USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Palmer > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Palmer, Massachusetts 1914 > Part 5
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To give the citizens this full and complete information, time, energy, space, and expense are necessary. Two · means of dispensing such knowledge are available, both legitimate-the public press and the school report. Locally, both of these are utilized as ably as our own limitations will allow. Some criticisms are leveled at the School Depart- ment for its generous use of pages in the annual town re- port. The Superintendent frankly acknowledges that he uses more space than his predecessors were wont to use. He feels, nevertheless, that he makes good use of the same in disseminating needed information. His sole and con- trolling motive in so doing is his desire to keep the public informed of the "doings" of the schools. This knowledge upon the part of the public, provided the work of the schools is what it should be, will cause them to become co-operative in the schools' attempts to become efficient institutions. The cost per page of printing a school report averages about
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one dollar and fifty cents. If recent reports have over- extended previous ones by twenty to thirty pages, it has meant an additional expense for printing of thirty to forty- five dollars, plus a possible increase of some fifteen dollars for postage. Admitting, for the sake of argument, that the increased expenditure is the maximum, sixty dollars, is this an excessive amount to pay to inform those who have a right to know concerning the outlay of their money and the endeavors made in behalf of their boys' and girls' best welfare, educationally and morally? Is this too great an outlay to earn and deserve the public's co-operation ? Would a live business house consider this a heavy advertis- ing charge? An affirmative answer is an impossibility.
Thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars are be- ing spent throughout the length and breadth of our land in honest and valiant effort to interest the community in its schools. Endowed institutions-the Russell Sage Founda- tion, for example-are turning out volumes of literature designed for this very purpose. In fact, the public is rightly demanding that the public schools shall be demo- cratically, not autocratically, managed. Publicity, then, is necessary. He who thinks otherwise is a decade or two behind the present day in his belief.
The patrons of the schools must become interested in school needs and facts; the teachers and pupils must co- operate in public service through the schools. Otherwise, it will be impossible to rear a "bigger, better" school system in any community. The Superintendent who can vitalize school facts, who can temptingly offer them to the citizens, can likewise depend upon a reading public for his report, can feel sure to enlist public co-operation, can obtain visible results. The question, then, resolves itself thus :- Is your Superintendent vitalizing facts? Is he writing readable reports? You can best answer this query. If he is not, the accusation is true that he is writing too long reports ; if he is, the accusation is unjust.
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The public is a
WHOLESALE CONDEMNATION. hard taskmaster. If you doubt it, try being a public official-a selectman, school committeeman, highway surveyor, superintendent of schools, for instance. The public readily criticizes ; it often judges before it has sufficient basis for forming judgments. No public enterprise receives more criticism than the public school. Some of the criticisms leveled at her within the past few years have been classified as follows :- "Over- worked pupils, overtaxed teachers, overloaded curriculum, obsolete ideals; lack of concentration, lack of drill, lack of discipline, lack of symmetry, lack of thoroughness ; too many classes, too many books, too many subjects, too many methods, too large classes ; composition insufficient, drawing undeveloped, nature study worthless, arithmetic unpractical, grammar neglected ; culture artificial, moral 'dry rot,' pupils indifferent, parents disgusted, multiplicity of studies; no originality, no system, no flexibility, no variety, no critical faculty ; too much undertaken, teaching tangled, teaching inefficient, teaching hurried, teaching perfunctory ; confu- sion, system distended, records unreliable, blind experi- mentalism, retardation unexplained ; teachers untrained, too much 'school man,' child study abnormal, education super- ficial, traditions dangerous ; congestion of criticism, distrac- tion and dissipation, emotional strain, loss of efficiency, let-down in serious work."
.
These comprise a few of the many criticisms hurled at our present-day schools. Some of them are just, to a certain extent ; some of them are truer accusations in some localities than in others. The public attitude is responsible to some degree for many of the faults. They are unwilling to hurt or inconvenience themselves when "the bird comes home to roost." Time will not allow a full discussion. It is a fact that the schools are severely criticized. Yet, in spite of their faulty conduct, leadership, and methods, they have been largely responsible for turning out, from a heterogeneous mass of races, one of the most intelligent,.
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cultured, self-dependent, humane people the world has yet known. To have done this is sufficient guarantee of their worth. All this criticism has helped; it has made the schools attend strictly to business. The criticism has been often cruel and unjust; but the schools have taken it in a kindly spirit and have sought to make it a help, and not a hindrance to progress. All honor to the schools of America, be they in the city, town, or rural district !
