Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-07
SCHOOLS IN NEED
OF MORE MONEY
DR.. Schaeffer Says Appropria-
tions Have Not Matched
Their Growth

Sharp criticism of tendency TO in
clude military training in the schools
of the state and objections to the
present system of distribution of the
State appropl Iation to the common
schools as not suited to the tremen-
dous development of the educational
activities of Pennsylvania are among
salient features of the annual report
of DR.. Nathan C. Schaeffer. State Su-
perintendenu of Public instruction,
sent to the printer to-day.
| DIR. Schaeffer's opinion of military
training is well known and he prefaces
! his criticism by saying that whenever
"a new idea enters the skull of a re-
former the aid of the schools is
| straightway invoked. 1t is all right,
he says, to expend public money for
vocational education, but he doubts
whether the occupation of the soldier
should be made an integral. part of
vocational education. He attacks mill
tary exercises in schools as one-sided
and says that we should note the Swiss,
+ who do not start to train their youth
with muskets until they have reached
the twentieth year. or when the Ameri-
can high school student has finished
his education.
! The superintendent says that the
!
! colossal proportions and the State is
! helping to get better buildings and
more teachers. encouraging agricul-
tural and Industrial education, twenty
counties having schools for the teach
ing of farming and 10000 persons be-
+ ing in the industrial schools. The
! decision of the Attorney General in
the employment certificate question
! has simplitied the continuation school
matter to a certain extent and prepa-
! rations for such schools are under
way.
on the subject of State aid for edu-
| cation the doctor says that the appro-
: priations have not kept pace with
population. The annual expenditure
/ for schools is S5S,114.225.61 which
exceeds the expenditures of the fed
eral government before the war, and
the number of pupils is larger than
the population of any one of twenty
two American States. The enrolment
! is 1,461,937 and there are 100000
more in private and parochial schools.
| Statistical Statements
Relating to the public schools of
| Pennsylvania for the school year end
ing July D, 1915, including Philadel-
| phia:
| Number of school districts in the
State, 2,576; number of school houses,
| 1881; number of schools, 39,306;
number of first grade high schools,
25l; number of second grade high
schools, 2S4; number of third grade
high schools, 375; number of county
superintendents, sc; number of as
| sistant county superintendents. 10;
| number of district superintendents,
119; number of male teachers. S,917;
number of female teachers, 1886;
whole number of teachers, 41.2S3;
average salary of male teachers per
, month, $6S.43: average salary of fe-
male teachers per month, S50.14; ave-
rage length of school term in months
SCI; whole number of pupils, 1,461,- =
937; average number of pupils in
| daily attendance, 1,166,513; cost of
school houses, buildings, renting, etc.
s12. .949. 1921; teachers wages, S25,-
| 6S7, 1859; cost of text books $1,17O,-
635.44: cost of school supplies other
I than text books, including maps
| globes, ETC., S1,076, ,569.65; salaries of
secretaries of school boards, $249.-
| 707.54; fees of treasurers of school
boards, $257,8$LS2; total cost of col
lection of taxes, 15,452.57; cost of
enforcement of compulsory attend
ance law, $19S,991.71; all other ex-
penses. 15,S0S, ,594.64 total expendi-
lures, S58,114, 4,225.61; regular appro-
priation to common schools for the
school year ending July 5, 1915. ST.
096. 6.077.19; appropriation for free tut
schools for school year ending July
3, 1915, 100000; appropriation to
Philadelphia normal schools, $50. 900;
appropriation to pay tuition of non
resident pupils, $4,000; appropriation
for township and borough high
schools, $225,000; appropriation for
county superintendent salaries,
$4,000.
Items compared with those OF the
preceding year ending July 6, 1914,
Philadelphia included:
Increase in number of schools, L.
519; increase in number of male
teachers, 567; increase in number of
female teachers, 1,120: increase in
salary of male teachers, per month,
81 cents: increase in salary of female
teachers, per month, 20 cents; in
crease in length of school term, .01;
! increase in number of pupils, 60,612;
increase in teachers wages, S1,S52,-
! 1854; increase in cost of building,
purchasing and renting, S3,103. 3.S91.09.
Condition of system, not including
Philadelphia, with comparisons:
Number of districts, 2,575, increase,
s; number of schools, 34,514. increase.
1857; number of pupils, i,259, ,392, in
crease. 53,94S; average daily attend
ance, 990,551. increase, 34,S05; per
cent. of attendance, SO. increase, .02;
average length OF school term in
months, S.A1. increase, .U1; number of
male teachers, S,266, increase, 457:
number of female teachers. 27.662, in
crease, 7S5; whole number of teach
ers. 35,92S increase. 1912; average
salary of male teachers per month,
| s66.94, increase, 23 cents; average SAL
AIRY of female teachers per month,
$49.47. increase, 81 cents; purchasing
building, repairing houses. renting,
etc, s10.55S,537.49, increase, $2,S97,-
614.S5: teachers wages, S20,071,-
937.45. increase, S1,219, 1864: cost
of text books, S979, 9,06t.46, increase,
S1,S79.S5: salaries of secretaries,
S244,707.54, decrease, $4.5S0.62; cost
of enforcement of compulsory attend
ance, S149, 9,309.42, decrease, SS96.12;
fees of treasurers, $252.295.27. de-
crease, s2,678.09; all other expenses,
S13.S97,149.60: increase, $1,222. .065.74:
total expenditures. $46,S44, ,44S.94: in
crease, $4,155, ,S21.51; average number
of mills levied, 900, increase, q.
delphia-Number of schools,
4,792; number of teachers. 651; num-
Der of female teachers, 4,7O4; average
salary of male teachers per month,
| S166.40; average salary of female
teachers per month, S94 number of
pupils in school at end of year, 202.-
| 545; average attendance, 176,062; cost
of school houses, purchasing, rent,
etc. $2.391, ,255.12; teachers wages,
S5,615,206.1S; cost of school text
| books, $191,573.9S; cost of school sup
plies other than text books, SAL