New Ulm review., 1912-09-18
SUPT. KENNEDY MAKES
YEARLY REPORT
Points of Interest to Tax.Payers
and Parents of School
Children.
Financial Report Tabulated.

The annual report filed by County
Supt. of Schools, r. B. Kennedy,
contains considerable information that
should be of vast interest to all con-
cerned in any way with the educa-
tional facilities of our times. Mr..
Kennedy has furnished us with copy
OF this report from which we herewith
reproduce summary OF the items that
should be known to citizens OF the
county in general.
Brown County contains three inde-
pendent districts, New Ulm, Sleepy
Eye and Springfield and a graded
school located at Comfrey besides 80
rural school districts. These schools
have total enrolment of 1887 pupils.
or these q few less than half were
attendants in the High Schools, 2295
being enrolled in the rural districts.
There were 252 pupils over IS years of.
age attending the High Schools and
only Al in the country districts, which
explains the large enrolment 10 our
high schools above the eighth grades.
The smallest enrollments shown
numbered eight pupils in Districts 30
and IS. The New Ulm schools head
the list with s24 pupils. OF the rural
schools, the semi.grsded school in
Dist. 81 shows 1o7 pupils attending.
Our city schools have the longest
term OF any, being ten mouths, while
the other independent districts have
bat nine and the average thruout the
county Is but seven and q fraction.
The longer school year in New Ulm
gives the pupil greater number of
days attendance to his credit than
elsewhere in the county, the average
being l61 days. Springfield stands
nsxt with IN average Of l45 which IL
slightly lower percentage than that of
our schools. Dist. No. SO stands
next, going ahead OF even the Sleepy
Eye schools, with an average of 141.
District 35 which had but 5 months
school earned 40 average of 63 days
per pupil. Goshen also stands low in
the scale Of attend snce, having like
average. There has beena slight in
crease in the number of months voted
for next year in few of the rural
districts.
The number Of teachers employed
last year in the county was LAG. OF
these l3l we're women. The total
wages paid amounted to s67, ,2O9. II.
Men teachers wages averaged SIG
per month in the independent districts
and s44 in the rural schools
Women's $50 in city schools and as
in the rural, which is interesting from
the fact that as rule men are higher
paid than women and in our country
districts this seems not to be the case.
The highest salary paid in the rural
districts is $50 in No. 4 and the lowest
s35 in Nos. 35, A, rs and 79.
Contrary to what might be expected
we find that the cost of text books is
one OF the lesser items OF expense.
Two OF the Independent districts and
Y OF the rural loan text books free to
pupils. The other Independent and
graded districts and eight of the rural
schools supply text books at cost to
heir pupils. In the high and graded
schools loaning books to pupils the
average cost per pupil is 9Oc and
where the pupil buys his books at cost
le pays an average of Sl.6O. In the
emi-graded and rural schools there
s not so great difference, loanine
'eing done at q cost of 44c per pupil
md selling at 42c.
The report shows that in the inde-
districts brick has been used
'lmost exclusively in construction
7hile but two of the rural schools
ave brick buildings. Eighty-nine
uildings house the 1857 pupils. The
otal value of school houses and sites
estimated at s275,740 of which
mount eS6, 74O is invested in the
ountry districts. Three new frame
uildings have been put up during the
ear.
Another item showing progress, or
'ck of it, is the one dealing with the
after of libraries. All of the inde-
endent and graded schools have
braries and all but IL of the rural
'hools are supplied. In the number
volumes and value of school
oparatus New Ulm falls considerably
'hind Sleepy Eye and Comfrey. We
I'VE but 1850 volumes for our 600
,pils. Sleepy Eye has 114O volumes
r their 400 pupils and Comfrey