St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-07-10

OppCl MdL11OUS 0Co4000iot O1oAAOg 91A
Fruge's; others are in contemplation
or now in process of erection at Leon
vile, Lewisburg, Eunice, Pine Prairie,
Mamou City, two of which will be
built without assistance from the
School Board, and the other three
through the assistance afforded by q
special tax. Special taxes have now
been voted in four wards Of the par
ish, defeated in one ward, and three
districts will hold special tax elections
on the 10 Of the present month, think,
with fair prospects of carrying the tax.
We also have on hand the preliminary
arrangements for the creation of
three new school districts with a
view of voting a special tax, the de-
tails Of which will be contaminated
at the proper time, and the question
then will be submitted to the people
Of those districts for ratification.
The question Of congestion in some
of our schools is a serious one; this
Board should take some action on it
and suggest some plan to remedy
it. When a school room becomes
so crowded with children that the
numbers are so great that the child
rem cannot receive the proper atten-
tion from the teacher, and when they
are so jammed and packed in the
room as to occupy all the available
space the situation affords no COM
fort to the pupils, makes them rest
less and more difficult to control,
thereby impairing or destroying the
discipline of the school and acting as
a constant menace to the health of
the pupils who are compelled to re-
main in the school under such unsan-
sanitary conditions. As a remedy to
these disadvantages / would suggest
that the number of children assigned
to a teacher should be restricted to 40,
and that children should be required
to attend the school nearest to them
until they reach such a stage
Of advance in their studies as will
enable them to enter the high
school. In order to secure a more
regular attendance in the schools, |
would suggest that continuous alb
sence from school for one whole
week during the school month except
for protracted illness, be a sufficient
cause to declare vacant the place oc-
cupied by the child in the school. In
consideration of our inability, on ac-
count of our restricted means to pro-
vide more school houses and employ
more teachers and in order to make
fully available to the point of its
greatest efficiency, the money with
which you are entrusted for the ben
eft of the ~children's education, / can
suggest no remedy more efectual
than the restriction of the number of
children TO the ability Of the teacher
to teach them, and the compulsion of
such children as take up the places
in the school to attend school
regularly or quit. For the coming
session our financial resources will be
about the same as last year, and we
will be able to operate about as many
schools, but we viii not be able to
make any material addition to the
force of teachers unless additional
resources can be found.
Respectfully submitted,
G. ]. Thompson, Supt.
On motion of Mr.. Lyman, the re-
port Of the Superintendent was re-
eeiyed and fled, and It was ordered
that it should be published.
The Finance Committee then sub
mitted the following report:
Opelousas, La, June 80. 1909.
TO the President and Members Of the
School Board Of the Parish
of ST. Landry.
Gentlemen: We the undersigned
committee on finances hereby certify
that we have examined books and
vouchers of G. j. Thompson Sec
Treasurer from Dec. LIST 1908 to June
80, 1909 and find same to be correct.
Statement.
Receipts
Bal. on hand Dec. lst 1908$ 1916
Receipts since .....-. 80318.69.
S80337.8 IS
Disbursements
Warrants outstanding last re-
port. $13358.O5
Warrants issued and paid
since report -. 56507. 08I