Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-02-14


administration Of school affairs TO
make a true report of their con0ltion
revolutionary. This Is as il should be
II because our schools, which mold and
s=ain the mind of our future citizens,
should not be changed by every fad
4 and fashion that comes along On
d the other hand when things do exist
which hinder the progress Of school
work. | should be dislOyal to my dirty
if did lot repeatedly call attention
4 to the evils until they are recognized
and remedied
The county is divided into l55 school
districts. including the city of Viro-
81 qua. Five of these districts have
high schools: three, graded schools of
q the first class: six. graded schools of
the second class. and l4l rural schools
of one department.
District No. :, of the town of Clin-
ton, built an addition to their school
house and organized a graded school
of two rooms. District No 5, of the
town of Kickapoo, had the misfortune
81 of losing its school house by fire about
n the time that school was to begin
for the fall term.
II Numerous repairs and permanent
n improvements have been made but
neither space nor time will allow of d
b detailed report of each case. In all
II Sl0,042 II were expended for this pur-
pose.
COST PER PUPIL
The total amount expended for edu-
cational purposes was S99, 935 81. This
makes an average cost of SIS OF for
each pupil, who attended school.
| have no dat which will enable me
to find the cost of high school pupils
l.,,F fasa t-4I r~fN
b OF tac districts that maintain high
scnools We f I'd HIT they eXI end S23.-
80 o p. pill. n the tner and, the
4> e COS o al OF er ii -tricts i
Sl2 l.. Thus { see that districts
m;ia al ny hi b scho us e2 ptnd al
n ms w as Al CHI, Ger p ipll, for
eauc tic al pui &c ,es "a cum ID school
dislr Is
AT + VDA> CE
lleI your attention, l. st wear,
Il TO tie fat tuai since 1899 there had
n been a gradual decrease in the num-
Der If children Of school age. and this
year is no exception. Our present
number is 9, l04 or 3l2 less tn an year
ago. Percentage of school attendnce is
n pIzf Lically the same as last year.
vS.r had hoped for better showing,
y but owing to a severe epidemic of
county last winter, great many were
necessarily kept out of school who
would otherwise have gone. Sixty
III four cases of truancy were reported
Y to the sheriff, and | believe in every
case he served notices on the parents,
as is required by law Such notices
n usually have the desired effect of get
y ting the truant children to start to
r school. Some, however, became care
less near the close of the year, and
did not get in their full six months.
III TEACHERS
III The whole number OF teachers en-
rs ployed during the year was PIC. OF
n this number "A were men, and 1874
women. On an average, about one
Ethird of the country schools are
taught by teachers without exper-
fence. CHS makes the life of the
rural teacher about three years. Too
often the common school is used as a
stepping stone to something else
After two or three years of work in
these schools the teacher either quits
or takes position in d village or city
III grade, where wages are higher and
accommodations better. Thus the
Village gets the benefit of the exper-
/ fience and training that the teacher
klreceived in the country school. Per-
Hhaps this fact retards the progress of
Sour common schools more than any
BOTHER one thing.
III While we have no general remedy
IEfor this exodus, there are many things
Ifthat could be done by school boards
l1that would discourage it. For ex-
| Iample, the school houses should be
! kept in the best condition possible.
More conveniences should be provided
lin
| Whave plenty of good water, wood shed,
hdry wood, and kindling. There are
Astill districts where the teacher has
ITO split her own kindling out of big
Hblocks, besides digging the wood out
Hfrom under the snow in the winter.
1 Mast but not least, school boards
Should recognize good service by pay
/ ing what it is worth If you have a
good teacher make it an object, finan-
Hcially, for her TO stay with you more
nan one year. At present there is
too much difference between the wages
~ the village and the country schools
IAonsidering the service that is ex-
pected in each case. Last year the
Mverage wages in the village schools,
pot counting the principals, was $50
~, while the country schools, on an
average, paid $3.50
D.
The last legislature passed teach
tlHers' pension bill-or a teachersretire-
Nnent fund, as it is called. This law
Proposes to pay to all teachers who
Have taught twenty-five years, PEN
ion OF S3l2.50 annually. The pension
&und is made up partially from the
mill tax by taxing ten
liEents for each pupil of school age.
Aind partially from the wages of the
&eachers thems Ives. Teachers who
nave taught prior to September !,
89l1, deed not Jntribute 10 this fund
#nle,s they wis to come under its
provisions, but ]. beginners must con-
#riOute ole pei cent Of their wages
he first ten We, RS, and after that time
Two per ent.It teacher quits before
The has Taught twenty-five wears one
8alf of what she paid to the fund will
Re returned to ner. The promoters
kf this law clam that it viii keep
Weacners longe ia scaool work, ana
linus aod to tie efficiency of our
schouls. If thi, contention proves to
be true 1t will re worth all it cost.
COMMON SCHOOL DIPLOMAS
2 Twodi ploma Examinations we're held
his year, one ior the common schools
April. and one for the graded
schools in May. over four hundred
applicants wrote at these examina-
IONS, and 206 received diplomas, while
#hanv OF hers uartiallV finished the