The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-16
MIR. HILL MAKES APPEAL
 FOR BETTER SCHOOL HOUSES
Superintendent of Educational Department Sends Biennial Report to Governor Jelks,, Includ-
 ing Number of Recommendations.

That the average school house in the rural sections of Alabama is a dis. grace to the State is the statement cation Isaac w. Hill in his biennia report, which was made to Governor Je1ks yesterday. Poor school houses Superintendent Hill says. furnish one of the greatest impediments to edu- cation in Alabama.
 The Superintendent passes scathing criticism upon the country schoo house. The farmers horses, the farm better housed than the farmers chil. dren while attending school. Desert ed negro cabins. abandoned old church. es are considered sufficiently good. Nc portance of heat, light, comfort ant ventilation. The laws of health arc utterly ignored"
 A respectable schoolheuse, the off :. cial contends, is absolutely essentia in the work of training children In his report. Superintendent Hill gives an exhaustive resume of the con dition of schools through the State He comments favorably on the law passed by the last Legislature. requir- ing that the funds applied for educa- tional purposes be apportioned to the counties on a per capita basis.
 Among the recommendations which he makes is one that a general law
 
 the State He also recommends that a system of high schools be established with at least one in each county; that an annual appropriation of $300.0O0 be made to the common school fund; that $20O,000 be appropriated for building and improving school houses during the next four years; that the people be allowed to tax themselves for school made to equip the scientific depart ment of the Girls Industrial School at MontevallO.
 Full Text of Report.
 ITO His Excellency, William D. Jelks,
 Governor of Alabama:
 "Sir-In compliance with the re- quirements of the law. I respectfully present herewith report of the De- partment of Education for the years ending September SC. 1905, and Sep tember 30. 1906.
 Since assuming charge of the office. the Superintendent of Education has devoted his entire time and attention to the promotion of the cause of pub lie education in the State. He has vis- ited in an official capacity sixty-five of the sixty-seven counties and will visit the two counties remaining before his term of office shall have expired He has attended Teachers Institutes and taken part in the discussions on the subjects bearing on the practical side of teaching. He has made educational
 
 many counties. and by personal com munications has done what he could to disseminate useful knowledge among the school officers and people of the meetings of the State Teachers As sociation, the National Educational As sociaton. and the Association of Southern State Superintendents. He interest in public education. He has given most assiduous attention to the rural schools-the common schools.
 That his work has been at least increased and increasing enthusiasm on the subject of public education. The people seem actually to have fallen in love with voting taxes on themselves for school sss already voted the one mill tax upon themselves for school purposes The measure has failed to receive the re- auisite three fifths vote In only four counties. Quite a number of counties will Tote on the measure at the state election in November
 The money raised by local taxation in the several counties like that ap- propriated by the State can be used only to pay teachers salaries and for supervision. Not one cent can be used for incidental expenses nor to repair or build school houses Despite this fact on an average new school build ing has been completed every day dur ing the past three years These build ings have cost all the way from $50 to $150,000.
 The New State Law.
 The Legislature of 1903 not only passed laws putting into operation the provisions of the new Constitution, but also passed a law revolutionizing the management and control of the entire school system.
 Experience has demonstrated the wisdom of this act. Under the old law the state funds were apportioned to the township with it's arbitrary boun- dary lines. on a per capita basis, and were required to he kept in the town ship. Under the new law, the funds are apportioned to the county on per capita basis, and the schools of the county are required to be kept open as nea:ly as practicable the same length of time. Under the old law the schools were located and governed by township trustees. Under the new law the county is divided into school dis trict accordng to centers of popula- tion and natural barriers so as to place a school house within two and one-half miles of each child if practicable.
 The schools are governed by three district trustees under rules and regu lations made by a county board of five. The county board locates school houses and has the power to change district lines as necessity requires. fix the sala- rjeS of teachers, preScribes a course of study for the schools and to do what GN't tHcN tiiIlh DcSl lcI lue cuuCd- tional interests of the county. Under the old law there was no one who had direct control over the common schools of the counties. and sharp practices the very spirit of public education. To illustrates One township in a county not only ran its public school eight months with first class teacher, but also defrayed considerable portion of the expenses of boys and girls off at college. while another township in the same county did not secure sufficient funds to run it's school four months. The new law not only equalizes the school term but also enables school officials to detect attempts should they be made to pay the expenses of boys and girls in college out of school funds. This law with eninor amend ments will continue to rebound to the benefit of the public schools.
 "CIassificatiOn of schools. .-
 The time has arrived in the evolu- tion of Alabamas public school sys- tenn for the classification of her schools. Prior to the passage of the redistrict- ing law in 1903. as said before. no one had direct control over the common schools in the various counties, and. therefore no legal attempt had ever been made to classify them Under this county boards. realizing the great waste of energy on the part of the teachers, time of the part of the child, and money on the part of the state. are endeaNorln8 10 DflnS system out Oi chaos. They are met. however. with the customs which obtained in this State for fifty years and the opposition which anything new develops lnves- tigation will prove that the average teacher in a rural school of one room must have from twenty to fifty recita- tions per day.
 Under such conditions can the best results be secured? The law reQuir- es the teachers of Alabama 10 tCacn only three subjects, physiology and