French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-03-02
EX-SENATOR BUTLER's
SCHOOL FIGURES WRONG.
EcOOnmy Of Administration Of Public
Schools Clearly ShowDs Clerk
Maxwell Finishes the Job.
(By A. j. Maxwel1.)

In the Butler pamphlet on the report
OF the State Tax Commission, and the
charge of excessive taxes and extrav-
agance in Democratic administration.
! did not try to cover his charge of
etravaganee in the management of the
public shcooI system of the State, as it
was not desired to present an article
OF too great length.
The Democratic State administration
deserves to stand or fall on it's man
agement of the public schools. If 1T
has been either unfaithful or inehi-
clent or -extravagant in a matter so
close to all the people of the. State, it
would be undeserving of continuance
in authority
The Butler charge of extravaganza
IS based on just two statements:
l. That the school fund was in
creased from $894,000 in 1898 to 81
703 800 in 1913.
2. That the length of school term
was only increased from 14.06 weeks
in 1898 to Is weeks in 1913.
Of course, Mr.. Butler could not state
even the basic facts accurately The
report of Mr.. C.. H. Mebane. Suberin-
tendent Public Instruction (fusion)
for the year 1898 shows expense of
public school for that year S931 ,082.86.
instead of $894,O00 as given by Mr..
Butler, and the report of DR.. J. Y.
Joyner for 1913 shows length of school
term 20.48 weeks. instead of Is weeks
as given by MI. Butler.
But the increase in length of school
term is not the largest item in the in
ventory of public school improvements
1898 to 1913.
Mr. Mebane's report for 1898 shows
value of public school property $780,
214. DR.. Joyner's report for 1919
shows value of public school property
$5,030,710.02, an increase of Sal per
cent.
The average monthly salary paid
white teachers in 1898 was $24.66 for
males and $22.9 SO for females for aver
age term of Il days.
The average monthly salary paid
white teachers in 1913 was $42.37 for
average term of 1924 days.
With log school houses and $22
teachers in 1898 there was only 34.5
per cent Of the white children OF
school age attending the schools, or a
81 for the State of 0,162. In 1915
54.8 per cent of the white children
G in actual attendance or a total
of 235,504, the average attendance be-
ing nearly double
The average attendance of white
children in 1898, multiplied by the
average length Of term, gives 9:811,34t
school days, counting each days ac-
tual attendance by each child.
The average attendance of white
children in 1913, multiplied by tn.
ayerage length of school term, gives
t24825, 500 school days, or nearly thret
times as many days Of actual .school
attendance as In 1898.
So that while the total cost in 191:
is three times as great as in 1893 TIM
actual cost per child per day is bu
slightly greater thanSinE1898 to-send {
child to a school with equipment 541
percent better than in 1895 and to. 1
teacher paid a salary q per cen
higher than in 1898.
Which is e-xtravagant, the old los
school house and board bench and thu
$22 teacher, or the modern schoo
house and the $42 teacher?
In 1898 Statewide rural high schools
were unknown in the State. In 191:
there were 212 rural high schools, pre-
pairing the boys and girls of b rura
districts for a college course. no
counting Of course the city's grades
schools.
There was almost no supervision Q
the public schools in 1885, Mr.. Meban
making the statement in his annua
report for 1898 that the superintendent
OF schools OF Wake county, having /
charge the expenditure of an annus
school fund of $56,000, was paid
salary of only $128. The average sal
airy of county superintendent in 191
was $94S SO.
These plain facts need no argumen
t. enforce them. They furnish ampl
answer to any charge of extravaganza
if indeed any answer is needed. Al
the people of the State know thes
things in a gneral way. But n
amount of statistics can ~adequatel
present a fair comparison of the eff
eiency of the public schools in 191
with conditions that prevailed unde
the Butler regime in 1898, when no
only poverty was written over ever
school house but when the shadow c
the negro school committeeman, serv
ing on school boards having the mar
agement of both white and colore
schools, furnished a large part of tn
indignation that grew into overwhelm
ing revolution.
The Democratic State administra
ton will take more pride in its in
creased expenditures to improve tn
public school system of the State tina
in n other feature of it's administre
ton since 1898. The people kno7
that they can't have good schools with
out paying for them. And in this col
nection it may be. mentioned ths