Deep-down in the American heart, there is an undying love of our schools. Though Americans criticize, they love ; their "bark.is worse than their bite."
ATTENDANCE. year, 1913-1914, was the best in the The attendance for the last school history of the Palmer schools, both in the percentage of at- tendance and in the fewness of tardinesses. The percentage of attendance, 96.37%, was remarkably high. This high rate has been attained by the united endeavors of teachers, parents, and pupils. It has come as a result of maintaining a high ideal upon the part of the teachers, of enlisting par- ents and pupils enthusiastically in an effort and desire to make the attendance the best possible. This was effected by a quiet campaign of education, setting forth the resultant good effects reflected upon all the component members of the educational system by the attainment of good attend- ance. The schools profit by the fewness of "breaks" caused by poor attendance; the town profits by having every child present to receive instruction a very large portion of the school year; the parent profits by having his child get all that he can in the way of an education; the child profits by getting a "full-time," not "part-time," education and by acquiring the right habit of punctuality.
The expense of maintaining the schools runs on daily, irrespective of whether five, ten, fifteen, or even twenty per cent. of the membership is absent. Last year the total expense, in round numbers, was $43,000; the percentage of attendance was 96.37 and of absence was 3.63. This means that the waste of money caused by failure of attendance
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was 3.63% of $43,000, or $1,560.90 ; that 96.37% of $43,000 was utilized, from an attendance standpoint, or $41,439.10. Suppose the percentage of attendance had been 90% ; of absence, 10%. The financial waste would then have been $4,300; the actual utilization made of the money spent would have been $39,700.
Every business concern, industrial or commercial, in the country is seeking hard to eliminate waste. The transformation of what was formerly waste and loss into by-products of real marketable value has become gigantic in its proportions in many businesses. The one cry often raised against school systems as organized in many towns and cities is that they are not run on a business basis, that they are not managed and operated in as businesslike a manner as are private concerns. Surely the elimination of waste is a businesslike move. The local schools have sought for several years to reduce this to an irreducible minimum. Some success has crowned their efforts. This is good business and such an effort to make every dollar count ought to elicit the help of every loyal citizen.
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Attendance has been emphasized by the present in- cumbent in the office of superintendent most strongly. He has wondered, oftentimes, if he has not tired the public with his everlasting repetition of its importance. Yet, unless anything is kept constantly before one's eye, neglect, forgetfulness, indifference, and laziness will cause it to de- cline and eventually fall into desuetude. Everything de- mands good attendance; it is morally good for the child and financialy good for the town. May the good work continue !
COST. expense of running schools in every town and
The question of cost is always with us. The city makes one of the heaviest of the demands upon the taxpayer of any of the public departments. The schools cost money ; he who attempts to deny it is not wise. They, by the very nature of their work, must cost money. With the most rigid economy; their cost of maintenance will run
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heavy. There is a certain line of demarcation in the spend- ing of money for school purposes, which means true or false money. Penury and parsimony are not economy ; neither are extravagance and lavishness. It is poor economy to starve one's body to lighten grocery bills; it is a crime. Man must treat his God-given body right. A farmer once attempted to train his horse so that the animal would live without being fed. He said he was successful, but just . as the animal became accustomed to living without eating he died. A small grain bill was saved; a horse was lost. Figure out the profit, if you can.
This may seem extraneous matter ; it is not; it is very pertinent. It shows that there is a happy medium be- tween parsimony and extravagance. You must spend a. certain amount to get good results. It is little short of criminal to keep down the efficiency of a system because you will not spend money enough for help, machinery, and other essentials. The business man who does not spend a dollar never makes one.
An honest attempt to practise true economy is being made in the Palmer schools. Many cases could be cited to prove the truth or lack of truth embodied in this asser- tion. Neither parsimony nor extravagance is practised. All real needs are supplied in so far as we are financially able.
Our cost per pupil for the school year of 1912-13, as given in the report of the State Board of Education issued January 1, 1914, was $27.78. In figuring the cost, they exclude the cost of new equipment, new grounds and buildings, I believe. This makes a slight reduction from the actual cost for that year, $28.38. But, in order to make a fair comparison with other towns, we must use the State's figures. The following table will show some in- teresting facts :
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COMPARISON OF TWENTY-TWO TOWNS.
