Volume 2, Number 3 - Spring 1965
Missouri Public Schools, 1914
(Christian, Douglas, Ozark, Stone and Taney Counties)
Fifty years ago, William P. Evans, Missouri State Superintendent of Public Schools, forwarded the sixty-fifth annual report of the public schools to the General Assembly. The 395-page report, which bristles with statistics, contains information on all public schools in the State--elementary, secondary, and colleges.
The scope of the report ranges from a broad discussion of the goals of education to letters (with names deleted) about persons and conditions at the district level. One such letter from Stone County mentions a teacher who "would do good work, I believe, if she did not get so home-sick and discouraged, and could brace up and not get disheartened, and come to school early instead of late, mornings. "
Some of the school problems of fifty years ago have since been solved; others are still with us. The overall tone of the report is that the problems were being recognized and an attempt was being made to solve them. Mr. Evans, addressing the General Assembly, said, "Only recently your body awoke to the importance of the trust reposed in you for the improvement of the schools... No reactionary should persuade you that enough has been done."
The schedule of salaries showed that 2.8% received less than $200 for the school year; 16.6% received less than $300; 39.3% less than $400; 66.6% less than $500. More than two-thirds of the teachers in Missouri received less than an average of $1.60 per working day.
The State faced the problem of inequality of educational opportunity for its children, and the State Superintendent believed the problem would exist as long as the district school system was continued. "How can we defend," he asked, "the lavish expenditure of public funds in the city for buildings, salaries, and equipment when some children must content themselves with poorly paid, poorly prepared teachers working in wretched hovels during brief terms? Wherefore has the child...of St. Louis any greater claim upon the wealth of the city and state than the child of the negro field hand...? Why are the rural schools so far behind? Why house the finest stock on earth, the rural boys and girls of Missouri, in unventilated, poorly heated, badly lighted, unsightly boxcar-like rooms? Why expect to get good teachers for less than mail carriers? Practically all the power of administration of rural schools is vested in the local board, the majority of whom have slight knowledge of their duties and little intelligent interest. This district system is no universally condemned by the leading thinkers, all of whom advocate the county educational unit as the best and most practicable. The most common argument against the county unit is
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that the plan is undemocratic in removing the administration of the schools from the locality to the larger community. Just how anything can be undemocratic that the people do and can undo at will is not evident."
City schools increased expenditures 121% in ten years, compared to an increased expenditure of 53% by country schools in the same period, a Report of the State Teachers Association Committee on the County School Unit noted in 1914. When we consider the increased cost of living, the Report continues, and the increased price of nearly all commodities, the percentage of increase in school expenditures in rural communities has little more than kept pace with the general increase in prices. As conditions are now, scarcely 20% of the country boys and girls who complete the eighth grade have any opportunity to secure a high school education, whereas 80% of the city boys and girls have such opportunity. We are giving, Th 1914, a high school education to 36,000 town and city pupils and to 8,000 country school pupils. Someone says, "Will not consolidation solve the rural school problem, especially the rural high school problem?"
In fourteen months under our new consolidated law, 62 schools have been organized, thus consolidating for high school purposes about 300 small rural schools. There are 9,400 rural schools in Missouri. Hence, at the present rate of consolidation, more than 35 years will be required to form a complete system of consolidated schools in the State.
It is evident that in 35 years more than two generations or almost one million children will have been deprived by the State of high school privileges.
State Aid to the schools was, in 1914, assuming a greater importance than ever before. One president of a Board of Education, fearing the withholding of State funds, said in a letter: "If we do not secure State Aid we will have to hedge, and you know what that means. It means that the ____ School is going to hit the bottom so hard that it will have to reach up to find it."
Rural Aid in 1914 went to 1953 districts in 104 counties and amounted to $179,606. The number of districts receiving High School Aid in 1913 was 167; in 1914 it had increased to 218. The valid requests amounted to over $116,500, but state law limited the payment to $96,500 which went to high schools in 93 counties.
