The Penn's Grove record., 1916-12-08
School Problem Continues
More Rooms and More Money
Needed

a''C fCi'hf' W u ChlS OlbNt
lioaId of Education WIS held Monday
evening. A lew current bills were order
ed paid ~ soon "a money is available.
Oaiy Il few dollars are on hand and
monpy las been borrowed tn the legal
limit. The Borough tax will be available
Decer"ber 22l and part of the State
school innd is expected coon. The
monthly pay roll for teachers and jani-
tors 8 about $1,000, $40n a week. The
ainnnnt paid this year To- December / is
5 8 1924 80.
Supervisor W. ID. Snyder in his
monthly report stated that the total
eniollment since September is 1921. Dur
ing November q pupils entered. The
average attendance is abunt 900, aud 27S
were neither absent nor tardy.
Their enrolment in the HUH School
IL l3l, OF whom 81 are from the Town
ship and 81 from Otdmans. In the
grades 30 from near the east Borough
limit which was in tile old Harmony
district before the districts were eabolis h.
ed ami the municipalities were made tie
school districts.
Two oi the rooms in the garage build
ing were occupied last Monday, thereby
putting the 4th and 9Th grades on fnll
time. AS soon rs chairs arrive The other
two looms will be occupied. NotM:tl-
standing the opening OF iour more onns
the lower grades are crowded. The lst
grade room4 have 5S and 90; the Ali
grade 56 aud So; the Stll giale 81. There
are not seats and desks To accommodate
so many.
The members Of Upper Penns Neck
Township Board OF Education were
present to adjust the claims of PENIS
GIove Board OF Elucat on for pupils who
came from the Township to the Borough.
When The Riverview school opened in
1915, with Il different course OF stndy,
some pupils who had been in Penns
Grove school the previous year in the
9Th grade continued in Pehns Grove
school so they could complete the gram
mar course with the same hooks aud
methods. Parents pay tor such attend
ance while the Township pays for those
near the Borough limit whose homes
were formerly in old Harmony District,
Penus Gt"ve, also the high school
scholars. The continuous moving OF
families from the Borough to the villages
in tile Township creates difficulty of
keeping a record Of how much should he
paid, whether for Il whole year or part of
Il year.
lenns Grove changes $l2 Il year for
grade pupils and $40 for high school
scholars. Upper Penns Neck was charged
$l324 last year aud paid $l02S. The re-
mainder, 1896, WAS compromised with
the Township Board.
CONGLOMERArE BOOKS AND
STUDIES
Solomon said thousands OF years ago,
"Of making books there is no end and
much study is Il WEAKNESS of the flesh"
Until six years ago the County Snpe,-
intend' mt formulated a course of study
for Salem County schools and there was
a general uniformity Of text hooks. The
pupils went thru the school, then went
TO the. State Normal School, passed on
many OF the same books and had n uni
form class Of books to get information
from to be qualified to become u teacher
by a county examination. Since our ex-
p~rnsive State School management has
been in authority with u $40, 900 State
COMMISSIONS and S., 900 assistants,
whose principal work has been to talk
gllttering generalities in sM Get words and
present monogram theories for teachers
TO guess what is meant, New JERSEYS
school system has been in a cunglomeratp
tumble, because zach man in autllOrit,
III the expensive supervision system has
a different choice of books. Besides, w.
der the persuasion of book agents the
same supervisor frequently chooses d fer
ent books for the anne grades. Those
are some ofatlie reasons for the increased
cost OF schools and the principal reasons
why pupils are kept back when they go
from one school to another. One school
completes geography and physiology in
the 7th grade. Others in the 9th, One
has the old deductive method of arltil-
metlc whereby a pupil can learn what
is already known in the quickest time.
Another has the spiral inductlve method
with the intention Of making small chill
dren think or guess what ought to be
This method has raised III the past few
years a class of mental rambling, wand
erihg, visionary set of boys aud girls
whose employers wonder what they ever
did or learned in schools.
While the consolidation of schools has
added to the efficiency in some lines, it
has kept back the bright pupils capable
OF earlier advancement which were
formerly made under a uniform system
Oh Dooks, AT less expense to the tax
payers and less "weariness OF the fesh''
to pupils.
The Newark course Of study in River
view school may be the best in the State.
Other minds believe another set OF books
us good, yet the special educational fads
each writer OF a text book presents, and
there sis no end" OF fads, creates trouble
for educators, pupils and boards OF edu-
cation.
Our plea is for a uniform course OF
study in the County if not in the State. 1t
should at least be in the territory where
the grammar schools are feeders to the
same high school.
The consolidation of country schools
is to give equal opportunity and greater
efficiency in educating the youth. When
the central school like Elmer fails to give
equal opportunities like Salem, Woods