Evening star., 1933-09-17
Americas School Crisis
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they become likely material for the herd
known as the gang.
The schools are bearing more than
their share of the hardships OF the de-
preston. Education has been glad to
do its part in economizing, but 1t has
been imposed upon. When the. need for
economy came and cities, counties and
States locked over their programs Tor
spots which might possibly be pared
down, their eyes fell upon the sums for
public school maintenance. which are
necessarily and rightfully large in COM
rarison with other single items of eX-
pense. In many cases it was easier and
Quicker to balance the budget by cut
ting school funds than by devising ways
Of securing a larger income. In other
localities, especially those which rely
on a general property tax as their prin-
Ciple source of income, economic dis
treSs made it simply impossible to raise
the necessary funds.
Intelligent economy has been evoked
at many points in the school program,
as well as in other activities of govern
trent and in business and industry.
But it is significant that while in most
instances economies have been worked
cut to parallel, decrease in business,
IL the case of the schools retrench-
lrents, have been made in the face OF
q steady and somewhat more than
normal increase in their business. There
were $4,000 more pupils enrolled in the
public high schools of this country in
1888 than in 1882, for instance. In
spite of this increase. $4,000 fewer
teachers were employed, where nor
mally there would have been an in
crease CT 10000. The total expense
Sacrifices Made.
In many cases schools have con-
tinued to function only through the
personal sacrifices of individuals. When
the schools in a Georgia town were
forced to close last January the citi-
ZenS held a mass meeting to plan a way
t. reopen them. Some volunteered to
take the teachers into their homes and
Rlve them room and board. The auto
mobile owners in the village voted to
tax each car 81. A group which could
not contribute in any other way de-
Cided to run a curb market with prod
uce furnished by themselves and others
interested The school cafeteria which
served those children who could pay and
those who could not. was able to realize
q little profit With the cooperation
OF the teachers who asked for only a
small portion of their salaries, the
town was able to keep its schools open
line months
A New Mexico normal school must
charge its pupils SIG a month to meet
operating expenses. but is cooperating
with the financially pressed students
by allowing them to pay half the fee
rrniTlrn Nparly oil nf them axe
advantage of the offer, and cows, sheep.
goats, chickens, turkeys, beans. corn.
coal and wood are brought to the school
to help pay for an education.
A Seattle Summer school for primary
children existed by charging a small
tuition. One little girl brought the
weekly grocery order which charity
organization had given her family. The
child's mother said they would get
along without it if it would enable the
daughter to stay in school.
Closed by Lack of Funds.
No funds were available, so small
rural school in New England did not
open last year until October IT.
Teacher and pupil were doing their
best to make up for lost time when it
was announced en- the day after Thanks
giving that the school could not re-
open until after January l. The par
ents OF the children involved met and
said that although they had practically
no money. they would keep the school
open during the next month. The
teacher volunteered deep cut in her
salary, the janitor offered his services
free, and the women of the community
held whist parties and food sales to
pay for fuel and light for the school
house.
A Far Western city was faced with the
necessity of closing its schools after a
term Of only four months. The cham
ber of commerce called a meeting of all
citizens and program was formulated
By which the schools might continue to
run. Merchants donated fuel for the
school buildings, food for the cafeteria
and credit at their shops. The teachers
we're given free room and board. Citi-
KenS volunteered cash contributions.
One woman with four children had
Il thing to give, but offered to do the
teachers laundry.
In a ranch district in the Southwest,
the schools are one and two-room build
ings, meagerly furnished and greatly
OvercroWded. The children, most of
them SpaniSh-American, come to school
barefoOted and brown from their work
in the sun. Almost without exception
they are too poor to buy any books,
so the teachers meet every Saturday in
the county supervisors office and
mimeograph enough copies of the weeks
lessons for all their pupils.
Suffer From Shortening Term.
The rural schools have suffered most
from shortening of the school term.
They normally operate very close to the
margin of need. Their offerings and
extra -curricular services as a rule are
restricted to the bare necessities of the
three RS. School terms in the rural
areas are commonly shorter than in
the cities, salaries paid to teachers are
only about half as high, and housing
and equipment are often of the meager-