The following figures are an extract pertaining to the southwest Missouri counties in the White River Valley:
Apportionment of Public Funds Under Rural School State Aid Law, 1914:
Christian County, $1,714.39
Douglas County, $5, 181.06
Ozark County, $2,972.42
Stone County, $2,484.00
Taney County, $2,805.07
Unconditional Apportionment of Public Funds Under High School State Aid Law, 1914, by districts:
Gainesville (Ozark Co.), $800.00
Branson (Taney Co.), $800.00
Conditional Apportionment of Public Funds Under High School State Aid Law, 1914, by districts (Money not released until work is approved):
Christian County
Billings, $532.31
Nixa, $246.22
Ozark, $328.30
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Douglas County
Ava, $328.30
Ozark County
Bakersfield, $304. 50
Stone County
Crane, $558.11
Of the 774 towns and cities in Missouri which sent reports to the State Superintendent, only 204 did no high school work (Boaz, Highlandville, and Protem are listed in this group); 195 had unclassified high schools, and 388 had classified high schools. In addition to the towns making reports, there were a few from which no report was received.
In the reports of schools in Christian, Douglas, Ozark, Stone and Taney counties, there was no listing of districts maintaining a first class high school. There was one second class high school in the area; four third class; and five high schools were designated as "Unclassified".
DISTRICTS MAINTAINING A SECOND CLASS HIGH SCHOOL
Ozark (Christian County) : 9-months term; Felix J. Appleby, superintendent, salary $125; Chas. P. McClanahan, principal, salary $90; 1 H.S. assistant, salary $70; H.S. enrollment 52; graduated last year, 12; curriculum--history, science, Latin, English, mathematics; total expense of maintaining high school, $2,42l.00. Total enrollment at Ozark, 418, volumes in library, 750; teachers--2 male, 6 female; average monthly salary--$108 male, 49 female.
DISTRICTS MAINTAINING A THIRD CLASS HIGH SCHOOL
Ava (Douglas County) : 9-months term; G. H. Boehm, principal, salary $1504 l H.S. assistant, salary $90; H.S. enrollment, 53; graduated last year, --; curriculum--English, math, history, science, German; total expense of maintaining high school, $2,263.00. Total enrollment at Ava, 300; volumes in library, 400; teachers--3 male, 4 female; average monthly salary--$85 male, $43 female.
Billings (Christian County) : 8-months term; C. E. Phillips, principal, salary $95; 2 H.S. assistants; H.S. enrollment, 55;
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graduated last year, --; curriculum--English, math, history, science, German, manual training; total expense of maintaining high school, $1,783. Total enrollment at Billings, 261; volumes in library, 300; teachers--2 male, 5 female; average monthly salary--$68 male, $44 female.
Crane (Stone County): 8-months term; L. E. Pummill, principal, salary $125; 1 H.S. assistant; H.S. enrollment, 47; graduated last year, 9; curriculum--English, math, history, science, Latin; total expense of maintaining high school, $1,473.00. Total enrollment at Crane, 416; volumes in library, 300; teachers--2 male, 6. female; average monthly salary--$90 male, $44 female.
Galena (Stone County): 8-months term; O. Renn, principal, salary $125; 1 H.S. assistant; H.S. enrollment, 17; graduated last year--; curriculum--English, math, history, science; total expense of maintaining high school, $1,017.00. Total enrollment at Galena, 180; volumes in library, 250; teachers--1 male, 4 female; average monthly salary--$85 male, $43 female.
DISTRICTS MAINTAINING AN UNCLASSIFIED HIGH SCHOOL
Branson (Taney County) : 9-months term; D. H. Kay, principal, salary $85; no H.S. assistant; H.S. enrollment, 17; graduated last year --; curriculum--English, math, history, science; total expense of maintaining high school, $1,017. Total enrollment at Branson, 231; volumes in library, 234; teachers--l male, 3 female; average monthly salary--$75 male, $43 female.
Clever (Christian County) : Total enrollment at Clever, 155; volumes in library, 125; teachers--2 male. 1 female; average monthly salary--$64 male, $35 female; total expense of maintaining high school, $404. No further information available on Clever High School.
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Gainesville (Ozark County): 9-months term; S. A. McKinley, principal, salary $100; no H.S. assistant; H.S. enrollment, 22; graduated last year --; curriculum--English, math, history, science. The following are 1913 statistics--no report for 1914: total enrollment, 91; volumes in library, 1; teachers--2 male, 1 female; average monthly salary--$42 male, $34 female.
Nixa (Consolidated No. 1, Christian County): 8-months term; Chas. F. Boyd, principal, salary $80; no H.S. assistants; H.S. enrollment, 18; graduated last year, 12; curriculum-English, math, history, science; total expense of maintaining high school, $675. Total enrollment at Nixa, 123; volumes in library, 40; teachers--2 male, 1 female; average monthly salary--$73 male, $55 female.
