The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1920-01-07
pay the necessary expenses of
the commission.

The commission decided to
engage the services of DR.. Alex
andcr lnglis, of Harvard Uniyer-
sito, as director of the survey, it
being decided that the best re-
suits could be obtained by hav.
ing an eminent specialist in ed
ncation from out of the state d.
rect u field staff made up of Vir-
glnians acquainted with local
sentiment and local conditions.
DIR. lnglis secured the coop
Grafton of other eminent spe-
cialists III this country to act ia
an advisory capacity and to test
certain conclusions by the expe-
rienccs of other states. The
field staff was composed, for the
most part, OF Virginia educators
OF wide experience and training,
to which staff the State Board Of
Education assigned two supervi-
sors for full time and one for
about half time.
.. Report of the Commission
and Survey of Staff:
After careful study of school
conditions all over the state,
covering Il period of about 10
months, the survey staff and
commission have published their
report. This report ~ worthy
OF the most careful study on the
part Of every one interested in
the educational progress OF the
state. Following are few ex
tracts taken from this report:
Sin 50 far, however, as they
(the statistics for lpl5.lG) show
the facts Of the case, they indi.
cate that at that time Virginia
occupied among the atates of the
Union thirty-ninth place with
respect to the amount expended
per capita OF the total popula-
ton, thirty ninth place with re-
spect to the expenditure per cap
ita OF the school population, and
forty-iirst place with respect to
the expenditure per pupil in av-
erage daily attendance. AT that
time the expenditure per capita
OF the total population for Vir-
ginin 1898, for the whole coun-
try S6.2S; the expenditure per
capita of the school population
was for Virginia sl0.97, for the
country $28.S7; and the expen-
dlturc per pupil i'll average daily
attendance was for Virginia
S2l.53, for tho country s4l.72.
Obviously, iii SO far rs those fig
ures represent the facts, Virgin
ia in 1916 was far behind the
majority Of states in expenG.-
lures for school support. Since
that time increased support has
been provided in Virginia, but
also in other states, There is no
reason to believe that the rela-
tive position of Virginia has
changed materially in the past
three years, IN spite of the fact
that the states expenditures per
pupil in average daily attendance
has increased to s27 40"
| $S,7I7 ,o74 represents Nthe net
Expenditure for actual school
use Tor the school year ending
Jnne 80, 1851
"ln the Judgment of the sur
vey stall the minimum amount
of money needed for instruction
al purposes only in Virginia is
that amount which would pro-
vide an average annual salary of
1915, a school term Of nine
months, and one teacher for ey-
cry 30 or 35 pupils enrolled"
Summarizing this considera-
ton Of needed funds we may
make tho following rough esti-
mates OF the minimum funds re.
quired on the basis OF present
enrollments:
Expenditures for instruction
ABOUT ;...., l0, 600 900
Other expenditures about 56oo 900
Total funds needed slo, sss. 900
Nothing less than that amount
can provide tha {un1a at nraoont