Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-07-22
TWENTY YEARS Progress
York County Schools Show Wonder.
full Growth In Past Two Decades.
SPECIAL Levy In EACH DISTRICT

S25 Considered Big Salary For Teacher
Twenty Years Ago-Speeial Levies
Almost Unknown-Modern School
Houses Have Succeeded cabins-In-
teresting Comparisons.
7 York county's wonderful progress,
especially along educational lines, is
strikingly shown by comparison Of
the records in the office of the superin-
tendent Of education for 1899 with
those of the present year. The record
OF no county in the state perhaps for
the twenty year period shows more
progress than does York. Gone are
the one-room frame school houses
with one door and one or two win
COWS which were l.. use in every rural
district twenty years ago. Gone are
The log cabins which were used in
some sections for school houses in that
uay. The only reminder of them to-
aay are pictures which compose a part
OF the records in the Office Of the
county superintendent of education.
Gone is the two or three months term
of school; gone is the opposition
against extra levies for school pur-
pcses-going and going fast Is the
blight of illiteracy in the county Of
York.
York county now has the distinction
Of being one Of the very few counties
| N 1.-The state having a special levy in
tevery district for school purposes.
| There are hardly more than five coun-
Ties in the state holding such a record
and none Of them having such q re-
cord, have as many school districts
within their borders as has York.
These special levies range from two to
fifteen mills; the districts carrying
eight mills being In the majority,
while in many OF the districts not
carrying special levy in that amount,
che increasing Of such levies to at
ieast eight mills is being agitated.
Practically every school district in
York county has a commodious~ and
neat school house built on one of the
well known Clemson plans for school
houses. In these districts where out
and out new buildings have not been
constructed within the past few years,
the old buildings have been so re-
modled as to conform to the approved
| Clemson plan. Estimated value of ru-
raj school buildings and grounds in
York county Is 100000. Twenty years
ago the rural school property of the
county was hardly valued at $4,000.
Today there are approximately 49,
| 900 children enrolled in the schools OF
the county and the enforcement of the
compulsory education law effective
July 1, will it is estimated, increase
| the enrolment and attendance by
possibly 1900 The negro school
children are slightly in the majority,
and the records show that they too
have made considerable progress along
educational lines in the last twenty
years. Today there are about seventy
ave colored schools in the county as
against sixty-six white schools. Twenty
years ago the number of either was
not hardly one third what 1t Is today.
The salary of the average teacher IN
York county twenty years ago was
about $40. Records show that some
received as low as $13. A salary of
S35 per month was considered a fabu-
lous sum for male teacher and the
average woman teacher never expect
ed to receive that sum even II she
taught school all her life. And yet she
did. For instance, teacher at LESLIE
school twenty years ago was paid S25
a month. That same lady Is teaching
in York county now at a salary of
S100 per month, an increase of 400 per
cent in twenty. years, although there
might be some who argue that it is no
increase at all because Of the advanc-
ing high cost Of living. The records
show that Hon. Broadus NJ. Love, now
the popular auditor Of the county of
York, taught school many q month for
teacher in those days. Today teachers
in the rural schools are being paid
from $50 to $100, with the great ma
jority of them leaning toward the lat
ter figure rather than the former.
Twenty years ago the average salary
OF the teacher in the town schools was
about $50, and the superintendent Of
the Yorkvtlle Graded schools received
the fabulous wage Of $50 month. 1t
is interesting to note that the tables
have turned completely since that day
and the monthly wage Of the average
rural school teacher is greater than
that of the average town school
teacher.
Practically all Of this remarkable
growth and progress has come about
under the administration Of Mr.. Jok:l e.
Carroll as superintendent Of education.
Mr. Carroll entered upon the fifteenth
year of his administration on July l,
and he has with pardonable pride
watched the educational system of
York county grow to become one Of the
largest and best in the state. Quarters
for the office of the county superin-
tendent fifteen years ago were quite
similar to the school houses that were
considered good enough" in those
days. A cheap table covered with an
oil cloth and located in dingy room
in the old courthouse were headquar-
ters of York countys educational sys-
tenn.
Today the office like the school
houses over the county is adequately
furnished with every essential-one Of
the neatest in the state. Twenty
years ago the salary of the office was
$500 per annum. Today 1t Is $1,000
per year with a liberal additional fund
for travelling and incidental expenses.
In addition Misses Belva Saunders and
Alice Garrison, school attendance Of
ficers of the county and Miss Lillis