Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-07-10
Readers Column
REPLIES TO ROOT.
Bismarck. N. D.. Jaly .. 1914.

REPLIES 10 MOOT.
Bismarck. N. D.. July .. 1914.
Editor Tribune:
Dear Sir-In your issue Of June -,
the Tribune published y report Of the
Bismarck public schools. submitted
by Superintendent Root. In comment-
ling on the report, the Tribune said,
among other things. THE showing Is
excellent and the work done in the
city schools is of such an order that
the extended report is given"
Then follows MIR. Roots report,
wherein he states that there are 81
teachers employed in the Bismarck
public schools. that 72 girls and boys
were enrolled in the kindergarten,
722 girls and boys were enrolled in
the grades, and 200 girls and boys
were enrolled in the high school.
(Mr. Root does not state In his re.
port the number of nonresident pu-
pills that were enrolled In the high
school during the past year,, that the
per cent of attendance was 94.5, and
50 pupils were neither tardy " alb
sent during the past year; that sew
eral new teachers will be employed
for next year; then Mr.. Root closes
his report by stating that a school
savings bank department was estab-
lished during the past year. that 181
pupils were depositors, with deposits
amounting to $511.76, and that he and
Mr.. ;Root(D issued four hundred
checks to the children.
Good as Far as Il Goes.
This report is very good as far as
it goes, but there is nothing In the
report that shows that the work of
the pupils is excellent" or that the
work of the pupils during the past
year has been good, bad or indilfer-
ent.
No Higher.
1t has been remarked on several
occasions by people who appear to be
posted on school matters, that the
work being done in our schools today
is of no higher grade than that done
ny the pupils in the same schools ten
years ago, and that it is costing over
three times as much to maintain our
schools today than 1t did dten years
ago. 1t can be readily seen that as
our city grows the schools keep pace
with the growth Of the city. 1t is
probable that the enrolment In our
schools has doubled during the past
ten years, necessitating the building
of a high school and the employment
of a larger number of teachers, there
oy greatly increasing the cost of
maintaining the schools over the cost
of ten years ago.
Right or Wrong.
But how are you going to deter
mine whether these people are right
or wrong in asserting that the pupils
of today in the Bismarck schools are
no better readers, writer's, spoilers
mathematician than the pupils of
the same grades we're ten years ago?|
l believe that Mr.. Root has been
employed as superintendent of the
Bismarck schools for the past four
years. Has Mr.. Root ever published
the result of any examination show
ing the quality Of the pupils work?
Has Mr.. Root ever filed with the
board of education q comprehensive
report since he has been superintend-
ent of the Bismarck schools showing
tuc 4u0llty VI Iuc WOIh OcluS UOuc III
the high schools and grades? Dur.
ing the past year Superintendent has
a monthly report to the
board of education, these reports are
filed with the clerk of the board.
These reports n not specific, do no:
give any practical information, and
the whole, Mr.. Roots reports TO
the board would be considered very
weak. Should the Tribune have any
doubts as to the correctness of this
let the reports be publish
ed, the people can then judge for
Want Reports.
The minutes Of each meeting Of the
board of education, together with the
superintendent report. should be
in a daily newspaper. The
BOARD of education are expanding an
probably over $4,000 for main.
our public schools. This is
a large expenditure of public funds
each year, and a heavy burden on the
tax payers. The people are entitled
to snow where this money goes, and