Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-28
LOS ANGELES. SCHOOLS
SHOW GREAT GROWTH
County Superintendent Keppel in His Annual
Report Makes Recommendations Looking to
Retention of Present High Standard

Mark Keppel, county superintendent
Of schools. has completed his annual
report and yesterday he forwarded the
document to state superintendent Kirk.
Mr.. Keppel and his associates have
been at work on this report for sew
eral days. and they have prepared
an exhaustive showing of public school
conditions in Los Angeles county.
The statistics include the usual school
census figures, receipts and expendi-
lures for the last year. rne valuation
of school property and much other de-
tailed information of a similar nature.
In commenting on existing conditions
in this county Superintendent Keapel
calls attention to the rapid growth of
the public school system and points out
several needs which he declares are
imperative and must be realized IL the
present high school STANDARD Of effi-
cheney Is to be maintained.
Recommends Free Textbooks
Among other things he urges that
free textbooks be provided, and he
takes tho position that education cam
not really be free so long as the pa
irons of the schools are compelled to
stand this expense.
He also recommends that the course
| OI instruction III Ine normal SCHOOLS
| be widened so that a graduate may
be entitled to a certificate to teach his
particular line of work in any school
| in the state The report is as fol-
lows:
Los Angeles county comprises las
Independent common school districts.
and shares with Ventura county one
joint district. Fifty-eight districts en-
ploy only three teachers, and thirty
nine employ four or more
The county contains twenty five
high schools, taught by 226 teachers.
There are 317 school houses, 62.5S5
pupils were enrolled, and the average
daily attendance was 47.779 for the
year. OF this average daily attendance,
sixteen units belong to the deaf schools.
| Ill to the boys evening schools, 1855
to the kindergarten, 4537 to the high
schools and 41,260 to the common
schools.
"Of the 1916 teachers employed, two
are in the deaf schools. 100 in the kin
dergarten. 226 in the high, and 1879 i'm
the common schools. There were 1873
men teachers and 1433 women teachers.
Growth Is Rapid
During the school year 1905-6 Los
Angeles county gained five common
school districts, nine school houses, 1876
/
units of average daily attendance.
THE tremendous growth in all lines
continues to tax the resources of every
district to the very limit. The appar-
emily small increase in the number of
school houses is due to the erection of
commodious school houses, each of
which takes the place of two or more
temporary structures.
Makes Recommendation
"That our schools may realize the
purpose for which they were instituted
and are maintained, and that they may
keep abreast of the progress Of the
world, certain imperative needs must
be realized and satisfied.
"Schools can do their best only when
| the teacher has not more than two
classes, and the work is supervised by
capable principals and special teachers
In several states pupils are transported
at public expense and in this way larger
schools are maintained, fewer teach
ers employed, longer terms are taught,
better salaries are paid and the most
satisfactory results are obtained.
1--WE need a law which will authorize
any district to transport its pupils to
central school. or schools; ana the
present law which provides for the or
ganization of union common school dis
tricts, and the transportation OF, their
pupils. should be revised and improved
SO that 1t may become an operative
success.
$50 long as this county has ffty-eight
districts employing one teacher, thirty
three districts employing two teachers,
and fifteen districts employing three
tea chers, close and adequate super
vision will be impossible, unless Cali
fornia adopts a plan similar to that
EN- ployed In Massachusetts, where the
teachers are grouped and supervisor
Is chosen for each group.
1.-THE county superintendent of schools
ought to be authorized to group the
schools of the county so that there
would be a supervising principal for
each group of not less than ten nor
more than twenty-fiv teachers The
choice of the supervisor should be
made by the school authorities gov
erning each particular group II this
forward step were taken, our rural
schools would have as close and as eff
ficient supervision as Is enjoyed by
districts that now employ supervising
principals or city superlntendents, and
the increased expense would be vastly
exceeded by the increased efficiency
of the schools.
Free Education Urged
"If poor tools make poor workman,
poor and costly textbooks make
poor school, Our schools ought TO have
free textbooks and the best textbooks
that the educational genius of the
twentieth century can produce. We
boast OF our free education, but II can
not be really free as long as textbooks
must be provided by the patrons. II
is generally true that the largest fami-
lies are the ones least able to buy text
| books.
Beyond the fourth grade the boys
leave school much more rapidly thar
do the girls. The fact that all boys
must be wage earners, while only q
portion OF the girls must be, possibly
accounts for a part of this condition
but 1t ls due more likely to the fact
that our schools do not meet the needs
of the boys after the fourth year. Oul
education must be more practical
Manual training. including woodwork
cooking, sewing and instruction In asri'
culture, must be given much larger
place than II now occupies.
Longer terms for the majority ol
! our schools are a necessity, For this
year just closed each school, with thu
exception of one. maintained at leas