The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-07-28
STEPS TAKEN FOR
BETTER EDUCATION
THE SALARIES OF EXPERIENCED
TEACHERS ARE NOT CUT
IN THIS COUNTY
SEVERAL NEW SCHOOLS TO Be BUILT
Mrs. Trooien Announces important
Changes In Rural School
System.

Salaries for experienced teachers re-
main about the same as last year but
there is a sharp decrease in the sal
aries offered for inexperienced teach
ers in the schools of Brookings county
this fall according to Mrs. Mabel X.
Trooien, county superintendent Of
schools. Quite a number of the rural
schools have already engaged their
teaches for the coming year. The up
teachers in this county is considered
a move in the right direction for bet.
ter education. Many other counties
in the state have materially reduced
teachers salaries. Brookings county
is also greatly Improving it's educa,
tional system by the erection Of sew
eral new school buildings. There are
three new school houses that are either
under construction or SOC will be, IN
Aurora township. Several other dis
tricts are considering building, encour-
aged by the reduced costs of material
and construction.
At the Aberdeen conference of coun-
ty superintendent which Mrs. Trooien
attended last week, several important
changes Of interest to teachers and
school children were announced. The
alienation system Is no longer to be
used in the rural schools of Brookings
county. Under this system the grades
were combined and the seventh grade
was taught one year and the eighth
grade the next. Every other year the
sixth grade pupil took up eighth grade
work before the seventh. On the whole,
this system worked out quite we'll in
this county but State Superintendent
Shaw felt that 1t would be best to go
back to the old system becauss of, the
trouble and confusion that it caused in
many other counties. This fall both
seventh and eighth grades will be
taught in all schools in the county,
which will e more work for the
teachers and shorter class periods.
The study Of agriculture must be
taught in all rural schools and posi-
bly, in town schools.
There is to be a field deputy in the
Office Of the county superintendent.
Miss Una Cullen, the present deputy,
having resigned to teach in the high
school at White. Miss Ella Swanson.
who has for some time been a teacher
in the grades of Brookings city, will
be field deputy. She is qualified fol-
this work as she has had rural ex.
Cedar Falls Normal. She will also
visit schools. Because Bookings
county has over one hundred schools
the county superintendent is entitled
to an office deputy as well as a field
deputy, but due to the money condi
ton at the present time, it was de-
cided to try to do without. The office
may be closed on certain days in the
fall while the weather is good, so as
to enable both superintendent and
field deputy to be out visiting schools.
The new compulsory attendance law
must be enforced, requiring a child
between the ages Of eight and seven
tee to be in school unless he has fin
ished the eighth grade. After the
pupil has completed the sixth grade
he may be excused part of the year
for work, if the proper steps are taken.
No school term can be less than
eight months now and this is short
enough time in which to cover nine
months work.
The state department has the right
now to furnish plans and specifica,
tons for school houses. All plans
must meet the approval of the state
department before a building can be
begun, SO 1t will be of great aid to have
these plans on hand that are sen out
by the state.