The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-02-02

l IOCdl QUO 70
DISBURSEMENTS.
Postage. "a A
SIatlonery. ~
| Incidentals and supplies ........... % So
s2os 25
Teachers wages have increased slight
ly during the past year. The average is
now approximately $500. But it is
quite apparent that they must go higher
if they are to be commensurate with the
cost of living which has increased the
past few years out of all proportion to
wages.
The condition of the school houses and
grounds has not been substantially i'm
proved, except in individual cases. In
fact the improvement has been neither
marked as last year. We must make
further and great improvement if Rock
| county is to gain position among the
| most progressive counties in the matter
| of school buildings.
The most noticeable changes of the
year were made in the progressive vii
lagos of Orfordville and Footville. Each
fitted up another ROOM added a fourth
teacher, and another year to their school
course. They are now doing two years
Of high school work, and plan to add
another the coming year and ultimately
to organize high school, The educa-
tional ideals of these villages are high
and they feel that the best is none too
good. 1t is our hope that this spirit
will spread.
Some further progress has been made
in the securing of up to-date text books.
By an act of the last legislature, the
matter of text books is now entirely in
the hands of the school boards instead
of the annual meeting. This should re-
suit in quicker and more sensible
changes. While this question has given
us comparatively little trouble this year,
yet the school chart business has given
us more than our share of annoyance.
A year ago the attention of every clerk
was called to the provisions of the law,
and admonished to follow it to the letter,
yet when siren tongued stranger sang
the merits of his agricultural chart, the
boards forgot the law, the warning of
the county superintendent and common
sense and bought $1,000 chart for
which they paid S47.5O. In many cases
purchases were made when the agent
did not even show his sample. Since
the article had the approval of neither
the state nor the county superintendent,
it could not be purchased legally. Sew
eral district boards in spite of admoni-
tons to the contrary, have deliberately
paid the money out of the district treas
ury in open violation of the law and
thus have subjected themselves to a
heavy penalty. 1t SO happens, that so
far as they have come to my knowledge,
the boards have signed what purports to
be school order and on which the board
is not liable personally. If the boards
will only have the courage to refuse to
pay these worthless pieces of paper we
may be able to teach these lying chart
agents lesson.
1t is strange thing that the superin-
tendent, whom the school board know,
and who knows their needs, may urge
them from year to year to buy the plain
| necessities of school and meet with re-
bluffs and refusals; yet, let a glib tongued
stranger who knows nothing of their
needs come along, the board will suuan-
der enough to buy the best set of maps
| on the market, hundred square feet of
real slate blackboard, first-class globe,
a good teachers chair, and curtains
things that are needed for a chart of
little value. When the purchase is made
and realized, they rush to the superin-
tendent to tell him that they have been
duped, and can't he find some way to get
them out, and somebody is to blame.
Your superintendent does not object to
trying to help anyone escape paying for
an article whose purchase was secured
by fraud and misrepresentation; but he
would prefer to help these same people
buy the right things. This he could do
if the boards would consult him more
before they buy and less on how to get
out of paying for what they have bought.
Our last legislature passed law MAX
ing it the duty of the county superinten-
dent to call one or more school board
conventions. In accordance with this
command convention of school boards
| was held Aug. II, 1905. One hundred
thirty three school officers representing
seventy-fve out of eighty-two districts
were in attendance. 1t seemed to be the
impression of those in attendance that
much good had been derived from the
meeting. Questions pertaining to school
law, the proper heating and ventilation
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