Sparta (Christian County): 8-months term; C. C. Birch, principal, salary $75; no H.S. assistant; H.S. enrollment, 24; graduated last year --; curriculum--English, math, history, science; no total H.S. expense available. Total enrollment at Sparta, 140; volumes in library, 300; teachers--l male, 2 female; average monthly salary--$65 male, $35 female.
Sixth-Eighth Annual Apportionment Made by the State Superintendent of Public Schools, August 12, 1914:
|
Christian |
Douglas |
Ozark |
Stone |
Taney |
|
Teachers w/less than 15 pupils |
7 |
5 |
16 |
10 |
16 |
Teachers w/salaries less than $1,000 |
98 |
103 |
76 |
72 |
63 |
Teachers w/salaries more than $1,000 |
2 |
1 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
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Christian |
Douglas |
Ozark |
Stone |
Taney |
|
Reports of County Clerks: |
|||||
Enumeration: |
|||||
White male |
2,594 |
2,970 |
2,160 |
2,063 |
1,716 |
White female |
2,504 |
2,744 |
1,998 |
1,966 |
1,627 |
Colored male |
5 |
||||
Colored female |
6 |
1 |
|||
Totals |
5,909 |
5,714 |
4,159 |
4,029 |
3,343 |
No. Districts in County |
81 |
109 |
88 |
62 |
75 |
Reports of County Superintendents: |
|||||
Enrollment: |
|||||
White male |
1,891 |
2,831 |
1,900 |
1,762 |
1,626 |
White female |
2,027 |
2,602 |
1,700 |
1,805 |
1,585 |
Colored male |
1 |
||||
Colored female |
1 |
||||
Totals |
3,918 |
5,433 |
3,602 |
3,567 |
3,211 |
Schools having |
|||||
Under 4 months |
4 |
2 |
|||
4 to 6 months |
4 |
6 |
24 |
8 |
26. |
6 to 8 months |
27 |
43 |
44 |
28 |
22 |
8 months |
50 |
59 |
15 |
26 |
23 |
More than 8 months |
2 |
1 |
2 |
||
Pupils graduating from common school |
124 |
44 |
65 |
63 |
24 |
Enrolled in high schools |
154 |
40 |
26 |
64 |
19 |
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Christian |
Douglas |
Ozark |
Stone |
Taney |
|
High school grads |
43 |
19 |
|||
Libraries: |
|||||
Districts having |
73 |
61 |
40 |
53 |
65 |
Amt. spent 1914 |
$716 |
$1,000 |
$400 |
$348 |
$250 |
Teachers having |
|||||
H.S. training |
60 |
43 |
29 |
69 |
33 |
Normal sch. trng. |
77 |
20 |
9 |
51 |
28 |
Teachers employed: |
|||||
Male |
31 |
63 |
54 |
33 |
40 |
Female |
76 |
55 |
39 |
50 |
40 |
Schoolhouses occupied |
83 |
109 |
88 |
63 |
75 |
Districts Assessed valuation of |
|||||
Less than $10,000 |
1 |
||||
$10,000 to $20,000 |
3 |
5 |
26 |
5 |
6 |
$20,000 to $30,000 |
6 |
32 |
28 |
23 |
29 |
$30,000 to $40,000 |
5 |
39 |
19 |
19 |
24 |
$40,000 to $50,000 |
28 |
28 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
$50,000 to $80,000 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
$60,000 to $80,000 7 1 3 . |
5 |
||||
80,000 or more |
22 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Est. value of school sites & buildings |
$88,000 |
60,450 |
52,200 |
49,300 |
44,910 |
Present indebtedness |
$48,937 |
16,000 |
5,000 |
27,120 |
26,404 |
Total expense of maintaining schools |
|||||
Elementary |
$30,498 |
35,091 |
24,843 |
27,440 |
31,453 |
Secondary |
$5,533 |
1,975 |
840 |
2,659 |
600 |
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While the education picture in Missouri was not bright, it was improving as shown in the following comparisons over the past twelve years from 1902 to 1914: total enumeration dropped 5.3%, but total enrollment increased 1.3%, and total days’ attendance increased 10.5%.
1902 |
1908 |
1914 |
|
Average length of term |
143 |
151 |
163 |
Number of teachers |
16,347 |
17,998 |
19,440 |
Average annual salary |
$306 |
$402 |
$500 |
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