Show THE SCHOOL SITUATION in justice to nil all con concerned cernea it seems seem advisable to make a statement through the public press relative to the school situation in the at state ate and in this district in ill particular since the word has gone out that yur our schools will bo be forced to close at least one month early unless financial aid is secured in some way now unknown to the board of education tile the present unfortunate tin financial ancial 8 situation in which the elementary schools ol of the state find themselves undoubtedly had its origin a little over two years ago when certain state officials permitted tile tho to gain almost universal acceptance throughout the state that 88 per cent of our entire revenue reveau e goes goe a to the schools this was afterwards shown to be entirely erroneous since only about CO per cent Is so expended charges of extravagance wastefulness and injustice to tax ta payers became common against tile the school and many members of the state legislature which met two years ago were fully convinced without investigating the matter that the charges were well founded and that the school rev revenue enties must be reduced no attention loi was paid to the protests of school men because they were thought to bo enough to oppose any relm tion of taxes however just in order tai a t they might not suffer a curtailment of P expenditures tures particularly in the wat ulster t e r of salaries As a result the it 31 tell tary and high schools of state were singled out for the sacrifice to make this more clear I 1 shall have to resort to figures but shall alia 11 make it as simple as possible the average per capita cost for elementary and high school training is pra practically per year the school census tor for the year 1915 16 shows a school population of for 1916 17 it is an increase ot of pupils at the normal increase cre creasea asef state school revenue should have been or instead of tills this increase tile the state school revenue was actually decreased ed making a shortage here equal to the surd sum of the two small amounts ts or while the other departments ot of the state had their revenues increased but this does not tell the whole story everyone knows that the price of everything used in the schools except teachers salaries has increased from 25 to 73 75 per cent during this period paper I 1 crayon school furniture labor to tor repairs and im improvements prove ments evereth everything ing has gone up in price so that it is quite impossible to run schools on the same per capita basis as formerly the consequence is that box elder is about short this year A recent ruling ot of the attorney A general makes it clear that it is not lawful tor for the doard board of education to incur debts beyond the current years revenue they cannot borrow money nor issue interest bearing warrants with which to finish out the school year seems to be to close the schools when our funds are exhausted to some people this does not seem a serious condition but let us examine tile the matter more closely our schools are now carefully graded the work is definitely outlined year by year and promotions are made on an a definite amount of 0 work accomplished many counties run nine months some nine and a halt half months but box elder has las never been able to run more than eight months in eight months we have lave attempted to compi complete ete the work which was really intended to bo be done don in n nine or nine and a half months we have succeeded fairly well and our children have been promoted regularly each year and have completed the he elementary course in eight years and the high school in four years but to attempt to complete nine or nine and a half months work in seven months or less would be useless the result is that we are thrown out of harmony with the course of study our regular periods of 0 promotion are no longer possible and the number of years required to complete both elementary and high school work will have to be increased it if we cut short tile the year Is it advisable to hold children in the grades until they are 17 or 18 years of age and in the high school until they are 21 or 22 years old then there is tile the other factor the teacher during the past five years teachers salaries have increased on an average about to 50 00 per year while living expenses have increased from to per year for each person consider the outlook for male teachers who have families to support and no other source of income when vie we add to the unfairness by reducing the year to seven months and still continue to increase Iner caso tle the requirements tor for continuance in the profession in order that yur our teachers may be well prepared it approaches downright injustice un der such a proceed ure patrons avs muad rot cot bo be surprised it if all our male and many of our women teachers leave the profession and make it necessary for us to engage inexperienced girls to run our schools it men who have spent from live five to rina years in preparation tor for their lifes work in teaching can almost double their salaries by turning plumber or brick mason with practically no previous training train inz e common mon sense would suggest the advisability vis vi ability ot at the change it if girls can an d draw ra 9 as high salaries per month c the yead year round by preparing to nurse or nin rune a typewriter or keep books as they can draw for or a seven or eight months school year which requires very touch more extensive training it reasonable to suppose that tha i many of them will be anxious to assume the responsibility of a teacher and to incur the expense of at beasi least five fivel years schooling to prepare for it As long as the sentiment prevails among the public that too much money Is being expended for elementary education there Is little hope that conditions will be much improved public sentiment is an irresistible force in a democracy it if the people think it ad advisable to extend the elementary course through ten tell wr ar twelve years and the high school course through five or six all well and lood we are your servants and shall sha liry try to do your bidding on the other hand if 1 the public sentiment shoud or keeping up tip our standard of efi y and retaining the schools of 0 lh ill in tile the front ranks among ou ter te r 3 states ancs then v we e must disnard discard 0 hammers quit knocking a put our shoulders to the wheel we ave invite investigation as suggested by supt bupt E G gowans some counties have already had surveys made by fair broadminded public spirited business men I 1 need not say that the schools will fare better hereafter in such localities that teachers will be better compensated and that the good teacher will not be ba permitted to seek more desirable positions elsewhere in order that a saving of W 10 or 50 per year may be effected by hiring a young ill inefficient efficient teacher at so much less per year it if you believe in retaining our good teach teaches ds make it possible to increase their salaries at least in the same ratio nithe ai the cost of living is increasing and make the school year long enough to enable them to do a years work each school year so that your children may go out 0 of school and into productive occupations as early in life as their bodies and minds are prepared to assume such responsibilities the problem is one for or tile the public to solve we cannot and we would not it if we could auld raise the necessary funds without your sanction we shall be forced to close this year because of 0 public sentiment which forced legislation jwo wa years ago it remains with the to determine debei caino or not present conditions are to contin continue u e D C JENSEN dist supt bupt of schools |