The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1921-01-28
ANNUAL REPORT SHOWS
SCHOOLS MAKE PROGRESS.

school teacher, Of 10 per cent IN the
length Of the school term, of 25 per
cent in the total expenditures for ele-
mentary schools and of $4,000 pupils
in school attendance, are some of the
things shown by the annual report of
Albert Williams, State Superinten-
dent of Public Instruction, issued late
ly.
The most conspicuous comparison is
that of the school term. In 1919 the
term for the whole state was 1914 days
or only 10 days more than in 1901.
During the last year the average term
has increased to lis days, or more
than it has increased altogether in the
preceding twenty years, according
to the report. Attention is also called
to the fact that the proceeds of the B.
cent rural school tax collected under
the new assessment law have not yet
been distributed.
Teachers Salaries.
In the matter of teachers salaries,
the report shows that in 1919, the
average county elementary teachers
salary was $275.56, while in 1920 it
was $3259S. The average high school
teachers salary increased from $720.-
90 in 1919 to $857.36 in 1920.
The total enrolment for all
schools is shown to have increased
from 587,247 in 1919 to 619,852 in
1920, and the average daily atten-
dance from 398,910 to 453,503. The
percentage of enrolment in atten-
dance is stated to have increased from
66.4 per cent to 1916 per cent.
Expenditures for county elementary
schools is given as $5,061. 1882 dur
ing the past year, as against $4,O63,-
"a for the year previous. For county
high schools, the expenditure was ST.
21S,14O.38 in 1920, against $917,118,-
So the previous year. The city schools
spent $4,505, 1883 in the year just
passed as compared to $3,179,928.53
in 1919. The states total expendi-
lures increased from $8,160,810.39 in
1919 to $40, ,7S5,263.1S in 1920, an in
crease of more than two and a half
million.
In 1919, the enrolment in the coun-
ty high schools was 1882, but had
grown to 1926 in 1920. In 1919 there
were 1,157 students graduated from
the county high schools; in 1920 there
We're 1.702. The pupils completing
the olementary counA, % inereased from
1852 in 1919 to l5.sea in 1920.
This rather large increase is ex-
planned by the fact that the term was
extended considerably in many of the
counties. The number Of days attend
ed by the average, child enrolled
increased from 60 in 1919 to 81 in
1920. The average expenditure per
child enrolled increased from 1912 to
11.05, while the average expenditure
per child in attendance increased from
$13.77 to $15.4S.
On the matter of teacher shortage
and its remedy, Superintendent Will
liams says:
Difficult Problem.
"Probably the most difficult prob
lens confronting the Department of
Public Instruction during the past
two years have resulted from scar
city of teachers. Throughout the en-
tire country it has been found impos-
sible to secure qualified teachers, and
Tennessee has suffered considerably
from this want. The situation now
shows some sign of Improvement, but
so slowly that it is apparent that the
state should lend greater encourage
ment to competent men and women
who will enter the teaching profess
sion. Mere help through the Normal
schools in securing their education
seems not enough to hold them and
the services of many competent men
and women are lost each year just as
their experience has begun to make
them the most valuable. If part OF
the state aid to counties were based
on the qualifications and salaries of
the teachers employed by the counties
the incentive to better teachers and
better pay would be furnished and
counties whose boards failed to real
ize TIE full difference between a quail
flied and an indifferent one would
find the difference emphasized by the
state in the distribution of the state
supplement. The competent teacher
can be rooted out of his place by in
competents only when the economic
consideration IS against him, so if the
state is supplementing a county's
fund helps more for the qualified
teacher than for the unqualified the
economic consideration viii cease to
rnrk AGAINST the better teacher with