El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-06
School Budget For Present
Year Calls for an Expense
of S243,00O.
EFFICIENCY is
ON THE INCREASE
New Methods Introduced in
Schools Aid Teachers
in Their Work.
BY r. J. TIGHE.
superintendent Public schools of Ri
PnsO.)

Hua0sb
URING the current school year
there have been enrolled in the
FL Paso public schools 1866
pupils. of whom 525 are in the high
school, 6.2S7 in the elementary grades
and 254 in the kindergartens. This
enrolment is 1880 greater than it was
this time last year. an increase Of p
percent. For the same time, the gain
in average attendance mas been "a
percent
How Teachers Are Employed.
To provide for the instruction OF
this army Of small citizens the city
has engaged the services Of 255 teach-
ers, of whom 20 are men and ZO9
women. There are "a teachers in the
high school, is in the manual arts and
domestic arts departments, four Span
ish teachers for elementary grades,
seven teachers Of physical training
and playground work four teachers or
vocal music, four drawing teachers
and supervisors Of writing, drawing
music manual arts, elementary grades
and one visiting teacher.
Budget for 1915.
The school budget this year calls for
an expenditure OF $243,OOO, of which
$4,000 is to be used exclusively for the
newly esta blished recreation depart
ment Of the city. OF this amount
500, 600 is to come from the state and
county appropriations and the remain
ing $4,000 from city taxes. The tax
rate for schools is about So cents on
the 500 worth of taxable property,
which is a half cent less than the rate
last year.
Last year the per capita cost OF edit
eating a child in the public schools
OF FL Paso averaged 1894. The year
previous IL cost S42.S7, hence there
was a saving Of nearly IS per capita
last year over the year 1923 with
several new activities added last year
Twelve Elementary Schools.
The work q the instruction is &C
complished in II elementary schools,
one of which also includes the high
school department Of the negro school
and a high school building. All of the
elementary schools have equipment for
the teaching Of sewing, four have do
nestle science kitchens. and all, but
one. manual training shops. The
equipment for domestic and manual
arts is valued at S25, 900. The new
print shop has additional equipment
costing $3.50. Each Of the buildings is
provided with q good general library
and a small class or grade library for
each room. a piano or graphophone,
or both, good pictures and plaster
casts, single desks and all other neces-
sary equipment that goes to make
modern school suitable for the training
Of American citizens.
Fairgrounds Provided.
In all but three schools, the play
grounds are sufficiently large to pro-
vide for free play and In most Of the
schools the grounds are provided with
borders and plots Of grass and hun
dreds Of trees, which are being taken
care Of by the park department of the
city. 1t is the intention of the board
of trustees to plant more trees and
grass during the coming spring so
that when completed each school
ground will be small park.
VaIue Of School Property.
The estimated value of school prop
erty at the present time is about $780,
600, and when the new high school is
completed, and additions are made to
Alta Vista, Beau and other schools
the value VIII amount to not less than
S1,50O0O0 The board expects to make
these additional improvements during
the coming two years.
With the erection of the last school /
building (Alta Vista) the board Of
trustees adopted the policy Of build !
ing only fire proof structures. The /
new high school is to be Of fire proof /
construction, as viii all future ele- /
mentary schools. The old buildings, /
excepting Alta Vista, are built Of brick. /
All buildings are steam heated and |
well lighted.
The Course Of study.
The course Of study in the FL Paso |
schools covers IS years-one year IN /
the kindergarten, eight years in the /
elementary grades and four years in /
the high school
As soon as the new high school is 1
completed 1t is the plan Of the admin /
istratiOn to divide the work into one 4
year in the kindergarten, six years in 4
the elementary schools three years in 4
the junior high school and three years /
in the senior high school, with a posi- !
bility Of doing two years Of college !
work later in the high school and .
normal department covering two years
for the training Of teachers.
May Prepare for Career.
At the close Of the sixth grade. when
the student is ready to 20 into the
Junior high school, he viii then have
q choice of four courses leading to
professional, commercial technical or
industrial careers. II he is not then
ready to decide to have a "tryOut' in
preparation for one Of the above vO-
cations he can continue a general I
course much the same as that now
followed in grammar schools.
Gary System Being Tried.
At the beginning Of this year 1915,
the Aoy school was reorganized on
somewhat the same plan as that used
in Gary, Indiana. This plan provides
that half of each day be given to
reading. writing, arithmetic and Eng
lish; and the other half to such spe-
cial work as music, drawing, manual
and domestic arts, nature study, by
giene, literature and physical training
and play Thus far the children seem
TO have been able to keep up their
work I'm the three RS and to make