School The act of the last legislature requiring each county commissioner to call a meeting of the school officers of his county at least once a year has proved to be one of the most beneficial. These Officers' meetings have been under the general direction of the De- Meetings. partment and are virtually a school of instruction, and we have thus been enabled to come in closer touch with school affairs throughout the State than could be accomplished by means of circulars and reports. Matters of school law have been explained, and directions concerning school moneys and duties of school officers given. The result of the meetings has been evidenced by a better administration of school affairs. School Of vital importance to every school district in the State and a subject which is being widely discussed is the method of distribution of the primary school interest fund. By the Con- Primary stitution this fund is to remain intact for educational pur- Fund. poses, the question being a more equitable distribution than the present one. A distribution according to the census seems the most just, with the right to deprive such districts as shall have hoarded a large amount of this fund, from participating in an apportionment until such time as the amount on hand shall have been reasonably decreased. It is hoped that the next legislature will provide for this. By the plan proposed many smaller districts in which the educational advantages have been far from good will be assisted in bettering those conditions without causing an injustice to any district. Grade The eighth grade tuition law which becomes operative at the beginning of the school year, 1910, is one which is in intent to be of great benefit to the boys and girls who have completed the Eighth first eight grades and are deprived of high school privileges Tuition. in their home districts. No subject during the past year has been of such general interest and evoked so many inquiries as this concerning its operation and the eligibility of pupils. It is deemed that further legislation is necessary concerning the authorizing of a uniform eighth grade examination for the State and the issuance of eighth grade diplomas by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Discontinuance of School. A provision of the last legislature which operates in favor of children of small rural districts is that whereby a district may at its annual meeting vote to discontinue school in the district and send the children to another school or schools, and the board may use any school money except library money to pay for the tuition and transportation of such children and if necessary vote a tax for such purpose. Thus a district may do away with maintaining a school without losing its identity or primary money. Until such time when the township shall be made the school unit, and under certain existing conditions which are not impartial towards districts of large census lists, this must be of benefit to children of less favored districts. The following, showing a comparison of statistics from the present report and that of ten years ago, may be interest- Comparison ing: of Statistics. The following publications have been prepared and issued by the Department and distributed to commissioners, teachers, and school patrons: (a) County Normal Bulletin No. 1, for the current year, giving general regulations concerning the organization, management, and course of study; Department tions. (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (b) County, Michigan; (d) Bulletin No. 5, Drawing in the Rural Schools of Michigan; Bulletin No. 6, Suggestions for Teaching History in the Rural Bulletin No. 7, Arithmetic Teaching in the Schools of Michigan; Bulletin No. 16, giving general regulations concerning teachers' Examination Circular No. 8, giving the rules and regulations concerning the eighth grade examination. In addition to the foregoing brief review of educational matters in the state, I attach herewith a summary of statistical information in order to give a general view of our school conditions and school expenses. SUMMARY OF STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1909. 4. Enrollment in Ungraded Schools. 5. Percentage of Attendance 6. Total Number of Teachers.. Number Employed in Graded Schools. 8. Number Employed in Ungraded Schools. 9. Total Teachers' Wages 10. Average Wages of Men per Month. 11. 12. Average Wages of Women per Month. 13. Average Number of Months School in Graded and 14. Average Number of Months in Ungraded Districts. 15. Primary Money Apportioned 16. 17. One Mill Tax District Taxes 18. Library Money 19. Loans 20. Other Sources 21. Cash 22. Per Capita Cost per Year by School Census. 23. Per Capita Cost per Year by Enrollment.. 24. Expenses for Several State Educational Institutions for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909: University of Michigan: (a) Paid from State funds.... (b) Paid Paid from other sources-tuition, productive 469,525 11 Eighth NEEDED LEGISLATION. The passage of the tuition law by the last legislature has brought out many intricate questions, the most important of which is who is entitled to have his tuition paid. The law states that such tuition may be paid for children who have completed the studies of the eight grades. It is the opinion of this Department that the legislature should determine who is an eighth grade graduate. I believe that anyone who has finished the eighth grade in a graded district or who has completed the eighth grade in a rural dis trict and received the county eighth grade diploma should be entitled to have his tuition paid. . Eighth Grade Examinations. One of the most important features in the rural schools today is the eighth grade examination. The questions are made by the Department of Public Instruction and sent to the commissioners and the examinations are held in different sections of the county. I recommend that the legislature at its next session authorize the holding of the eighth grade examination, providing that the papers shall be examined by the members of the county board of examiners and that said board shall receive pay for this service, the same as if conducting a teachers' examination. Michigan should pass a law whereby no person shall be allowed to begin teaching in the rural schools unless he or she shall have had at least six weeks of normal training. We would not think of enlisting the services of any untrained person in any other profession. It is my opinion that the rural schools of Michigan should have teachers who have had at least this amount of training. By the aid of the State Normal Schools which give a term six weeks long during each summer and the county normal schools in Training of Teachers. forty-three of the counties, we believe this will not work any hardship. The boys and girls of the State will be benefited thereby. School A most vital question that is interesting more people today than any other is the piling up of the primary school fund in places where it cannot be used. This subject should receive careful Primary attention from the legislature. I believe that so long as any Fund. district has enough primary money on hand to pay its teachers and tuition for two years in advance it should not share in the apportionment. I hope that the legislature will pass this measure. While this would help materially those districts receiving at present but a small apportionment, it cannot work an injustice to any district, in that a district having a surplus of primary money on hand has no use for more than it can use. We have not too much primary money. This last year the apportionment has been approximately six million dollars and the amount paid teachers was a little more than nine million dollars. The problem is to make an equitable distribution. It is the opinion of the Department that the legislature should consider some form of text-book legislation. There are many people who move from place to place, from district to dis- Text-book trict, and from township to township, and in many cases Legislation. these people are required to purchase new books every time they move. We believe that every county should have a uniform list of books and these books should be purchased at a reasonable price. In many cases throughout the state there seems to be dissatisfaction with the treasurer. This is brought about because there is often a large amount of money in his hands and this is some- District times used in his own business or loaned out, both of which Funds. are illegal procedures. The greatest complaint arises from the fact that the treasurer often receives interest on district money and will not account for it which is in direct violation of the law. Under the present law the treasurer cannot be compelled to deposit district money but if he does so the interest belongs to the district. It is the opinion of the Department that this should be regulated in some manner by the legislature. These are some of the problems that I believe should be considered by the legislature of 1911. AUDITING ACCOUNTS. During the past year the records and accounts of nearly one hundred districts in the state have been audited and the books corrected. In every case examined irregularities were found to exist but in many cases they were unintentional as was shown by the fact that they had ceased after the School of Instruction for school officers in that particular county. In these cases the officers were highly pleased with the results achieved in these meetings and were anxious that others should be held in the future. |