The Omaha guide., 1935-04-13
FINANCIAL EMERGENCY
NOW FACING SCHOOLS
THE FEDERAL OFFICE OF
EDUCATION

tnlS year Is July dS eALcIISIfc do
last year. More than oneeighth
of The school children of the Unit
ed States are in school districts
without sufficient funds to oper-
a.e schools the customary school
term.
This is the central conclusion OF
a final report on the financial
situation in rural schools and in
dependent school districts for the
current school year, presented by
United States commissioner OF Ed
ucation John w. Studebaker 20
Secretary of the Interior Harold
l.. Ickes. A copy of the report
was also forwarded to Relief Ad-
minis. rator Harry L.. Hopkins.
The survey was requested by
Secretary Ickes last October at
the time President Roosevelt au-
thorized the relief funds to keep
financially distressed schools open.
A preliminary report was submit
ted on December 10.
Approximately 42,200 schools
are in districts reporting insult
ficient funds to opera,e schools
for the number of months to
which they were accustomed In
past years. In these schools, To-
Gated in % states there are 3,429-
92O pupil and 102,116 teachers.
although numerous reports OF
sounder financial conditions in
school districts-especially city
school districts-have reached the
Federal Office of Education, this
Improvement should not obscure
the continuing emergency In
many rural school districts and
even some city school districts,
declared Commissioner Studebak-
er, commenting on the report.
Other outstanding facts dlsclos-
ed the survey are:
In 467 school districts in eight
states there were on available
funds to operate schools this year.
In these dis. rict there are $1,000
pupil and LAS teachers.
Without The receipt of additional
funds the school term for one
eighth Of the school children OF
the United States will be short
ened on an average of 3 months.
Deficits in operating funds re-
ported by officials of the schools
involved a total Of $31,816,O1O.
Adding deficits estimated official
" for six additional States the.
total is $37 ,316010.
Of this amount 24,544,874 rep
resents salaries for teachers.
Rular schools reported without
sufficient funds total 37,513, with.
2.122,468 elementary school pu-
pills and 562,712 high school pu-
pills.
City or independent schools
without sufficient funds for norm
al terms total approximately
4.7OO, with 687,650 elementary
school pupils and 501,165 high
school pupils.
cit is rather difficult to define
what a sloced school is" says
DR.. Howard A. Dawson, who pre-
pared the survey at the request
of Commissioner Studebaker.
but it is relatively easy to de-
termine whether or not a school
has any money with which to pay
it's teachers. In many cases,
last year and this, schools which
did not have any money remained
open only because the teachers
served in a missionary capacity.
From a technical standpoint, at
least, such schools may be desig-
mated as closed schools"
Some schools began the year
without funds; others were able
to operate a few months. This is
revealed by summary showing
that LAS teachers are in schools
that are financially unable to OPP
crate at all, 4,018 teachers In
schools able to operate less than 3
months 11,712 less than 4 months;
26,968 in schools less than 5
months; 38,698 less than 6
months; 5000, less than n
months; 85,551, less than 8
months; and 102,116 teachers in
schools that ar financially unable
to operate in excess Of 8 months.
Zone of the significant facts
revealed by these data" conrinu-
es the report, "is that the aver
age salaries paid to teachers in
these distressed school districts
are certainly among the lowest
salaries in the United States.
Sixty-four per cent Of the teach
ers affec. ed are in States where
the average salary paid to teach
ers in distressed school districts
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