The copper era., 1911-04-21
The School Problem.

the educational center of Greerlee County, and after carefully consider ing the 6eld believe we can say it is. 1 remember a few years ago that both our grammar and high school took prizes for general exhibits at the Territorial Fair at Phoenix and that several individual prizes were taken by the pupils for neat careful and painstaking work done in our schools.
 When making a comparison with the Morenci schools I find that there are pupils enrolled in the higher grades, that their high schoo is not accredited at the University of Arizona, and that in their and Sth grades are IA pupils while there are 37 in the corresponding grades of the Clifton school. Still oul schools are not what they ought tt be nor what we desire them 10 be | but fter taking everything into con sideration we can say that they are by far, the best in the county.
 The people of Clifton have alway: been very liberal when it concerned the education of their children and they have ungrudingly levied special school tax, and when the school money has been spent private subscription has been taken up and by this mean, school maintained from one to two months longer.
 If the county school superintendent had seen the difficulties under which the teachers used to work here five or six years ago I believe, with me, he would say the schools of Clifton have made wonderful progress.
 We have had and still have good conscientious teachers in our gra mmar schools, who have been offered ex. celleut positions in other towns Iu fact some of the best equipped and pest salaried teachers in Arizona nave taught at Clifton.
 The pupils sent to the high school from our own schools have been just as well if not better prepared than those coming from other places. The graduates of our high school have some good and effective work in the Institutions which they have later attended All the graduates of the last commencement are now teaching in Clifton and I firmly believe the trustees made good choice, for they are credit to themselves, to the schools from which they graduated, and the community in which they live.
 In regard to the 200 children who have not been enrolled this year, 1 should suggest, that the men iu position to known" or the county school superintendent give the names and localities of these children to the trustees or the special school officer, and I feel confident, that they will be provided for. StHi the lower grades of our schools are crowded at present, as the five teachers of the first grade pupils average 69 pupils to teacher and the teachers of the second grade pupils average 45 But if those children should be out on the streets aud not in school, there is no adequate nor legal way by which they can be compelled to attend, tor, al though we have compulsory law on educa tiou, still it is a dead letter, since it does not provide for the. payment of the city marshal for acting as truant officer.
 Furthermore it may be questioned whether these very children seen on the streets are not in school at least half the day.
 He states also that the teachers work ' hours day with two recesses, and agree with this, but he seems 10 overlook the fact that there are lessons to be prepared, papers to be corrected, educational journals to be read, and other things incidental to school work to be attended to. was very much surprised, however. in the way the salaries were given. Teach CTS neither can nor are expected to take up another trade during the sumner months they are idle. So teachers getting SS0OO, $l3OOO or 5l60.O0 a month Tor months are really getting S60.OO s97.5O and Sl20O0 a month for F months, salaries that are neither adequate nor commensurate to the preparation tor the actual work of teaching. Furthermore several teachers of Cif- ton attend summer school at an ex- pense of S20O to $500. Besides grade teacher usually has had 5-or years preparation while a high school teacher should at least have 9 or 10 years preparation probably at the annual expense of 83OO.O0 or more, before they even begin to draw a salary, while most men in positions, which do not demand a scholastic preparation. are getting from 5l2OOOO to S3OO0 co d year.
 h my opinion the teachers who attend church, are having a better influence upon their pupils and the community at large than those who never aDuear in the house of wOrsbtp