Year: 1873

REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.


To the Mayor and aldermen of the city OF


KnOrUiUc


leave to report on the city free schools
from the commencement.


They were inaugurated by action of the
Board, Dec. 10Th, 1870, appointing COM
mittee to take into consideration the pro-
priety of establishing such schools and by
the adoption of the report of the commit
tee OH the SOth of the same month.


Among the committees appointed by
Mayor Van Glider in January, 1871, was
the School Committee, and at the time for
assessing taxes for the year, a tax of one
mill was levied for SCHOOL, purposes, after
having submitted the proposition to the
people for their endorsement. The money
thus set apart for schools has been kept
sacred for that purpose, not one dollar hav-
ing been spent for any other purpose so
far as your Committee are informed.


During the summer of 1871 every prepa-
ration was made for putting the schools in
operation that the money at their dispos-
al would justify the Committee in MAX
ing.


Profs. Kirkpatrick and Payne, of the
| East Tennessee University, kindly made
the examination of the Teachers, and
Prof. Payne rendered valuable service to
| the committee in various ways.
Your committee went to work without
anything in the way of furniture, save
| few old desks. They had made new desks
and in fact, ever thing needed to put the
schools in operation that the funds would
allow.


There was not single school suited to
the wants of the committee that they
could procure. They rented just such
houses and in just such places as they
could. The consequence was that schools
were scattered all over the city and with
out any general supervision, save what the
committee found time and inclination to
bestow upon them.


Finally, ou the Sd day OF September,
1871, the experiment of public free schools
was tried and continued for ten scholastic
| months.


The committee desire to acknowledge
with gratitude the receipt from DR.. Sears,
| Of Staunton, Virginia, through DR.. Humes,
erous donation of $1,000. They desire
further to acknowledge the payment of
the salaries of four of the teachers in the
cOlored schools, by the Home Missionary
Society," of the Presbyterian Church North.


The city's proportion of the funds col
lected by the county for schools was made
payable to the city schools.


The committee thus aided, employed
seventeen teachers, two male and fifteen
female and paid the former little over
$40. 90 per month, and the latter $3.50.
The attendance from the beginning was
good, and the attendance for the year was
nearly $50.


Though the schools did we'll under the
circumstances, they did not come up to
that degree of excellence aimed at by the
committee. However it was very graft
| flying to the committee and to all the
| friends of popular education in Knoxville
to know that the schools had given such
general satisfaction that it was entirely un-
necessary in 1872, to submit the question
to the people again to know whether or not
they were in favor oflevying tax for city
| free schools. Such was the feeling that
your Board doubled the tax without one
word of complaint, as far as the committee
knew, forever putting to silence the silly
assertion that the people of Knoxville are
opposed to free schools for all their chill.
dren.


| Application was again made by the COM
nittee to DIR. Sears, agent for the trustees
of the Peabody Fund for aid for the year
1928, and we promptly received from
| him a second donation of 50 900.
| The Home Missionary Society of the
Presbyterian Church having ceased to aid
our colored schools, they had been taken
charge of entirely by your committee, and
every expense is now paid by the Board
Colored teachers are employed in all of
these schools, and they are aided and man.
aged exactly as the white schools are,


At the close of the school year, June
1872, your committee were more fully con-
vinced than they had been before of the
absolute necessity of suitable building for
the Schools and in consultation with
Mayor Van Glider, succeeded in purchas-
ing the property known as the Bell House.
The committee went to work immediately
to make such changes in and around the
building as was thought best to adapt
it to the purpose. We have found it
answer admirably the object in view, al.
most as well as if built for a school house.
There are eleven school rooms-all of
which are light, airy and convenient
easy of access and egress, and CAPABLE of
accommodating about 600 pupils The
cost of the premises was $500, and the
repairs and changes about $1,000,


The course Of study Of the first year, was that
of well regulated primary and grammar school
grade, but at tho commencement of the second
year the committee established two High
schools, one for boys and one for girls Every
pupil was thoroughly examined upon entering
school and was graded accordingly.


Pupils completing the entire course drescrib-
ed by the committee are prepared to enter a
well regulated College or Female Seminary. It
is the intention Ofthe committee to give pupils
thorough practical education.


We have employed Mr.. Alexander Baird, as
Principal of the schools whose duty it is to
thoroughly superintend them, as to discipline
and instruction and to couduct teachers meet.
ings in order to prepare the teachers for more
perfect work.


We congratulate the Board and the citizens
upon having been able to secure the services of
so many competent and accomplished teachers
True. the means have not enabled us to employ
the highest priced teachers, nor in fact to pay
those employed such wages as we think they are