Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-09
Only Six States in Union Which
Spend More Per Capita
On Children.
SMALL TEACHERS SALARIES.
State Superintendent Nelson in His Re-
port Recommends a Number vi
Changes for the Better.

| his biennial report for two years. end
| ing June 30, 1906 with Governor Cutler.
| II contains much interesting informa-
ton concerning the schools OF the state
! and shows that there are only six states
| in the Union which spend more per
capita on their school children than does
| Utah The report also states that Utah
| has more school children in proportion
| TO it's entire population than any other
| state in the Union, A number of inn
portant recommendations as to the
| schoo, system of the state are also em-
| bodied in the report. Among them are
| the establishment of school for fee
ble-mindcd children; providing fixed
tax for the maintenance of the Uni
yersity of Utah and the Agricultural
college, and the appointment of a com
mission on course of study to serve
without pay.
INCOME UNSATISFACTORY,
1t Is stated that the income for the
maintenance OF the schools " not in
creasing as fast as the school popula-
ton or the expenses. During the year
1906 the expenses OF the schools of the
state amounted to sl,7Si,S54.15 with a
school population of sl,6s2 pupils. rms
was cost OF yl9.i9 per capita. In 1906
the expenses of the schools were ST.
| 976,121.42 for O school population of
| %, s77, which was $21.2s per capita.
The following comparative table
shows the growth OF the schools in the
past 10 years:
Moneys ex-
pended .........s 800, s5S S5 $1,s7s.12i42
! School population 1855 9?'4si
School attendance $3.50 $1,000
Valuation school
property .....s1, 1856, s51. IS 81 ,6T1, 1888
The six states in the Union which ex-
| pend more money per capita on their
school children than Utah are New
York, North Dakota, Colorado. Nevada,
| Washington and California.
HIGH SCHOOLS.
supt. Nelson reports that there are
now SO high schools in the state, and
that the work IN that respect has been
very pleasing during the past TWO years.
| Only n few years ago Utah county had
only 40 high school pupils. while now
| IL has between 400 and 500. A number
of fine high school buildings nave been
| constructed in the state during the year
one of which was at Mant, costing *2l,-
| 700. He recommends that the legis.
lature set aside portion of the state
school fund for high school purposes in
accordance with the constitutional
amendment passed az the last election
The teachers OF the state do not re-
CelNG large enough FATALITIES GO ttS
| average salary paid to male teachers
outside of the cities of the first and Sec
ond class is only s6917 for term OF on
| ly 7Ia months.
| UNIFORM SYSTEM OF EXAMS.
The uniform system OF examinations
| throughout the state has done much to
| increase the standard of efficiency
among the teachers and has been the
means of eliminating incompetent
.,,.. 1at.n In q -
| tutes held In the various counties have
| also been of great benefit TO the teach
| ers.
| AS to the higher educational institu-
| lions of the state, the report says that
| they are ably conducted and that some
| of the best educators in the country are
| to be found in Utah. Mr.. Nelson again
| recommends. as he did In 1902, that the
| University of Utah and the Agricultural
| college be given fixed portion of the
school tax for their maintenance, then
| they will know what to work TO. Had
| this been done when first recommended
| the superntendent says that great
deal of trouble and friction in those in
stitutions could have been avoided.
COURSE OF STUDY.
| Mr.. Nelson recommends that the
| course of study throughout the state be
made absolutely uniform and TO that
| end urges that commission on course
| of study be created to control that mat
| ter. The free text book system
has worked very satisfactorily accord
ing to the report and the cost of text
books has been greatly decreased
| through that medium and higher
class records have been made also.
SCHOOL CENSUS.
II Is also recommended that the time
| of taking the school census be changed
from July 10 the first and second weeks
| In October each year. In support of
| that recommendation II is stated that
during the summer months so many
of the school children are away from
their homes and hence the census Is
very inaccurate. 1t should be taken
when the children are attending school.
The total value OF all the school build
| ings in the state is estimated at $4,000
600 and during the period covered by
the report buildings to the value OF
s2s6,702 have been constructed IN the
state, -
| INTERESTING STATISTICS.
The report closes with the following
statistics which are very interesting:
School districts in state go. 1888
| Common schools in state 80. 66S
| High schools In state ........ "a
| Graded schools In state ...... All
| Mixed schools IN state ....,. 2h1
superintendent employed .. "a
SUPERVISOR employed ....... 10
Teachers employed (male,
56T: female $3.50 ,,,....... 1s92
| -r.,.,, o'as M t,,prnhprs school