Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-05-28

( tendance IN country schools effect
vitality the rating of the state.
In arriving 81 a norm ON index
/ figure On teachers wages Col. Ayres
4 takes an annual salary of s126G. As
! orr average salary used is s411.13 our
1 index figure is 3D. which cuts heavl
I " iurp our general OF final index. A
state might easily exrsed the stand
ard OF s12D0 and the index will be
over LOO.
In arriving at a 'nnrn' N index Of
length OF the school year zoo DAYS is
the basis. IF the average number Of
days school is open IN state is 30
then The figure is 50. II all of the
children OF school age are IN school
the figure is 1DB. II cannot be more
and necessarily is much less Esrs
again Maine may show TO disadvan-
tRge where rhescUndtriuus may be one
of merit. Our school age is FIVE tn
I twenry-one years. We had 22G. BEE.
children of school age in 1913 and
T3s.5TS, not including enrolment in
private schools, enrolled n schools.
our index is 4 g. In many states the
school age is ) ID Is geary. IF this
were the case with US our index fig
ures would probably be higher IN
this item. Many pupils complete the
public schools at 1S and Less. Maine.
Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas New Mex
co and Washington have a school age
Of ID ~, Wisconsin 10 20. All
others are To II Or 18. # TINS itam
, mas not been taken intp consideration
our disparity is considerable.
1T IS evident that salaries and
general support have u tremendous
bearing on the index figure and con-
sequently the relative position Of the
states The following figures based
On the 1876 report-ttae latest avail
ahIe-shOw this:
average salaries IN the United
States $541.37 Maine Sa1L14, Mon
tanp s64o or; California. Sa51-27;
Arizona S-S2.96 New Jersey s851.86
Washington $500 "a
The question OF salary has d bear
ing only as il calls inru and retains
teachers IN the work and gives en-
cUuragement for professional ad-
vancement- *f'sf@r
The lem Of general. finance is I'M
poItaHL. In the entire United States
the cost of education per capita Of
me population IS s6.03: II Maine
S4.81; in Montana $1a.9s- Arizona
Sl0.41 California Bib; New Jer-
sey S6.B2; Washington Sa.10s Iowa
$6.8% Utah s1o.4e; Massachusetts
s-.&2. Is IS obvious that TINS sirua-
rlOn has d tremendous bearing on
the rating.
IL must be evident that our most
dlspnrarirg ttsrr is ffnarre In 1g16's
repOrt-Malne was eighth in per-
cenrage Vi pupils IN school, fifteenth
n average attendance; thirteenth III
number Of days school was open but
Lhlrueth IN per cRpRa expenGi ture
''In 1915 the school population IN
Maine was Ia. 013. attendance al
school l69.S-l; while our school pop
ulaclon from > 10 I8 WIS I75.712. II
the figures used by Colonel Avres do
not take tins INTO consideration
Maine suffered severely
ON the same report our daily at
tendance to each 100 pupils enrolled
was Is Montana showed -4q. Cal
itOrnia To Arizona IA the whole
I United StTtas 76.1- In this most i'm
por-ant item Maine ranks the leaders
just now there lis gTRar activity
I IN the STATES for efficient SCHOOLS
Maine s doing her part ! believe IL
! possible ana feasible 10 maintain
/ school system in Maine the euuAl of
any even though we DO not POSSESS
such financial ability as many states
nave IN great cities The heroic eff
fort Of the people in Maine in the
recent annual meetings in voting
upon themselves 81. Doe. 600 more for
teachers saiarles than they vsred
ane wear ago. with such a spirit and
the fine support and cooperation the
people are giving there is no cause
for alarm in the figures presented.
"HowPvnr. there are certain facrs
in this Fuunuatiou's report which We
must face We must square our
selves 70 meet them and obviate the
disparaging features but still cling
70 the immeasurabie elements Of eff
ficiencv we already possess
From the Founuation's Report
Other findings Of the report are
THAT the school system Of the CTnfted
States as u whole has doubled III eff
cheney during the last 50 wears. hav-
ing an index number or rating Of 26
in 1870 and one Of 30 al the present
time. Since these index numbers are
figured on the basis Of 100 the school
system Of the country has now an
effectiveness or efficiency OF only %
per cent, according to the report
The figures for the individual states
as given by the Foundation show that
during the past 80 Years the West has
been coming UP sducstionaIlv while
the East has been going down. Dur