Milford chronicle., 1952-11-14
$1,000 Pupils Make
Critical State Problem
CONTINUED from girst paEs1

ment; the impact Of increasing en-
roImenLs VIII anect the secondary
schools for the next II years, WIN
the initial stages Of this impact now
being felt III several OF the dls-
trlcts, and adequate buffer"
amounts should be Appropriated 10
provide space, teachers and mate
rials durlne the biennium. One Of
DR.. MilleI comments is:
What delaware does now, in
terms of schOol. construction anu
adequate provisions for the educa-
J4Onal program, viii aIfecL the peu-
pie of the state for at least oU
years. Probably no more critical
periou, the occasions OF whicn Will
anect so many for so long, has ever
been experienced IN UeIaware's
history OF public education. The ex-
tent to which laymen recognize
these problems and the extent of
educational leadership on the part
of boards of education and the pro-
tession will determine how wisely
this state has met the problems OF
this decade"
Contrary to tine predictions of
statisticians that the peak III the
birth rate in Delaware mad been
reached, the Bureau of Vital Sta
tistics found a new high to exist in
1851 and predicts PROBABLY further
increases in 1882, according to the
report. The number of births has
doubled since 1885, rising from A.
O45 births to S,2O7 in 1851. 1t is
these numbers of pre-school age
children that are causing the con-
Germ of educational officials in their
future planning.
The increase this year over Sep
tember, 1851, is nearly 5000 chill
dren. Approximately 20 per cent of
the total enrolment are IN the Viii
mingtOn public schools, with the
remaining $4,000 almost evenly
divided between the State Board
Unit and the special districts. ,Ehe
| increase this year exceeds the pre-
ViOus Years rise by almost 1000
children.
"As DeIaware's enrolment in
creases, it is necessary to provide
for additional classroOms, teachers,
materials, transportation, and many
more items involved in the admins
tration of our public schools" Dr..
Miller said.
ANY delay in making such pro-
/ han
efficiency of the program. To pro-
vide such an occurrence requires
measures which will make accurate
enrolment predictions available in
sufficient time to complete the
necessary preparations. In view of
the fact that the General Assembly
meets every two years, the mini
mum prediction should be for a pc
riOd Of three or four years" he
added
The state has experienced an in
crease just short of 10000 addi-
tional children since 1945. Adding
to the problems of school admins
traitors is the fact that half of this
cumulative growth in the last seven
years occurred during the 1951-52
and 1928 school terms-abOut
5000 students.
The problems are even more un-
derstandable when one recognizes
that the State Board Unit and the
special districts are absorbing all
but 200 of the additional 5000 chill
dren", resulting in a shift of the
pupils load to these districts out
side of Wilmington, DR.. Miller eX-
planned. Seven years ago the pupils
were almost evenly distributed be-
tween the Wilmington District, the
State Board Unit and the specia
districts, each having about 33 pei
cent of the students This year the
distribution is: Wilmington, 2
per cent; State Board Unit, S6 pei
cent, and special districts, 40 pei
cent.
f The grade one increase this year
/ slightly over 1000 children, is prob
/ ably the highest in the past 81
> years, according to the report. The
d other 1000 additional children this
year are in grades one through six
obviously, the secondary schOo
) enrolment will be affected proper
b tionately as these children progress
through the grades" the depart
) ment superintendent commented.
Approximately II per cent-S,64!
= of the states $1,000 students this
, year are Negro children. The mum
Der of Negro children has increas
ed from 6,S01 in 1945. EnrOllmen
of white children has jumped from
, I33,519 in 1945 to 47,711 this year.
Although the number of white
children in the Wilmington public
schools has dropped from 1888 il
1 1945 to 9,144 this year, enrOllmen
p OF Negro children in the city ha:
= increased from 2,5S8 to 3,01'
, during the same period Th'
T. report lists the enrolment il
2 the city at 1852 this veal
2 but this does not include kinder
+ garten children for whom the STATE
. gives no financial support.
- Enrolment in the State BOar'
Unit directly under control of thu
=, Department of Public Instruction
e. went from 1880 in 1945 to 1929
! this year. During the same perio'
. the enrolment increased from 13,
759 to 1902 in the special schOO