The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-06-07
TO THE PUBLIC

~ INIl OOI1O
With the view of disabusing the
the minds of many citizens who are
other wise we'll informed, of the idea
that the Board of Public instruction
of this County IS, or has ever been,
unjust to the smaller schools of the
county in the distribution of the
Public School funds, / write this ar
ticle and will state that one of the
amendments to the Constitution Of the
State OF Florida prescribes that the
public school funds are to be distribut-
ed to the schools of the state On the
basis of the average daily attendance
in the schools, and not on the total
number OF children enrolled.
The school board of this county has
for the last twenty or more years
done its best to make the distribution
OF the school funds at its disposal as
nearly equal per pupil in daily attend
ance in these schools as it was prac-
ticable to do.
The minimum salary per month to
a teacher in this county 1t, at this
time, $500 per month and by law,
four months is the minimum for a
school term and the smallest number
In daily attendance for which an ap-
preparation VIII bemade in this county
is ten. Schools making an average
or ten to fourteen daily get a term
OF four months, and the teacher a
salary OF $500 per month. One max
Ing an average of fifteen to nineteen
gets four months an dthe teacher
gets salary of $4,000 per month.
AS the attendance increases, the
length of the term and salary of the
teacher also increases, the aim being
10 give as near as it is possible to
40 SO. each child his just portion of
the Public School funds.
The appropriation for teachers sal
aries for this school year is S49, O55. 90,
ana the average daily attendance in
ali the school will not be less than
4,lO0 nor more than 1850; all the
reports not having been turned in, I
cannot be exact on this point. From
this 1t is clearly seen that the aver
age per pupil in attendance for the
whole county Is less than $1,000 Der
pupil, and it Is equally as easy to
see that the children in the small
schools OF the county certainly get
tnelr lust portion of these funds.
we nave seven schools with eight
months terms, and forty-six teachers
are engaged in same. The gross
salaries OF these forty-six teachers for
the eight months is S22,24O. 90 or an
average per month for each teacher
of s60.43
The total enrolment in these seven
schools Is 1,753 pupils with an aver
age attendance of 1874, making an
average per teacher enrolled of SO Is
pupils, and in daily attendance of
~ II, and the average cost for each
pupil IN daily attendance for the term
is S1655
We have five months schools in the
country, to wit: Number 4 at Ferry
Pass, No. 5 at Roberts, No. at Rluff
Springs. No. 16 at Muscogee, and No.
~ at Century. The total appropria-
tlon for salaries for the seventeen
eeacnerS engaged in these schools is
Se'iSOoO or an average monthly salary
of $3.50 per teacher.
Inc total eRrG lment in said FIVE
schools is SAB pupils with a daily aver
age attendance of 400, giving an aver
age or So pupils per teacher on en-
roilment, and "a pupils on average At
tendace. with an average cost per m
pli In daily attendance of sl9.s5 for
the term. III
Ihese eight months schools annar-
entIy receive more per pupil in at
tendance than is their due. but as
tnese schools are classed "a State
ald schools, and We expect to receive
from the state not less than ST $50 90
and probablyS2, 10000, this will helm
70 equal1ze the amounts received to
some extent, but these high grade
schools cost more per pupil than the
average school from the fact that We
must employ teachers we'll qualified
and who cannot be obtained at the
medium salaries paid
THE school board of this county
mas no secrets to hide from
any citizen or taxpayer-anyons can
look at the books. payrolls or other
statements at their VIII.
NOW, for myself, | will state that
nave been working in this Office for
20 IL years, and during this time
more than six hundred meetings have.
Deen held by the board, and / have
oeen present at every one, never hay-
Ing missed a meeting. l have drawn
more than 10000 school warrants dur
ing this time coving more than one
AID three quarter million of dollars
ana my accounts have always been
correct to the cent.
Ihis is time when the work in
the superintendent Office is very
neavy, and cannot afford TO neglect
the duties Of the Office to visit
my friends throughout the county.
nuch as would like to do this. but
oy motto is, do the work that Won
nave been employed to do first, and
then get as much pleasure in passing
through life as you can, and as far as
possible, lending a cheerful and help-