Arizona republican., 1922-01-01
FUTURE EEVELUI5l.I..l.i i. STATE.
AND ITS PROGRESS DEPEND Upon.
THE SCHOOLHOUSES QF ARIZONA
BY Elsie ToIes
State Superintendent of Public
lncfructinn


Whenever the resources Of Arizona
and their future development are
being considered, the greatest one
of all is seldom counted in and yet
in no oratorical sense but as a mat
ter of cold fact it can be said that
the one upon which the future of all
the rest depend is found not in the
mines, not on the ranges or in the
cotton fields, but in the school houses
scattered over the state. 1t is well
to recall that fact somewhat fire.
quently in the days of financial stress
through which we are now passing
and to remember, in the general
scrutiny that Is being given all over
the country to the cost of govern
ment, that the economic principles
underlying the maintenance OF
system Of education can only be par
TALLY expressed in figures. Often the
real results are not apparent except
with the lapse OF time and in terms
that do not admit Of reduction to
dollars and cents.
However, like every other activity
supported by public funds, the school
should be required to render a fl
nancial accounting and to make re-
ductions wherever possible without
the impairment of efficiency. AriZo-
ma has been fortunate in having large
funds and a generous body of tax
payers animated by an intelligent
and progressive attitude toward ed
ucation. The result has been reflect
ed in the ranking Of her schools. 1t
would be expensive economy to lose
what has been gained In this respect
by q drastic and unintelligent cut
made now in the tax roll only to have
the state awake few years hence
to the realization that the schools
had been seriously impaired by re-
atricted funds to an extent that 1t
might take years to remedy. That
has been the misfortune more than
once Of education in the older states
when, in temporary panic, the pub
lie has applied the axe not wisely
but too well to school appropria-
tions.
Bar Nom Essentials
What will be necessary, and only
fair to ask OF the schools as well
as every other interest, is to elm
mate the non-essentials and admin
lister the essentials to get the max
imum efficiency at the minimum
expense.
AS the item that absorbs the great
est proportion OF the school fund,
the cost of instruction naturally will
come in first for attention. There
has been so much agitation the last
few years on the subject Of teachers
salaries that the idea has become
prevalent they have been raised out
Of proportion to salaries in other oc-
cupationa and that they might ct
least come down along with them
in the general reduction that Is now
occurring. The fact of the matter Is
that the raise that come to teachers
had to serve two purposes-bringing
the salaries past the starvation point
at which a neglectfni public had per-
mitted them to halt for some time,
and then adjusting them still fur
ther to the abnormal leap in living
costs. An investigation will disclose
that teachers in general are still
getting only an extremely reason
able wage, especially when viewed
either as a return upon investment
in preparation or reward for serv-A
ice rendered. The trouble is thar
the exceptional increases granted In
some places and the high salaries
paid in others to supervisors and
superintendent have been given sc.
lost sight of the great mass of the
rank and file who find their financial
condition bettered to only @ very
moderate degree.
Interesting Situation
The situation here has been par
ticularly interesting. For years the.
state paid much higher salaries than
for similar positions elsewhere, and
in consequence was able to attract a
high type of teacher. Since the gen.
eral raise has occurred Arizona su
perintendents have sometimes found
themselves competing with eys-
TENS whose salaries are now the
same OF greater than ours and living
costs lower. Had it not been for the
conditions which forced many back
into the profession, we would have
felt this situation in a teacher short
age as great as that or two years
ago, or greater.
The figures gained from the report
of the county superintendent for
lS20-1921 show that we have been
spending in the public schools about
56 per cent OF our total school funds
on teachers salaries and about A per
cent on other costs which includes
bonds and building expenses--nat-
urally q somewhat heavy expense In
q new state. The latest figures
available from the United States
Bureau OF Education. published in
1920, shows that the average per-
centage OF the total school funds
spent Tor teachers salaries for the
whole country in 1918 was 81 per cent.
Owing to the general national raise
this percentage is likely to be larg-
hA mtx
though It is difficult to make reliable
comparisons because Of the variety
OF factors that enter, these figures
seem to indicate that Arizona is de-
voting only about the average or
little less proportion Of her school
funds to teachers salaries: and that
before attacking this particular item
or expenditure for education the
question Of other costs should be CIV
en- attention first,
Administration
Real economy is not only avoid
Ing spending money unnecessarily
but getting full value for the money
that Is spent. We have had such
ample funds to draw upon that we
have overlooked this item somewhat
and have permitted to remain fas-
tened upon us in both county and
state a loose scheme OF administra-
ton that fitted conditions once but
has been outgrown almost as COM
pletely as the little red schoolhouse
whose simple menu of reading, 'rit-
ing and 'rithmatic is no longer suf-
ficient nourishment for the boy who
must meet the demands of modern
life that await him outside For one
occupation open to his father there
are scores open to him today, each