Population, 1910
Valuation, 1912
School Expenditures,
1912-1913
Cost Per Pupil
Amount
Per $1,000 of Valuation.
Rank in Cost Per Pupil.
Rank in Amount Per
$1,000 of Valuation.
Montague,
6,866
$4,455,221
$39,675.67
$35.78
$8.57
6
1
Greenfield,
10,427
10,810,835
65,636.17
35,34
5.62
7
14
Ware,
8,774
4,883,490
36,467.30
31.04
7.50
14
5
North Attleboro,
9,562
9,163,844
51,836.74
35.02
5.55
9
15
Great Barrington,
5,926
6,342,110
34,856.12
31.21
5.39
13
19
Braintree,
8,066
7,908,447
54,311.99
34.82
6.96
10
7
Danvers,
9,407
6,981,550
48,765.59
31.24
6.44
12
10
Whitman,
7,202
5,538,426
38,275.78
29.47
6.81
17
S
Saugus,
8,047
6,343,006
51,422.11
29.33
7.1S
19
6
Athol,
8,536
5,542,480
42,690.52
30.58
6.74
15
9
Northbridge,
8,807
5,215,755
44,966.00
27.81
8.54
21
2
Easthampton,
8,524
6,424,918
38,426.90
34.00
4.89
11
20
Amherst,
5,112
4,425,882
26,310.68
29.33
5.43
20
18
Methuen,
11,448
7,986,595
62,871.64
29.34
6.07
18
11
West Springfield,
9,224
8,289,638
55,044.84
27.58
6.03
23
12
Gardner,
14,699
10,014,080
68,169.29
36.43
5.54
5
16
Concord,
6,421
8,430,670
57,273.93
50.82
5.53
2
17
Andover
7,301
7,207,765
46,430.27
^39.18
5.86
4
13
Winchester,
9,309
15,166,425
75,594.73
43.82
4.68
3
21
Middleboro,
8,214
4,849,792
42,206.15
30.17
7.55
16
4
Norwood,
8,014
14,644,020
59,907.76
35.10
3.87
8
22
Milton,
7,924
27,359,789
92,139.46
68.10
3.28
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Appropriated
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In population, Palmer ranks tenth; in valuation, twenty-first; in total school expenditures, seventeenth; in cost per pupil, twenty-second; in amount raised on every thousand dollars of valuation, third.
There are several towns whose valuation, together with' their population, is about equal to Palmer's :- Montague, Ware, Athol, Northbridge, Amherst, and Middleboro. The cost per pupil is :- Montague, $35.78; Ware, $31.04; Athol, $30.58 ; Middleboro, $30.17 ; Amherst, $29.33 ; Northbridge, $27.81; Palmer, $27.78. There are but few, if any, towns in the State that labor under similar conditions whose cost per pupil is as low as ours. Our transportation charge is $3,000, or about seven per cent. of our cost. Comparatively few towns are split up geographically as badly as Palmer. Transportation alone costs nearly $2.00 per pupil per year.
There are three hundred fifty-three towns and cities in the State of Massachusetts. These towns and cities have a total population of 3,366,416; a total valuation of $4,249,- 699,855 ; a total average membership of 501,983; a total ex- penditure of $20,284,631.56 ; and an average cost per pupil, based on average membership, of $40.41.
There are thirty-three cities in the State. They have a total population of 2,311,396; a total valuation of $3,115,- '610,774 ; a total average membership of 332,214; a total expenditure of $13,987,331.78; an average cost per pupil of $42.10.
There are seventy towns in the State with a popula- tion of 5,000 or over. These have a total population of 637,815 ; a total average membership of 102,912; a total ex- penditure of $3,705,802.60; an average cost per pupil of $36.01.
There are two hundred fifty towns in the State with a population less than 5,000. These have a total population of 417,205 ; a total valuation of $446,463,113 ; a total average membership of 66,857 ; a total expenditure of $2,591,497.18; an average cost per pupil of $38.76.
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Condensed, we have the following :
Population, 1910
Valuation, 1912
Average Membership
-
-
Total Expenditures
Cost Per Pupil in Aver- age Membership.
