The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-02-02
Could Send Them to
Private College for
$500 a Year.
MEMBER OF BOARD
Gives Amazing Results OF
Census he Has Taken of
Attendants at Norrnal's S

StioSAo AlS AAoo oNAll vi
Attendants at Normal's
In an exhaustive statement issued
today, A. E. Hitchcock, member of
the South Dakota Board of Regents,
gives statistics concerning the four
state norlnals, supporting his con-
tention that they are doing work not
contemplated by the laws creating
them and thereby incurring expense
to the taxpayers without authority
by law.
A census of the students at the
four normals was taken by Regent
Hitchcock last month, with the re-
suit that he finds that the Spearfish
and Springfield normals are doing
the work of high schools for these
two towns, at state expense, and that
a large part of the attendance at the
Aberdeen and Madison normals are in
really high school students taking
courses at state expense. At Spring.
field only is portion of this expense
borne by the local community.
In conclusion, it is shown that the
total number of normal graduates, in
other words, graduates trained to
teach schools, from the four normals
last year was 158. The total expense
of operating the four normals the
past year was $17l.838 or an aver.
age of 81, ,O87 for each graduate. In.
asmuch ms 148 of these 15S took
only one Year of real normal work,
this means that it costs the state
$1,000 to give each of the normal
graduates years training. 1t
would cost the state an average of
probably $500 to send these normal
students one year to private col
lcge to secure similar instruction
and could at that save over three
ffths of the $4,000 spent on the
normals every year.
1t is understood that Regent Hitch.
cock will appear before the two ap.
preparations committee of the state
Legislature and call the attention OF
he members to the matter in this
statement. He will oppose making
any appropriations for work in the
normals not authorized by the laws
creating them.
Following is Regent Hitchcock Is
interesting article, with illuminating
statistics on the four normals at the
end:
by A. E. Hitchcock, Member of South
Dakota Board of Regents.
The present condition of these
schools is the result of gradua
growth and the executives of re
spective institutions are insisten
that the work being done is in {
legitimate field and it should bt
fostered. Local pride and politica
support strongly fortify the position
of the schools and if any change il
the direction of their activities is t.
be brought about it can be effected
by public discussion.
If the scope of the work adopted
is legitimate and the courses of stud.
pursued are in harmony with thu
needs of the state and it's educationa
system, only fattering terms shoult
be APPLIED to their management.
wish to be quoted as eXpressint
naught but kind words for the pres
ent administration in this respect
1t is the field of work occupied t
which l have directed my discussion
l made careful review of these in
stitutions to the Board of Regents
which report will be found in th'
published biennial report of tn
board for 1910, pages $50 to 161.
1t was the intent of the laws Great
ing these schools that they should oc
cupy the field of fitting teachers 70
common school work. The law reads
"The object and exclusive purpose o
such normal schools shall be the in
struction of persons, both male an
female in the art of teaching and i
all the various branches pertainin
| to good common school education.
l This law applies to Madison
Spearfish and Springfield. Aberdee
was created under later statut
but up to this time the normal wor
! OF Aberdeen has been placed unde
the same standard as at the othe
schools.