Smyrna times., 1929-11-06
DELAWARE SCHOOLS WELL
ATTENDED BY STUDENTS

All[nU[U DI OlUU[MlO
1446 INSTRUCTORS ON PAY
ROLL AMOUNTING $2,3O2,271, 81
A Total of 41,586 Boys and Girls
Are Enrolled in All the Public
Schools in the State
There are 41,586 boys and girls
enrolled as students in Delaware
public schools for the present year,
which is an increase of 785 over
those for the year 1928. Of
these 16,147 attended the schools
of Wilmington, according to the
figures being compiled by the
State Department of Education for
its annual report. There are 1,446
teachers on the payrolls of the
State, and the annual outlay Of the
department for instructural ser
vice is $2,302, ,271.31, or 55.5 per
cent of the expenses of maintain,
ing our public schools. The ap-
preparation made by the State for
schools aggregates $3,635,317.47
and the Federal government con-
tributes $4,000 for vocational
teaching. In addition to these
sums there are small amounts
coming to the State from other
channels. 1t is explained that the
expenditures given under the
group of Institutional service" in
cludes money spent for text books
and similar supplies, salaries of
teachers and heads of schools. The
statistics do not give the number
enrolled in the ten privare schools
of the State, nor in the 16 schools
conducted by the Catholic Church.
Neither does the count include
those at the University of Della
ware or Wesleyan Collegiate In
stiute at Dover. If all were en-
umerated they would add 5000 to
10000 to the lists, which would
give Delaware institutions of
learning an enrolment of at least
$4,000 pupils, and perhaps more.
Basing an analysis on State pop
ulation of $4,000, it may be de-
duced that there is a school at
tender for every and about half
of the entire population. Will
mington's total shows that less
than one-third of the public school
going population in the State live
in that city. The Newark public
school leads Dover in the special
districts by a small margin of "a,
the former having 1,043 boys and
birls, the latter 1,O14. Milford tops
Georgetown by about 400, while
New Castle is below Harrington,
Laurel, Claymont, Smyrna and
Caesar Rodney and is equalled by
one or two other communities. It
is further interesting 10 note the
numerical equality Of the sexes. In
Wilmington there are but SO more
girls than boy-whites-- about
100 more negro girls than boys.
In Georgetown there are 21 more
girls than boys, while in Newark
the female students in the public
schools outnumber the males by
only three and in Dover the excess
of the fair sex is only 22. The Ed
ucational Department at Dover
notes the gradual disappearance of
the little red school house at the
cross roads, where most of the
present elder generation were in
structed in the "threeRs" with ap-
proval, and explains that their day
has passed and further light on the
same matter made quite clear the
fact that changing conditions had
tagged the cross roads school. One
of these is the changes the educa-
tional susceptibility of the persons
now largely living in the rural sec
tions. Formerly they were de-
scended almost entirely from men
and women of high mentality. That
class has very largely left the farm
for the cities, while many of their
successors are less capable-as a
rule-of mental development. The
department also verbally empha-
sizes the fact that business method
changes have made requisite vo-
cational education-a requirement
not considered in the studies of the
little red school. Large schools
are regarded as greatly superior
to the old and smaller units. Su-
period educational advantages are
claimed for the bigger schools. 1t
i.' deplored by the educational
heads at the capital that few of
the schools have such a small
number of children enrolled. In
some there are but six or seven
children, which is the case in dis
| tricts where the farmers unable to
make a livelihood out of the soil