Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-02
DELAWARE LAX IN ITS
SCHOOL PROVISIONS
Slight Increase in Appropria-
ton Would Make Possible
Better Pay for Teachers.

According TO the report OF A. II.
Snald, the retiring stato Commissioner
OF Education. as embodied In the an
nuai report Of the state Board of Bdu-
cation, just issued, showing the eon~
ditiun nf the public schools OF
Delaware for the year ending
June so, 1890, the state has been hand
icappod for ita school building pro-
gram had To- be almost entirely su-
spandcd on account OF the high costs
and shortage of labor and materials,
Repairs and reeonstruction programs
have been reduced to a minimum the
report states, Had not the besisla-
ture in special session appropriated
shso 900 for school purposes FOR the
coming year, it Ia explained, school
progress in Delaware would have come
60 a standstill.
Although Delaware measured In
wealth by the income and profits tax
paid 60 the national government for
the year 1919, ia tho richest state In
the Union it has never made in the
pest proper contribution 10 the etrsa-
ton OF her people, MI. Spaid says. The
report is complete giving in detailed
statistical form the school attendance,
what has been accomplished and the
work that is being carried out. II is
illustrated with many photographs
and charts which show at a glance
Just what is being done throughout
the state In the way of education.
1t is pointed out that the medical
inspection Is making fine headway in
the puhlf, schools in spite of the lack
OF state and local funds. The advant-
ages OF consolidation OF schools and
transportation OF pupils arc shown
and the report refers TO what has been
and is still being done along this line.
Tor the year tgso-2t, Delaware is dis
tributing 1921 SAT .0G for elementary
school purposes which is s2A19 per
pupil on the basis Of last years en-
ruIlment To equal other states where
at least $50 per pupil in the elementary
grades ia paid it win require Delaware
to increase ita appropriation for ele-
mentary school purposes TO the extent
Of s19S 600. such an increase would
bring Delaware's appropriations for
public school purposes up TO 604 per
cent Of the States entire income, pro-
vided it should remain the same 40
last year or an increase over the pres
ent distribution OF So per cent. III
such an increase were made and used
for increasing the salaries Of teachers.
Delaware would be able 10 pay in the
neighborhood Of 81 200 per teacher.
The report shows there are in this
State 44S school buildings and that
| liza teachers are employed The
| average enrolment throughout Della
/ ware is 32.564 and The average at
tendance il n 36s Receipts from all
sources for school purposes total ST.
! 73s. sS4 07. Teachers salaries total
| on average daily attendance is s6351
/ In thiE city there were 60ss white
boys. 6s75 white girls. total llaa1t
5 ~ colnred Duy4 725 coiofed girls
total la64 81 q total fot the cay %
Ia 4s6.
lnfornaaasOn obtained eos sss,-soi
records frosn .ec4 psfpiis ~ tne tima
( ghgy entered Asner1canizas ron eiessses
throughout he Staie showed that al
though 50 per sens of these paonAe
had peen IN the country more than
eve years, 81 per cent spoke little
or no English. &c per cent were iliit-
craze and only Sc per cent were nat
ara li2ed and 80 per cent had taken
out first papers.
THE lack of knowledge of r ngiiah
and interest in citizenship indicated
by there statistics, the reports sets
forth, "is not surprising when 1t il
realized thai until the passage OF the
hnl under which these classes are
operating, foreign born residents 81
the state were given no opportunity
10 study the language, laws and in
stitutions Of America. in public night
schools It does, however. emphasize
the need of the kind Of work the
schools are doing and the necessity
for its continuance" An increased
appropriation for this work is reccm-
mended. together with a recommenda-
zion for making compulsory the es-
tablishment OF clasaes by the Board
Of Fsducati in any school district
where ton or more foreign-born non
English speaking residents apply for
instruction provided such glasses are
entirely financed by Stale funds.