Show SUPERINTENDENTS SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT IRON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT I Submitted to the Board of Education August 7 19 1926 6 N. N J. J Barlow Superintendent ol lel INTRODUCTION At this time it becomes my duty and pleasure to make a a. a brief report of the he past years year's work in the Iron Schools It i is hoped that the report following will picture something of the school conditions condition in the cow county ty Statistical reports are always more comprehensive when they are aN made on ona ona ona a comparative basis hence the effort in this report to compare comparo i conditions In n the County now with the conditions in the past I Comparisons have been een made with the last five years on such activities and conditions for tor which statistical data are available COST COST OF 0 EDUCATION IN IRON COUNTY The expenses of education is and has bas been for years a favored topic of discussion School men and especially School Bo Board rd members are arc frequently called culled upon to justify the emphasis given t to education This is s not surprising since approximately GO 50 per cent of all the tax moris moneys ys ya collected in Iron County are spent for elementary and secondary education I The cost of operating the Iron County schools jumped from in 22 1921 to in 23 1922 an increase of 11 th then n jumped again in 1 24 1123 24 23 to a further increase of In In 25 1924 the operating bud budget et reached another increase of and finally in 1925 it reached an increase over the year of ANNUAL EXPENDITURES 22 1921 to 1925 Table 1 1 2 3 4 6 6 per cent of Debt per cent of Operating Budget Service Budget Total 19 22 1921 22 1922 23 24 1923 72 38 25 1924 7 26 1925 22 2281 From the figures shown in tab table e No 1 it i is interesting to note the trend of debt service expenditure in comparison n with all other expense listed under operating The debt service item in 1921 22 1921 22 was or per cent of the entire budget This it will be e n noted ted dropped to or per cent of the total expenditure for 26 1925 which is in direct contrast con cons with other expenditures which increase from per cent in 22 1921 to per cent in 1925 Even per cent of the budget is not a fair far the school funds to be spent on the actual teaching process The average for the State will range near the 90 per cent mark which is a much fairer distribution If Iron County had a clean slate there is little doubt that an annual additional 10 per percent cent cen of the operating budget would care for the building program r I Column 6 of Table 1 indicates an increase of total school expenditure from 22 1921 up to and including the school year of f 25 1924 when the peak school cost of was reached It will wll be observed that the school schools S 'S s t outside of debt service has lias increased in the five year period from flom 22 1921 to 26 1925 which is a 54 64 per cent increase for the period period Table 2 1 2 2 3 4 5 No teachers Average Aver No pupils Census Enrollment employed per teacher 22 1921 1607 1499 43 35 1922 23 1728 1518 50 30 1788 1732 60 60 32 25 1924 1931 I 1950 67 29 29 1925 26 2053 2063 2119 67 32 Table No 2 column No 3 shows an increase in enrollment of pupils pupil a which is a 41 per cent increase for the five y years ars studied This corresponds correspond s to the data in table 2 column 4 showing an increase of 24 in the number o oi oj 1 teachers employed which is a 56 per per percent cent increase in the teaching staff Thus it is clear that if the salary paid to teachers remained approximate the same as for the year 22 1921 the total increase se for the five year period would be absorbed In other words the cost of education tion in Iron Count for 26 1925 over over that of 22 1921 22 represents a growth in school attendant 4 rather than excessive rises in school costs I When in 24 1923 the Iron County School Board assumed the responsibility o of financing the high school work done in the I Branch Agricultural College school costs to the County of necessity increased with the increased en en- The working of the compulsory attendance law is a second import ant f factor responsible for the gr great at increase of enrollment since 1921 There appears more children oft oA the 26 1925 census than on the 1921 22 1921 22 census an increase of 28 per cent while the enrollment increased for the same period or 41 per cent J Therefore it is clear that at the natural growth in sc population on the increased number attending as 8 a result of the operation of the compulsory school attendance law Iw and the additional responsibility of af t paying Byng for far the high school work at the Branch Agricultural College are the three factors re R abble i t r. r the tl increased h Q 1 costs costa in tn Iron C Jt ain line 1921 Since Shoe the the population and the number of teachers teachers' empl employed have increased in the same way as school costs such expansions as transportation Health Supervision etc etc have been made possible by the Boards Board's policy gid economy r Table 3 a ai 1 i 1 2 3 s Valuation Levy 22 1921 92 Mills 23 1922 72 10 Mills 24 1923 i 0 10 Mills 25 1924 I 12 Mills 1925 20 Mills With increased cost of education in in Iron County as asa a result of larger enrollment the tax payer immediately asks if the valuation of property in the County is keeping pace with school costs Table three column olumn 2 shows the increase in valuation for the five years beg beginning nning 1921 The increase is which is slightly under 15 per cent Increase increase Obviously the increased assessed valuation does not keep pace with the school costs Hence the increased levy shown levy show in column 3 of table 3 This data Indicates then a 15 per cent Increase o of assessed valuation and anda a 20 per cent increase in the levy in an an attempt to keep pace with enrollment enrollment enroll enroll- ment and costs Even a greater levy would have been needed had it not been for a slight gain in the purchasing power of the dollar ov over r its value Jn n 1921 The decrease in per capita costs in Iron County from for 22 1921 to for 26 1925 as shown in table 4 4 column 4 after reaching a high highpeak highpeak highpeak peak of In 24 1923 and of shown in the financial report for this year rear is excellent evidence that the Boards Board's policy of economy is succeeding 1 I Table 4 4 h I. i 1 2 3 l 4 Per capita cost 4 I I Enrollment i Expenditure based an on enrollment 1499 I O 23 1922 1518 24 1923 1732 25 1924 1960 2119 To Be De Continued |