The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1907-04-26
EDUCATIONAL
CONVENTION
Prominent Educators Meet at
Tallahassee.
PURPOSE OF MEETING
Clearly Set Forth in an Interesting Lette
From W. J. Nesbit, One Of Our
Boards Delegates.
Fort Pierce, Fla, April %, 1907,

fOrl flerce, flil., hl)rll ~, loVi.
Editor TRIBUNE:
Having just returned from the Edit
cational Convention at Tallahassee,
which w. ID. Edwards and myself at
tended as representatives Of the board
of education Of st. l.ucie county, l
would ask space in your columns for a
brief review of the work done there
or rather of the matters coming up that
most directly affect the school interests
of our county. The object Of the con-
ventiOn was for the discussion of inn
portant matters relating to the school
work of the State and was called at
this time in order that any conclusions
arrived at after discussion by the con-
vention might be brought before the
Legislature now in session with view
to their immediate embodiment in the
laws now in force or where deemed
advisable the repeal Of conflicting or
detrimental enactments. The con-
vention was by far the most represent
ative and earnest gathering of school
officials that has ever taken place in the
State, all the superintendent being in
attendance eXcep: seven, four of those
being prevented by illness. The entire
representation at the convention was
over 100 of the brainest and most earn
est of the educators of the State. 1t
was matter of great regret to our
board and to his many warm friends
among the superintendent that DR..
Platts was too i'll to be with us, we
needed his broad information on educa-
tiona matters of the higher grade.
The first question for discussion re-
lated to the State aid given to senior
and junior high schools, to aid and en-
courage their establishment in every
county This at present consists of 5000
per year for senior high schools and
5000 per year for junior high schools.
The requirements for Il senior high
school have as yet been beyond the
reach of either st. Lucie or Brevard,
but our effort is in that direction and
we hope for results before long. The
requirements for junior high school
not being so strenuous we have now
twice earned this grant in Fort Pierce
and Jensen and only missed it at Sc
bastian owing to the ruling of the
state board imposing an average attend
ance of so. This is rider to the act,
the legality of which was freely dis
cussed at the convention and it was the
opinion of many of the brightest minds
there that such proviso by the state
boards was illegal. However it was
recognized that there should be Il
standard of attendance and Il resolution
was adopted recommending the fixing
of the average at 49, This will doubt
less be adopted by the state board a.
the standard and will with little more
effort enable US to add Sebastian to
our aid schools under this enactment.
Important action was taken also with
regard to the state aid under chapter
No. 1891 commonly known as the 50
per cent aid. This act provides for the
extension of the school term 10y the
State for a period OF two months with
out expense to the county in all schools
where an average Of 80 per cent Of the
attendance has been maintained during
the regular school term. The eXperi-
ence of the superintendent rs voiced
at the convention indicates that this is
really the most beneficial state aid law
ever enacted by our Legislature. Reach
ing as it does all our smaller rural
schools the earning of the added two
months by the maintenance of the
average is a great incentive to both
patrons and teachers to strive for a
better attendance. 1t is noteworthy
that the number of colored schools
which earn this aid is far in excess Of
the white schools.
Surely this is sad comment on the
apathy of the whites in the matter of
educating their children and should
rouse parents to see that no obstacle or
trihing excuse is allowed to interfere
Continued on page 81