33 Cities
2,311,396
$3,115,610,774 332,214
$13,987,331.78 $42.10
70 Towns
(5,000 and
over),
637,815
687,625,968
102,912
3,705,802.60
36.01
250 Towns
(less than
5,000),
417,205
446,463,113
66,857
2,591,497.18
38.76
353 Cities
and Towns
3,366,416
$4,249,699,855
501,983 $20,284,631.56
$40.41
Comparing our cost per pupil, $27.78, with these average costs-$42.10, $36.01, $38.76, and $40.41,-you can readily perceive that ours is far below the average. If you figure out the average population for the "70 Towns," you will find it to be 9,111, slightly larger than that of Palmer. Still, our average cost per pupil is $8.23 less than the same of these "70 Towns."
Of the three hundred fifty-three towns, there are only nineteen that have a lower average cost per pupil than Palmer.
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THESE NINETEEN TOWNS COMPARED.
Population, 1910
Valuation, 1912
Average Membership
Total Expenditures
Cost per Pupil in Aver- age Membership.
Blackstone,
5,648
$2,370,725
1,005
$20,221.24
$20.12
Rehoboth,
2,001
964,489
337
7,569.36
22.46
Provincetown,
4,369
2,288,517
806
29,411.98
23.02
Somerset,
2,798
1,582,130
517
12,194.74
23.59
Auburn,
2,420
1,385,000
502
12,060.58
24.03
Randolph,
4,301
2,731,000
760
18,874.17
24.83
Holbrook,
2,816
1,598,007
499
12,443.45
24.93
Rockport,
4,211
3,782,480
795
19,939.52
25.08
Avon,
2,013
1,036,751
421
10,716.48
25.45
Seekonk,
2,397
1,589,435
423
10,864.20
25.68
Templeton,
3,756
1,824,912
639
16,610.50
25.99
Berkley,
999
414,433
160
4,189.63
26.19
Marblehead,
7,338
10,198,916
1,221
32,235.21
26.40
Salisbury,
1,658
1,339,970
257
6,891.60
26.82
Medway,
2,696
1,716,265
489
13,125.65
26.84
Stoughton,
6,316
3,893,380
905
24,337.03
26.89
Agawam,
3,501
2,293,308
550
15,090.82
27.44
West Springfield,
9,224
8,289,638
1,996
55,044.84
27.58
Hatfield,
1,986
1,636,230
330
9,131.22
27.67
Average,
3,904
$2,680,820
664
$17,418.54
$25.32
Palmer,
8,610
$4,835,190
1,434
$39,831.00
$27.78
A glance at the above table will clearly indicate the character of the towns whose average cost is lower than ours-I use character as meaning size, average member- ship, total expenditures, etc. With the exception of West Springfield and Marblehead, none of these towns are large enough to have similar conditions demanding expense. Some one may say that the same is true of the large towns and cities in the State ; that we are so small that our needed expense should be less than theirs. It should be, and is ; and furthermore, it is less than that of many towns whose
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size is smaller than ours. Of the three hundred fifty-three towns and cities in Massachusetts, we rank sixty-fourth in population ; in other words, there are two hundred eighty- nine towns of smaller population than Palmer. Of these two hundred eighty-nine, only nineteen have a smaller cost per pupil. Surely you would not expect to find towns like Rehoboth, Somerset, Holbrook, Avon, Seekonk, Berkley, Salisbury, and Hatfield spending as much per pupil for education as Palmer.
Look at our cost per pupil from any conceivable angle you desire ; you can not prevent yourself from acknowledg- ing that it is remarkably low as compared to that of other towns. It speaks volumes regarding the business manage- ment of the Palmer schools. No one can accuse the local School Committee of being deficient in business ability or of failing to apply this ability to the conduct of their depart- ment.
In view of the present high tax rate in Palmer, it has been deemed wise to deal somewhat extensively with the ques- tion of cost. These figures have been compiled to show an actual condition that merits commendation, not con- demnation ; they have not been compiled, in spite of what has just been said about their meriting praise, for the pur- pose of indirectly "handing bouquets" to the Committee or anyone else. They are facts, and should be known and borne in mind as such by every citizen when he thinks of the cost problem of running the Town of Palmer.
