The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-09-19
CITY'S PUBLIC SCHOOL
SYSTEM In BAD SHAPE
Children Turned Away From Overcrowded School
Roorns---And all Because We Spend Too
Little For Education

in the Elizabeth City Graded
Schools, it was found necessary
to send home Is fifth grade pu-
pills on the opening day, for whom
there were neither any seats nor
any place to put the seats if the
latter had been available. Due to
an influx Of people who have
come here to live in the course of
the past few months, in numbers
far exceeding the expectations of
the school authorities-or any-
body else, for that matter the
enrolment on the opening day of
the Graded Schools was far
greater than that expected. On
the first day total of 1858 pupils
was enrolled, 529 of these being
in the Primary School, 4o7 in the
Grammar Grades and 232 in the
High School. Many more will
enter school later.
Supt. s. L. Sheep states that no fur
ther additions can possibly be made to
the existing school buildings, and the
people OF this city, unless they are con-
tent to remain hopelessly behind other
progressive cities of this size in North
Carolina and elsewhere, may as well
prepare themselves to put more money
into their schools The immediate need.
says Prof. Sheep in commenting on the
situation, is for the construction. of a
new and thoroughly modern High School,
building, preferably on lot of five acres
or more, SO that facilities may be pro-
Vided for playground. with supervised
play, such as Wilson, NJ c. and many
other cities the size of Elizabeth City
have. The total aggregate cost of lot
and building will be from 100000 to
$125,O00, and such a plant with the
school Accommodations we already have,
should take care of the school needs of
the growing city for ten years or more.
In briefly reviewing the present
crowded conditions in the schools Prof.
Sheep states that every seat is taken in
overcrowded, many of the little folks
having no seats. Congested conditions
also exist in the High School. and, as
| already stated, it was found necessary
to send home 13 fifth grade pupils, for
whom no room could be provided. The
situation now existing demands, an i'm
mediate solution.
Tho oft fav TO
ance during the past year was 80 cents
! per $100 property valuation, about $685.
600 being collected. Practically all of
this sum was paid in salaries to the
, superintendent and the teachers of the
schools, the exact amount spent in this
tway being $24,921.22, or an average of
$13.O2 per pupil for the 1914 pupils en-
rolled last year. This average is Is
cents under the average for the whole
e State in 1917, when North Carolina was
: the second lowest State in the Union
S in per capita expenditure. the only State
Q then spending less on schools being Miss
n issippi.
. Here are a few comparative figures
from that 1917 Nationwide school re
port, which is the latest available, thai
are interesting in this connection. Al
\ that time North Carolina spent $3.50
for schools per pupil enrolled; Mississ
ippi spent $3.50, the lowest per capiti
of ALL just one jump behind North Car
= olina; Virginia paid out $22S5 per pupil
while Montana, the topmost State il
AMOUNT expended per pupil, paid $500
or more than six and half times a
much as our own State. These figure
If speak for themselves, and while Nortl
X, Carolina is preparing to spend muc
more money for schools this year thai
. ever before, it is doubtful if the rati
IS is appreciably increased. We are sti
w far behind the really progressive State
/, in educational matters.
Returning to local conditions, the onl
l. solution for the present overcrowde'
le state of the city schools which can b
n found is by the issuance of bonds
amount sufficient to cover the cost of th
TO proposed modern High School buildin
Or and the much needed municipal plaS
h. ground under the supervision OF tt
schools The people should vote upo
such bond issue without delay, for II
r.. need is immediate and vital.