The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-03-08

eS.
 S.ich colle- 1, 4s is added, would afford opportunities for training local ycI-g men and women for teaching in Territorial sch O. Is There are no facilities for that now except at the Alaska College.
 Another recommendation of ma jor importance is for the enact ment of a teachers pension law un- der which each teacher is required to contribute annually a specified part of his or her annual salary to pension fund to which the Territory makes an annual contri- button based on the amount con- tributed by the teachers. Teachers to be pensioned after 30 years oi teaching service, 10 of which must have been rendered in the Terri torial school system. The annuity to be $1 0o0 per year for life' Other recommendation include: Enactment of law whereby par ants and guardians of school ct!l. dren completing the work of the eighth grade in school districts ir which no high schools are main tained may receive finarrial assis- sance from the Territory in secur ing a high school education for such children; passage of an act memorializing Congress to extend to Alaska the provisions of the Smith Hughes Vocational Educa- sion Law; enactment of law granting the Territorial Board Of Education, through the Commis- sioner of Education. authority to sell or rent school buildings in dis tricts which have been discontin. ued and which in all probability will not again become active; en- actment of legislation which will make it possible to expend $l5,00O appropriated to cover payment of tuition fees to incorporated cit ,s during the biennium ending June 20, 1929; enactment of law em- towering the Commissioner to pur- chase or construct a building for use as living quarters for the teach CT or teachers in school districts outside of incorporated cities in which such quarters are not already provided; special appropriations as follows $7,50O for a school buildine in the Longwood district, Kodiak Island, S4,00O for an addition to the Bethel school building; $4,0o0 for an addition to the Hoonah school building, and few small sums for covering refunds to yan- ous towns and persons.
 Makes Steady Progress
 Summarizing the past history of the schools, Commissioner Hender- son said:
 "Alaska's school system is iLak- ing steady progress. Schools have grown physically as indicated by an increase in enrolment of 476 pupils, the addition of B new teachers, and a growth of 10 in the numhsr of schools maintained. Ex- pens& and expenditures have in creased $129, ,OOo.01, the major part of this being in the item of capi- tai outlay. Per capita costs have not increased materially, the com parison being $13420 for the school year 1925-26 and $136.69 for the school year 1927-2S.
 Increased costs are to be ex- pected as the curriculum expands and school facilities are extended. The biennium witnessed a decided growth in high school enrolment, the increase being B per cent. On the average the per capita expense of providing high school education is about twice that required for elementary school education. The substantial growth that has taken place in the special SuDJecCs-nldl- ual training, home economics, music and art, also is an additional fac tor in increased costs"
 There was an unusual expansion in the school building program dur ing the past two years. New struc- lures and repairs made to old build ings at a cost of approximate ly S250,000, and bond issues were floated by two municipalities in the amount of $15o,0oo for new school houses.
 Progress was made in improving the professional rating of teachers Eighty-two per cent of Alaska teachers had attended institutions of higher learning for at least two years in 1925-26 and in 1927-28 this had increased to 91 per cent. Nine ty-seven per cent of the high school teachers hold diplomas of gradua- tion from colleges and universi- ties.