Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-11-01

. Valley COUNTY BUILDING GRADED
sCHooLs-HAUL CHILDREN IN WA
GONS-PRoGRESsIvE STEPS TAKEN
BY SUPT. PEALE AND THE COUNTY
BOARD
Augusta. the empire county of the
reat and prosperous Virginia Valley,
is jniaing hands with other sections of
the State in the wonderful awakening
which is in progress concerning the
construction of better public school
buildings and the securing of high
grade teachers. Indeed. Augusta was
one of the pioneers in the movement.
Large buildings with well ventilated
and lighted rooms are rapidly taking
the place of the small one story build
ings of other days.
One of the most progressive moves
made by the authorities of the county
is the hauling of the Children back and
forth in localities where small schools
have been consolidated and fine grad
ed institutions established In their
stead.
Superintendent E y. Peale, who is
one of the livest school officers in the
State, is pushing along three distinct
lines of Improvement, and be has the
hearty cooperation of a boad composed
of enterprislng citizens, who are as
deeply interested in the work of edu
cation as he.
he is consolidating the smaller build
ing into graded schools as rapidly as
possible; is hauling the children back
and forth, and is fighting all the while
for the bes teachers it is possible to
secure. In writing to the Richmond
Times Dispatch of his work for con-
solidation Superintendent Peale says:
I'VE began it six or seven years ago,
when we built fOur.room house at
Craigsville and consolidated the
Craigsville and Portland schools. For
the past two years we have been haul
ing two other schools to Craigsville'
We next built room house at Deer
field, and closed three small schools,
which We are hauling to that place.
I'VE are having very successful '
school of six teaches in Bevery Manor,
the result of consolidation, to which
we are hauling three schools.
"Weyer's Cave is another very sue
cessful school of four teachers, the re-
suit of consolidation.
"Waynesboro and part of South !
River district are in very commodi !
GUS new building with seven teachers.
''Stuart's Draft has been built up in
the past two years to very successful
school of four teachers. 1t had formers
ly been a school of two teachers.
''Greenville has fine school of three
teachers instead of two, as heretofore.
Spottswood has nice new building |
with two teachers instead of the old
one room house.
Three small schools have been con-
solidated into nice new building of
three rooms at Valley Mills. Two
wagons transport to this school.
"Basic City has fine school of four
teachers.
"We have built two three room
houses, at each of which we have con-
solidated four small schools into one
central school. At one of these schools
we run one or more wagons. At the
other no wagon Is necessary.
CONSOLIDATION is best, but not cheap
est. unless it can be done without
transportation.
1.-THE salaries of our teachers have
been very materially increased this
year, except third grade teachers;
The salaries range from $22 to $85 per !
month, apd the term is from SIX to |
eight months.
Augusta has school population of |
10,O58. The enrolment for 1906 was
6,729, with an average attendance of |
about 70 per cent.
"Our schools are on the up grade all
over the county, as evidenced by the
number of active local leagues. ~