New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-04-06
Superintendent
EXPOSES FAL|CY
OF JAMES FIGURES
HIGH SCHOOL COMMENDED
BY JAMES FOR ECONOMY
REJEOTED BY NATIONAL
A s s OCIATI o Mot
ENOUGH TEACHERS
Department of Education, Santa
Fe, New Mexico.

Department of Education, Santa
Fe. New Mexico.
April 2, 1917.
To Newspapers Of New Mexico:
During the past week have read
10 the newspapers over the State
an article under the heading "Some
Figures of Interest on costs of Edu-
cational Institutions"-as compiled
by the State Tax Association of
which Mr.. A. E. James is Director.
These figures presented somewhat
OF a scale showing that some of the
High Schools of the State were
operated 1t a lower cost than others.
According to the figures referred
to above. one of the seven high
schools mentioned was held up as
the ideal high school of the state on
the ground merely that the per capita
cost there is the lowest, $4l.N.
have just returned from st.
Louis where I represented the State
Board of Education bearing with me
the petitions of a number of the
high schools of the state for ad-
mission to the North Central As
sociation of Colleges and Secondary
Schools. Eight Of these institu-
tions were admitted and few re-
jected, among them the high school
mentioned in Mr.. James report as
one, of the best These high schools
were refused admission to the As
sociation On the grounds of over
crowded classes, which means that
in the opinion of Commission COM
posed of the best high schoo, ex-
perts of this country, the teaching
force is insufficient.
went before this Commission and
asked that they reconsider this de-
cison since they were shutting out
some of our best High Schools. l
was referred to the rules which
govern the accrediting of high
schools by this body and it was
pointed out that the requirement of
standard nine which reads as fol-
lows - "No school whose records
show an excessive number of pupils
per teacher, based on average at
tendance, shalt be accredited. The
association recommends twenty-five
as maximum. No recitation class
should enroll more than thirty
pupils.
In their opinion these high schools
are not spending enough money for
teachers,-they must have more
teachers or cut down the number
of pupils.
In making application for admis-
sion to the North Central Associa-
ton the high school must meet
eleven requirements. Among these
are the curriculum, personal of the
faculty, including their academic,
professional training and experience,
length of recitation period, number
of recitations per day and number
of pupils per class. The Commits
sion complimented very highly the
High Schools which made applica-
tion on their courses of study, their
faculties, superintendents, their E.
quipment but refused two of them
solely on the grounds that they
were over-crowded. Their efficiency
might be termed over saturated. The
eight institutions which were ac-
credited without question were not
regarded by the Commission as SUI
perior to the others in faculty,
course of study, equipment or other
essentials, but they employed suf-
ficient teaching force to keep the
average enrolment in the recitation
class room down to twenty-five or
less.
1t is all right to figure the cost,
but the cost price must be consider
ed in relation to what is obtained in
exchange for the expenditure. We
believe that efficiency in Education
unlike bargain counter merchandise
cannot be obtained at a low cost.
Reduced to its lowest term the ar
gument presented in that portion of
the report of the Taxpayers Asso-
citation which referred to the Seven
High Schools of the State, would
mean that faculty, curriculum, up
keep, Improvements, should be sa-
crificed for the sake of low cost.
I cannot agree with the inference.
It is my belief that the taxpayers
Of New Mexico outside, perhaps, of
a few, are opposed to reduced eff
ficiency in our state educational
system in order to achieve slight !
saving in individual taxes paid for
school maintenance.
In this article by the Taxpayers
Association figures are given for the
higher educational institutions, as
we'll as for the high schools, show
ing per capita costs. have no.
hing to say as to the higher edu-
institutions at this time.
Without doubt these institutions are
prepared to take care of themselves.
But the state department of educa-
lion is directly concerned with the
of the high schools of
he state at a proper state of eff
;iency. /,
The purpose of the Taxpayers
Association in issuing its statement
If per capita high school costs at
his particular time seems obvious.
This is the period when the various
high schools are working out their
,lans and estimates of operating {
.osts for the coming year. This ,
lrticle is aimed, apparently, to en- F,
reduced operating expendi-
ures, regardless of any other con- I
liberation than to reduce taxes. 4
Everything. including efficiency, as ,
is reckoned by the ma I
ions best school experts, Is to be :
acrificed to securing reduced costs !
-taxes-for maintenance of our r
ehools. I cannot believe that the :
'eople Of the state approve Of any
uch policy, Or can be influence