The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-09
al the ordinary rates they would
have netted an additional income
OF SO 1897,387- -
THE NEEDS OF
RURAL SCHOOLS

Needs of the rural schools OF
South Carolina are TO be given
special emphasis in the observahce
of American Education Week IN !
this state, for it is IN this paTticlllaz
that our educational system IS
weakest. John J. Tigert, United
States comneissioner5of-s education,
declares that the child reared in
the rural community has four tines
the. chance OF reaching maturity
iEiterate as the city child. hite:
rural llteracy insouth Caroline IN
1920 was Approximately three
times as great as that in the towns
and cities. Of the total population
OF this state, 1,241,434,. or 73.7 per
cent. i've in the country where
there. are 1868 schools, compared
to. the 342 in towns and cities
What are some of the needs Of
the rural schools of South Caro-
lima? s;ssz:sf -
1. Better support from the state
tEiuS SoftSSilSuS .Oi2SOPlAaAoAASysseIAis* Ais*y1scs
educators is that the state as a.
unit should supply at least SO per
cent Of the public school income.
South Carolina supplies only 1851:
per cent. and IN this respect is I;ext
to. the lowest state in the SOUTH
| Florida with Z. 2 per cent: The per
eentages for other southern states
are: Alabama, 51.3 Georgia,
4s:5: Kentucky, 81; Arkansas
| 23.7 Louisiana, 24-5; Mississippi::
52.1; North Carolina, 30:I Ten
nessee, 49, Texas, $40, Virginia,
36.
2 More consoiid schools
because they provide longer terms
better teaching. and equalize the
| opportunities Of rural school. chiI.
| dren with those in the cities.
:.3. More. and better buldings
State superintendent OF Education
] John E. sWearingen declares that.
! the state IS deficient in the numss
her Of school structures re-
quisite to house the. children of
South Carolina who are. attending
in increased numbers due to- the:
propulsive properties of the CONF
puzsory attendance act. There is.
room in the high school buildings:
of the state for only one out OF
every FIVE white children OF high
school age. The deficit in the
/ states aid to school constructiou
this year was s21, ,054-
A. Better. trained teachers Ac5s
Icording to. recent authority
3sixtyssix per cent Of the pubic
school teachers OF South Caroiina.
have been inadequatly trained
5. Better salaries for teacheLs
The. average salary Of one-room.
| school teachers IN South Caroline
/ il ia2e was 1886 as compared nth
81, ,6s7 for city. teachers. It is ess;
timated that the number Of rural
/ teachers in this state paid less
than $500 is s7s, or 13 per cens
! Obviously the rural school pupil
does not enjoy equal oppoEtunI-
/ ties with the city pupil when suc1
/ disparity in the compensation OF;
teachers exists. ,73s. = ): ..'s.'ss s
! 6. Fewer one-teacher schools:
In South Carolina last year tEssfe
were 915 such schools, 40 per cent
of the whole number Of schools Aps.
! prosimately 10000 pupils are
/ taught in these schools where Il IS
! Impossible for them to get as good
education as would be obtained
lin consolidated or city schools
4, Z. $ Longer terms IN the school
/ year 1922 the average length
! of session Of the White city alfEds
! town schools was IT. days, while
that of the white country schoe:s:
was I34 days, difference i1
school sessions OF nearly two
i months. The amount Of state aid
! appropriated by the 1872 legisia-
ture was sI05.s62 less than the,
sum required by districts entited
to state aid guaranteeing seyea
months term. -:
s. More pupils in high schools
Only about 90 per cent OF the,
white children who should be n
high schools are enrolled ii thssIi.
In Saouth Carolina there are fewer.
! pupils in high schools to every -
1 600 Of population than in any oti1-;
er state ef the union. s;-::ss5s IS
8. Adequate tuition allowance.
for country children attending cszy
! and town high school It is est1S
mated that 1880 pupils from &C.
] raj districts having no high schcoI
!; are this year attending city and
/ town high schools. The state
should pay the tuition Of these pu-s.
/ pills, but last year the appropria--
ton FOR this purpose showed a de-
fcit of S15,193. -
i 10. Better attendance. La
year I39.S2S pupils were absent
from school every day the schools
] were in session. Besides the dessi-
nlent received by the pupils ass-s
sent. the loss to the state was So.
/ e35.9l2S7. Only 70.11 per cent OF
the school pupils of South Carozin.l
| regularly attended school
II. More rural high scho rs.
Every child in the state shoasz
/ have the opportunity of attending,
witto1t cost, an easily aecessjole
ard thoroughly equipped higu
/ school. ~