Newark post., 1916-01-12
Delaware Schools
A Going Concern
By Charles A. Wagner, Commits
sioner of Education.


sioner of Education.
What goes when the schools are
going? What is needed to make
the schools go?
First, 1885 school commission
ers, more or less, have appointed
1O6 male and 5O3 female teachers
for the white schools of the State,
and are paying them $4,000
month to keep the schools going;
265 colored school commissioners
more or less, have appointed 18
male and 95 female teachers to
whom S3,527 a month must be
paid to keep the colored schools
going. There are other items of
expense, whose total could prob
ably not be learned, as statistics
have never been brought together
into one place under the co-ordi-
mating hand of one authority. 1t
also means that 1868 boys and
9,646 girls are enrolled in white
schools and 2,461 boys and 1882
girls in colored schools. In the
white schools about Is per cent
are present, 1928 boys and 1888
girls; in the colored schools about
46 per cent, 1882 boys and 1,O81
girls. Therefore, as going
concern" there is an unproductive
expenditure of about $1,000 per
school month, or $305 the school
day for teachers salaries, since
the children are not in school to
profit by the instruction. Abso-
lutely much more than the sum
stated is wasted, of course, be-
cause janitor service, consump-
tion of fuel and other expenses go
right on, whether all or part of the
children are getting benefit.
No private business or produc-
tive enterprise could run on such
a percentage of waste. 1t would
be bankrupt in very short time.
1t cannot possibly be that parents
want such results. 1t is unbeliev-
able that they would be, satisfied
if they knew. 1t must be that they
do not know or do not see what
these things mean. Therefore this
effort to inform them.
Next, after these facts about the
schools as going concerns" some
statements about general condi-
tions should be of interest to par
ents and taxpayers. Probably
the newest feature, and one which
reached many homes in the State,
was the
Examination of Resident
Pupils
for admission to the Approved
High Schools as State-tuition-
paid pupils.
By an Act of Legislature, pass
ed in 1899, the State pays twenty
cents day tuition to Approved
(town) High Schools for pupils
from outside of the district, up to
a total of $50 such pupils. More
than $50 pupils from each county
were admitted The last Legisla-
ture was asked to increase this
allowance but had no funds that
could be used to pay the increased
charges, hence the quota was not
increased. Instead, the State
Board of Education was advised
to reduce the number of non-resi,
dent pupils that could be enrolled
by holding examinations and ad.
mitting only those who could pass
this examination. Accordingly
such an examination was held in
August. At four or more places in
each county, on a date in August
pupils who had completed the
grades or classes of their home OF
local school, presented themselves
in any convenient town school to
pass an examination. To be ad-
mitted to the examination, the
candidate must have completed
a grade higher than the sixth
grade. Two hundred and thirty
three pupils entered the examina-
tions, 1863 passed, therefore CD
failed to pass. This examination
was not required to be passed by
pupils who had already attended
an Approved High School; there
fore, if there had been no exami-
nation, almost enough pupils to
fill the entire quota Of one country
would have been admitted on
opening day. The admissions were
so much more numerous than in
former years, that the quota was
filled in each county in less than
three weeks after opening day, an
unprecedented occurance, showing
that more High School opportuni-
fiac y,,,,cf Ia ,>ror;JoJ H.,