The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-09-22
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Short School Terms-As has al
ready been noted, the average length
of the white schools of the State last
year was less than six months. To
be exact, the average for the town
and rural schools was 1T days; the
rural schools alone 110 days. While
this is better showing than we
made a very few years ago, still
oar schools are in session little
less than two-thirds of our own
standard school year of $50 days, or
nine months. In other wosds, the
white people of the State are. giving
their children less than twc-thirds
of the schooling which they declare
Il child ought TO have.
Here again is lack of school
/ funds. which our people. insist,
are able to provide. In many rather
thickl,' settled and prosperous dis
tricts the schools close after six
cr seven months because the funds
local school tax is collected. l know
districts with from so to GO white
| children, which depend upon the
pittance of $500 to 1925 to run their
schools. Is it reasonable to expect
such a district to keep its school
open or to keep competent teachers?
In some of these very communities
/ have been told, with tinge of re-
sentiment, that the schools are better
than those to which the fathers and
mothers went That may he true.
and it may also be true that these
same fathers and mothers are hewers
of wood and drawers of water to-
day, simply because they are unable
to cope with those who have been
better schooled. He is very dis
picable parent who is willing to
Withhold schooling from his child on
the ground that he himself had few
or no advantages.
However. short school terms are
by no means entirely due to lack OF
money. Strange as it may seem,
there are many districts which close
their schools at the end OF six. five
and even four months, with half as
much money left in the county treas
ury as they spent on their schools.
| know schools which have to their
credit enough money to run them
twice as long as they have been run
any year within the past five. In
fact. some entire counties are max
ing what the officials call a good
financial showing, at the expense OF
the school children. For instance
Florence county had on hand, June
so, 1907. n balance Of S35, ,S3S to the
credit of the school fund. while she
had srent only S2T, ,050 on her
schools that year. In other words,
the schools had at the close or the
scholastic year balance OF SS,lSS
more than the entire cost OF the
schools that year. Financially that
may be good showing: how Is it
educationally? Let us see: Flor
enre county kept her white schools
open last year six months; she paid
her teachers, an average OF $23o a
wear: she gave each white teacher
an average OF Sc pupils to teach.
Chester county makes but little bet
ter showing. She kept her white
schools open seven and one-fourth
months. paid her white teachers
an average of s296 a year, and
gave each teacher an average OF 81
pupils to teach. Yet Chester COUNT
closed these schools with a balance
larger than the total expenditure
that year. believe in running the
schools strictly on cash basis, and
know it is necessary to cloe the
hooks on the goth of June with
enough balance 70 run the schools
until the next tax collection has
been made. But is it sound busl-
ness or common sense to cut OF
the school year, pay bcegarly sala-
ries. and give each teacher too many
pupils to teach, in order to show
money balance? OF course under
such policy our school boards can
boast Of having money on hand. AS
see it, we have more need for mon
ey on the children. A man could
doubtless make fortune on salary
of $500 year, II he were to go
naked and hungry. and keep all his
earnings at ten, per cent compound
interest; but what would he be get
ting? -.
After all, do our people wish to
keep the schools open nine months
| in the year? Repeatedly l have had
fathers (nothers very rarely) op-
pose the attempt to lengthen their
school beyond six months. Their
contention is that the children can
not be spared from the farms and
the mills for longer period. EX-
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