON county and district funds each:
| now 1t is seventeen cents, ten on county
and seven and half on district We re-
ceived from local taxation then, includ-
Ing the town OF Snlthfield. a separate
district with q. ten cent levy, s2,4229s.
We will receive this year about $685. 3d..
an increase of s4,50i.29. And this does not
include the increase from the increase in
valuation OF property under the last as
sassment. Our State fund has Increased
sos5.S2 in that time. New high schools
have been started, with excellent btlild-
ings, at Windsor and at the courthouse,
giving us three high schools in the coun-
ty. AT the courthouse the school has beeH
such n success that another room aad
teacher must be provided by noxt session
| III possible. In addition to the high
| schools. we have five graded schools
! whcrc high school branches ara taught.
Plans arc completed for two now graded
| school buildings In Windsor district, to
be completed by next session, consolidate
ing several single schools In the last
two years teachers salaries have been
Increased five dollars per month for eacT
grade. and tho term has been heightened
10 eight months In Windsor district. six
in Hardy and Newport each, remaining
at nine in smithfield. There has likewise
been IL healthy increase in enrolment
and average attendance.
What arc our chief needs? 1t can M
answered IN II word--morc money. 1t is
needed in every department OF tho work.
we have comparatively few decent, COM
Portable, commodious school houses In
the county. This is our greatest draw
back just now. These must be supplied
next How shall 1T be done without
, money? 1 am heartily in favor OF Senator
Thomas's bill increasing the school fund
to five hundred thousand dollars. This
Will increase our revenue for teachers
wages over 5000, and enable us to use
our local levy for building purposes. The
County School Board should have tha
power to use the county levy for build
ing purposes If desired AS 1t now standS
only the district fund can be used for
that purpose. and that is SO pitifully
/ small that nothing can be done.
Ten years ago brought to the atten-
ton of the educational forces of tho
State in q paper read before the superin-
tendents' conference, the urgent need fot
an advantages to be derived from
| State Board of Examiners for teacIieS
| and urged the enactment of law cs.
| tablishing such a board. Within my
| knowledge this was the first word spoken
in advocacy of this move. 1t found many
| opponents, but no advocates. I have not
| changed my opinion. and am in full SYM
patliy with the State Board of Exan,ln-
! ers system, which will not only give us
uniformity of grading, but will largely
increase the efficiency and ability of the
States teaching force.
GAVIN RAWLES.
Superintendent Isle of Wight county.