The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-07-08
ASCENSION PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


Annual Report OF supt. .. Z. Rusca
Financial Statement and Sta
tistics Covering Past Years Work
Submitted to State Department
Of Education.
Supt. J. L. Rusca has forwarded
to the State Department of Educa-
ton his report covering the opera
tons of the Ascension parish school
system for the year ending July l.,
1911, and we take from the document
the following interesting statistics:
Total receipts for year, $36,1S7. so,
of which $13,O94.90 was appropriated
oy the state,and $4,000 by the police
jury Other sources of revenue were
poll taxes, s2320.48, high school and
agricultural appropriations, interest
on 10th sections, fines and forfeit
| ures, rent of school lands and do
| nations for libraries.
The total disbursements for the
| year. including an oyerdraft OF
S735.s2 July 1, 1910, were $35, 770.56,
leaving cash balance on hand
| July /, 1911, of $416.94. The largest
single items of expenditure were
| $27,597.55 paid to white teachers in
salaries and $1007 paid to colored
| teachers.
The teaching force of the parish
| numbered 66, of whom 81 were ma
| tive Louisianians and Is natives OF
other states. There were white
and 5 colored males, and 48 white
| and 6 colored females. The average
salary of all teachers in the parish
| was: White males, $70.27; white fe'
/ males, $474O; colored males, $23;
| colored females, $19.16; average sal
airy Of white teachers, $685.; aver
age salary Of colored teachers, s2l.OS
| Thirty-nine of these teachers held
first-grade certificates, 4 special GER
tificates, 20 second-grade certificates,
and 1 third-grade certificate.
The enrolment of pupils was as
follows: White Eighth to eleventh
grades, males 1873, females 49,;
first to seventh grades, males 1858,
females, 1856; total, 2425. Colored,
all grades, males 1862, females 433s
total, 1885, The per cent of white
educable children enrolled was So Is,
and of colored children %. Per
cent Of children attending school,
| based on the enrolment, white, 67.S;
colored, 70. Per cent of children at
tending school, based upon educables
in the parish, white, 40; colored, 10.
Average monthly cost of each child,
based on average attendance, white,
1929; colored, 40 cents. Average
monthly cost of each child, based on
enrolment, white, $1.55; colored, 20
cents.
The value of all schoolhouses,
sites and equipment in the parish
owned by the school board is $127,-
465; of all houses erected during the
past year, $1,000, and of the equip
ment added in the same period, $500.
There are a total of 1875 volumes
in the various school libraries, hav-
ing a value of 1892. The value Of
all school equipment in the white
schools of the parish is estimated
at $4,000, and in the colored schools
at $780,
Five white and six colored schools
have one teacher each; ten white
and one colored have two teachers;
two white and one colored have three
teachers,-an four white schools have
or more teachers. The school board
owns % schoolhouses, of which two
are of brick and twenty of frame
construction.
There are three consolidated
schools in the parish, and two Wag-
| onettes are used to convey pupils
to two of these institutions. The
| average cost per month of operating
| the Wagonettes is $3.50, and the
average number of children trans
ported by one Wagonette every day
| is 16, making the average cost per
month per child transported, S2.03.
The number Of teachers in the
| private schools of the parish is Is,
and the enrolment of pupils is ESQ.
The number of students from this
parish attending higher educational
institutions in Louisiana is Is, and
there is one attending higher in
stitution in another state
The school farm conducted in con-
tural High School has an area of
ten acres of land, and is valued at
approximately $500. The tract was
donated to the school board by the
citizens Of the community In addi-
ton to the price Of the land, the
estimated valuation placed on the
property owned by the school is as
follows: Fence, $500; barn, 5000;
horse, $50; implements, $10O; car
pentry tools, $50; agricultural appar-
atus, $125. The cost of fertilizers,
seed and other incidentals is given
at $1O0, and the total receipts from
the sale of farm products from July
l, 1910, to June 80, 1911, is estimated
at 5000. The salary of the agricul-
tural teacher by the year is $1,000.
The report furnished by Supt
Rusca to the supervisor of public
| accounts for the quarter ending June
30, 1911, contains the following data:
MISUNDERSTANDING on hand April /,
s2607 .26; current school fund,
jury appropriation, $4,000; rent of
school lands, s60.53; agricultural ap-
preparation, $470; miscellaneous, slips.
Total, s73s4.9o.
ements-Teachers' salaries,
white, $5139.16; teachers salaries,
colored, s495; superintendents sal
airy, $3.50; janitors' salaries, S112.5O;
furnishing schoolhouses, $122.O1; per
diem of school board members,
S4s.90; expense superintendent Of
flee, $77.15; libraries, s10903; oper-
ating transfer wagons, $3.50; labor
S12o; insurance premium, s154; sun
dries, $70.71. Total, $6977.96.
Balance cash on hand Tnly 4 1911