Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1921-10-21
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


Democratic party has been neg
ligent about the great concern O.
public education. On the other
hand, they established beyoHd
question the fact that the public
schools Of this State have made
remarkable and constructiv pro
ress.
In 1910 the amount pa id teac /
ers was So, 800, 900; i'll l920.S7, 994
900; Increase, 1875 per cent. AIDE
Quate salaries for teachers have
been urged as matter of highest
concern, not only to give proper
remuneration to devoted and pa
triotic teachers, but to encourage
the best type of instruction.
Total expenditures for schools
i'll 1910, $+,29l,O 900; in 1920, S13,
100, 900; all increase of about 200
per cent.
Average teachers salary in
1910 was sos; in 1920 $500; an
increase of 100 per cent.
Amount spent per pupil enrolled
Ill 1910, S10.67; i'll 1920, $500;
increase, 142 per cent.
Now, what are some of the
educational returns to the people
as result of these expenditures?
The value of all school property
owned by the people has been in
creased from S., 100000 in 1910
to S22, 900.OOOin 1920, an increase
of los per cent.
The number of teachers with
professional training has increas-
ed from $500 in 1910 to 6. 400 in
1920, all increase Of 100 per cent.
When it is considered how funda
mentally the quality of teaching
affects the efficiency of the schools
the full significance of this in
crease is apparent.
Number of standard four year
high schools in 1910 (estimated)
102; 1920, 259; increase, I55 per
cent.
High school enrolment, 1910
(estiinated), Is, 600; 1920. 8, $50;
increase, los per cent. This item
means far more than a mere in
crease i'll the number Of hig II
school students. 1t is a test as
to how we'll the schools throu gil
all the grades are holding pupils
Ill school.
LII 1910 the number Of illiterates
from 10 to 20 years of age was
s., SIS, or about II per cent of
the school population; i'll 1920 the
number was reduced to %, 900, or
+ per cent, Of the population
l his shows remarkable decrease
OF 81 per cent. i'll llliteracy among
of school age.
This constructive Improvement
has been accomplished with a
of overhead expense.
The amount for salaries Of
division superintendent s for
of school boards,
for clerks aud stenographers and
the entire expense of the State
Department Of Educa ton is ONLY
.O27 per cent of the annual ex-
penditures for the public schools
The record Of Virginia COM
pares with that of other States,
particularly when it is noted that
III 1920 Virginia spent for educa
ton only $500 per pupilenrolled
In l9lS, two years before, accord
ing to the latest figures available
from the Bureau of Education at
Washington, the amount spent
tor each pupil enrolled in some
OF the OF her States was a follows
(The figures for 1920 would. of
course, be higher).
The average per capita cost for
all the States was then $50 81
Arizona, $51.9S; California,
$50 oil; Colorado, S4S. 4S; Illinois.
|547.32; Indiana, S4s IS; Iowa,
Qoo.-U, minnesota, $o1. l9; MaSSa-
chussetts, $49.28; Montana, $40. 80
New Hampshire, S55.2S; Oregon,
S5l.62
1t Will be noted that the aver.
age State in the Union had in
1915 per capita amount for
education 40 per cent. more thar
Virginia had in 1918 a per capita
amount for education 40 Der
cent more than Virginia had in
1870 or two years later. While
IN the case of the individual
States noted above the excess,
was from so per cent. to owe
200 per cent; the per capita
amount is the working capital Of
a school system. No fair com