The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1913-09-23


mar ers per
Teachr
1900 134S 96 1444 35 Ali
1910 1445 222 1867 4S 35
1911 1434 229 1868
1912 1854 266 1716 55 81
Increase in twelve years.
106 ITO 272 20
Average increase per year.
9 IA 22as
The increase includes out-of-town
pupils.
From the above statement it will
be seen that while the enrolment of
pupils has increased from 1444 in,
1900 to 1915 in 1912, or 272 in all
Cncluding out-of-town pupils) the
number of teachers has increased
from thirty-fiye to fifty-five, or twen-
ty in all, so that the number of pu-
pills per teacher has been reduced
from forty-one to thirty-one. The
pay of teachers has increased from
$25,S97.50 in 1900 to 44,679.02 in 1912
During the twelve years seven rooms
have been added to the school facil-
tiles.
During this period the parochial
schools of the town have had an at
tendance of from 500 to 800 and have
added number of rooms to their
school facilities. There are at present
about 800 pupils in the two parochial
schools, instructed by thirteen regu-
lar teachers and music teacher and
teacher of drawing. These teach
ers are all sisters of charity and get
nominal salary for their services.
These schools are up-to-date in meth
DDS and aim to give practical instruc-
ton. The pupils are taken through
the grades and given one year of
high school instruction, either in COM
mercial or academic department and
are fitted to take up the work of
the second year in the public school
as many of them do.
The Morristown school system is
peculiar in that while the average of
high school to other pupils in the
state is 61a per cent. in Morristown
it is fifteen per cent. This is ac-
counted for by the fact that so many
pupils attend the high school from
out of town, over eighty being en-
rolled this year, and also from the fat
that SO many enter the high school
from the parochial schools. This
also accounts for the large increase
in the pay of teachers as the high
school teachers command higher sal
aries. ~
statement was +. recently made
through Misunderstanding that the
Morristown schools had doubled twice
over in a few years. This was said
of the high schooland is accounted ftl
as stated before by the out of town
pupils and the fact that more of the
pupils of both the public and the
parochial schools take the high school
course. The remodeling of the Maple
avenue building, installation of the
ventilating plant and the requirements
of the state laws have cut down the
seating capacity of the buildings to a
considerable extent, while the require
ments of the high school work takes
more rooms. The pupils of the high
school are not assembled in one room
during the session but go from one
room to another to meet the teacher
of the subject for the time being.
While large percentage of the pu-
pills take up high school work the fact
remains that a very large percentage
leave school without that privilege,
and it is very important that these
should have good practical training
by that time. The parochial schools
are good in that respect as they take
UP the commercial course when the
pupils are from twelve to fourteen
years of age and when they complete
the school course have had a years
training in practical business methods
1t is generally admitted that there
should be more school accommoda-
tions, especially for the younger pu-
pills, the division of sentiment being
whether we should begin at the bot
tom and erect primary buildings and
relieve the Maple avenue building for
high school purposes, or build high
school building and use the Maple av-
enue building for the primary and
grades.
AS an indication of the general
trend in the expenditure of money for
educational purposes the state board
of education is good example. In
1900 there was a state superintendent
of public instruction with a salary of
$4,000 per year, and person in
charge of the school census at $1,500
per year. $4,000 in all with office ex-
penses to correspond. In 1912 there
was a state commissioner at a salary
of $4,000 per year, four assistant
commissioners at $4,000 each, an in
spector of buildings at $4,000 and an
inspector of accounts at $4,000, MAX
ing total of $4,000 with office ex-
penses to correspond.