, 1922-01-22
HIGH STANDARD
IS MAINTAINED
Marvellous Growth Is Met
By Steady Program;
Funds Growing
BY KATHARINE A. MORTON.
State Superintendent Of Schools1

DSAAle buHLA
There is no sharper con-
trast between modern life and
the earlier ages than the atti-
tude toward education. Al
though it was early Conceived
b be a function of govern
ment TO schools. yet only
"A recent years has a definite system
OF instruction been established based
upon the idea No longer do we con
alder education something good that
the state should encourage. but that
Il Is something vital b the state
must provide.
New problems in citizenship. In In
dustry. in social relations and In In
-ternational interests. all adding 10 the
oomplexity Of life and all widening
our responsibilities, bring to US the
realization Of the close relation which
tucauon bears to our existence and
20 the perpetuation Of our national
ideals and institutions
More progress has been made dur-
ms the last hundred years In manu-
featuring, commerce. Agriculture n
soience than during he preceding ten
centuries. Changes arc still swiftly
takins placa- We cannot be satisfied
with the curriculum OF two decades
arc. Children must know more now
IA preparation for life than reading.
writing and arithmetic" They must
know in addition how to use their
hands deity, TO observe carefully. TO
reason accurately. TO express them
selves clearly. and to cooperate with
Others.
The schools OF Wyoming nave kept
pace with the Development OF eduea'
tion. Indeed. in some things We are
taking a leading part In the olo
inE paragraphs viii DO ound a brief
account OF the growth OF school
rutem and Of the new activities re-
Gently undertaken.
School Growth Marvellous. -
II is a rather startling fact that our
school population Increased al
most 50 per sent since 1915. In 1918
the school census showed that there
were ag,156 children of school g In
wyoming. 4 1921 the number a IN
creased to 1924. Tho school census
IN taken during the month Cd April.
In certain localities many families
have entered the -'pte since that time.
For instance. g. - on September l
yus c~onfrontnd IN the problem of
caring for app. xImately 1900 more
uupfls than were enrolled when school
closed in the spring.
This rapid increase In the number
Of children for whom school advan'
taEes must be provided. has necessi'
tated a large building program In al
most every town II the state new
school buildinrs have been erected.
and Thermo )olis, Casper. Wor-
land, Powell, Cody. Kemmerer. River
ton. Greybull. and Green River have
built magnificent high school build
tnRs within the last three years. New
high schools will be built during the
next year in Cheyenne, Rock Springs,
Sheridan and Newcastle. Buildings
arc needed and probably Will be built
IN T~orrington, Laramie n Cokeville.
Many of these towns and also others
have erected buildings for thee lemen'
tsry grades.
In the year 1890. s1o,5s5.es wa
nent for school building IN Wyoming
Just now there is being spent for
school buildings s365 900 in Cheyenne
,aoo. 900 In Casper. $4,000 in Rock
Springs, $50, 900 in Green River. Slo,-
600 in Arvada. and 10000 In Cody.
Another direct result Of tho Increase
IN the number of children OF school
age is the Increase IN the number OF
teachers. In 1890, 500 teachers were
employed. The number In 1915 had in
creased TO 1884. In the spring Of 1871
---A-A4 q GEn
Salaries Average High
Salaries of teachers in 1890 aver
aged s62.ee a month While exact
figures can not b. given. IN 1921 the
average is about $1,000
The wealth of the state In n mean
dime has grown wonderfully. This
fact has made IT possible for school
districts to finance the e~ver-increas-
ing budget. The discovery OF oil on
sahool lands has caused he states
permanent school fund to grow by
leaps and bounds.
In 1918, the state land income fund
amounted to 2s7.53s.Ts. In April.
1891, the sum Of s5s1.273.4s was dis
trfbuted among the school districts,
according to the number OF children
of school age. The last Legislature pro
vided for the semiannual distribution
Of this fund. This made available an
additional sum OF s~22o.1o5.si.
A new fund distributed this year
fnr the FIRST time is the government
royalty fund. The legislature pro
vtded that 80 per cent of tine money
received by this state from the fed
erL government as its share Of the
oil royalties accruing from oil Pre-
durtioL on government land within
the borders of his state shout he
used for the support Of u public
schools. The amount which school
districts received on October 1 last,
was ss74.222.s7.
These amount mean a grand total
Of sl.125. 602.l4 distributed in 1921
and there is every reason TO believe
that within a very few years this sum
win be doubled or trebled.
Higher Education Sought.
The proportion Of pupils entering
and finishing high school has been
low in this state until the last few
years. The Russell Sage foundation
has given 70 our school system the
twenty-third place among the other
etates. The small number Of high
school pupils in comparison with the
A~e-N .,-aFTz-.A E,.4.- -