The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1917-01-11
FOR STATE WIDE
COMPuLS|0N ACT
SUPERINTENDENT SWEARINGEN
REPORTS ON SCHOOL ATTtN.
DANCE IN STATE.
COVERING MANY MATTERS
Would Wipe Out Adult llliteracy In
Three Years.-Finances and Ap.
preparations.

Columbia. -One-fourth of the nf ~.
lation of South Carolina, 451.76s arc
enrolled in the public schools, accord.
ing to the annual report of John T..
Swearingen. state superintendent of
education or this number 196, OCT were
white and 219699 negroes This was
an increase of 42,925 over the enroll.
ment of the preceding year. 1871 be-
ing whites and 27.174 negroes. This
was the largest enrolment in the his
tory OF the state. Adding the number
attending private. denominatonal and
parochial schools would bring Tho
total enrolment for the year to 45o-
000
The local option compulsory school
attendance law is responsible. saws
the report. for part Of the increase in
the attendance. This law is in opera
ton in 1S7 districts, barely one.tenth
or the school districts OF the state.
'but its moral effects are state wide"
says Mr.. Swearingen The white
schools reported an average attend
ance of 68 per cent and the negroes
OF. He recommends the strengthen
ing OF the compulsory attendance law
and making 1t state wide.
There was total income Of money
for the public schools of $4,261 .1Ol1S
from all sources, one.ffth Of it arising
from the three mill constitutional tax
There Is a large variation in the
amounts Of money spent in the various
counties, but the average for the
whites was STOP and for the negroes
$1.90 per capita. The report urgeE
that some 1ninimums should be fixed
| by the state, because some districts
are unable to spend as much as 9TH
| ers, and certainly minimum ought
to be guaranteed by the state, which
would require funds from the state
treasury.
The state appropriation for public
schools at the last session of the leg
islature aggregated S303,500 for ten
items. equal to one-mill tax on all
property. Mention is made OF the
growth Of the rural graded schools,
there being 562 last year, an increase
OF 40 per cent. The state superin.
tendent tells Of the beneficial results
of the state aid for needy schools. He
suggests that either the requirements
OF the rural graded school law must
be raised Or the appropriations be made
adequate: He says that $4,000 will
be needed for this work
IN speaking Of the high schools. the
state superintendent recommends that
all tuition fees, matriculation fees and
others be abolished
VI the state aid the report suggests
that aid be refused to districts rnfns-
ing to vote local tax The average
school last year was 1877 days and the
state superintendent is pleading for
minimum Of seven months and saws 1t
should be nine. During the last year
$50 new school buildings were erected
ana continuation Of the building ap-
preparation from the state is strongly
recommended.
An illiteracy table is appended
showing that in 81 counties, out of
total enrolment of 102,256 for the
primaries, 1915 made their mark on
posite their names on the enrolment
books, an illiterate percentage of 1877
Chesterfield with 2S.2 led the iii.
eracy column with Beaufort the leas.
llllterate, 4.6. Greenville reported an
llliteracy Of 21.8, and Spartanburg of
S4.9. No reports were received from
Charleston, Anderson and Richland
counties.
There were 2483 white schools in
the state last year and 5281 white
teachers were employed The one
teacher school is on the decline and is
Giving place to the two teacher and
three teacher schools. During tho
year 70 districts expended $29,O92.3s
Tor the transportation OF 1915 pupils
to and from school. using 119 vehicles.