One additional consideration must be taken into ac- count before any credit for the low cost per pupil can be ascribed to anyone; namely,-whether or not this low cost is being maintained at the expense of the children and the schools. If we are starving-so to speak-our children because of our failure to supply a sufficiency and an effi- ciency of mental food; if we are housing them in poorly constructed, unsanitary buildings ; if we are not furnishing them with sufficient working tools in the way of books and materials ; if we are not offering them something in the way
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of practical education ; if we are not keeping pace with edu- cational demands and trend ; if we are not doing these very things, in order to keep down our cost-then surely we deserve severest condemnation. We merit censure; we are almost worthy of being accused of criminally misman- aging a sacred trust. Then, before the maintenance of a low cost per pupil is reflective of credit, the test of doing all these things must be met. Our teaching force will com- pare in efficient, loyal, interested endeavor favorably with any ; our course of study is fairly broad, comprehensive, and exacting ; our buildings average well, when placed along side of those of towns of our means, in construction and in sanitary "upkeep"; our supplying of working material is fairly generous-neither extravagant nor niggardly; our manual training and commercial departments show our desire to meet the demands of practical education. Many more enumerations might be made to show our attempts to keep abreast of the best and truest demands of edu- cation.
If, then, the Palmer Schools are doing these things- and we will gladly try to convince you that they are, if you will only give us the chance by visiting them; if they are doing the same at a cost so low that Palmer ranks three hundred thirty-fourth out of three hundred fifty-three towns and cities in the State; assuredly economy in the manage- ment must be practised.
Allow me to call your attention to the financial state- ment and tables of cost.
"BREAKS IN THE RANKS." Experience is regarded everywhere as most es- sential before one can do his best work. Not only is ex- perience in a particular profession or trade good, but better still is specific experience in one particular position. No matter how wide your experience in your calling has been, every new position requires specific knowledge of its peculiarities. "Breaks in the ranks" that are filled by ex- perienced men are bad enough; but far worse is the condi-
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tion when these "breaks" must be filled with "raw re- cruits." Every organization, if successful, has its own system; one must be familiar with this system before he gives the organization the full benefit of his ability. A "break" in the organization causes a "slowing up"; it is inevitable that it must, because of the very nature of the thing.
This is exceptionally true of schoolwork. Organiza- tion and system are peculiarly applicable to the handling of schools. The work must be carefully laid out; the best methods of instruction must be used; the same grades in different schools should do somewhat similar work. These have been dealt with fully in some thirty teachers' meet- ings during the past three years. Yet, out of a present force of fifty teachers, only twenty have had advantage of all of these meetings. These "breaks" are disorganizing in effect. When a certain point of efficiency has been reached, a loss of twenty-five per cent. of a teaching force annually means a marked "slowing up" in the work.
During the incumbency of the present Superintendent, large losses have been suffered every year .. In this time, there have been about forty-one resignations, ten transfers, and one death, making about fifty-two losses. To fill these gaps, some forty-three appointments have been made, to- . gether with transfers. Approximately, eighty-nine teachers have been connected with our schools in various positions. Only thirteen occupy their original positions of three years ago last June. This last year, one that was not expected to produce many changes, brought us seven resignations and four transfers, to say nothing of three long absences due to illness and one due to leave of absence for study. It is casily discernible from the foregoing statements that a con- stant change is taking place yearly in the teaching corps.
A new teacher is like a new pilot. A pilot can not steer his boat over a new course as safely, as quickly, and as easily as he can over an old one. Although he has had many years of experience, although he has the best compass
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and the best chart of the course, he is, nevertheless, badly handicapped the first time he sails over it. After having guided his bark over the new path many times, he knows well all the conditions that may arise. A new teacher is similarly at a disadvantage. She must "cruise" at least one year before she can "tack" successfully, before she knows the reefs and the shoals, before she knows the winds and the gales. In addition to this disadvantage, most of our new teachers have never sailed over any course previously. They not only must learn the course, but also the elemental principles of navigation.
With such conditions confronting our schools yearly, it becomes an extremely different task to maintain our work upon an efficient plane. The more efficient our schools become, the more difficult becomes the task of not. allowing deterioration to set in. It means a constant struggle. We realize the situation thoroughly and are exerting every possible endeavor to master it. It is hoped that this brief discussion of it will be sufficient to make the public cognizant of our problem to an extent that will cause them to be a little charitable in passing judgment upon our schools when such an environment of constant change is our lot.
EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATES. Since the new law relative to Employ-
ment Certificates went into operation September 1, 1913, the following have been issued up to November 1, 1914 :-
TOTAL NUMBER ISSUED.
Employment (Ages 14-16), 185
Literate (Ages 16-21), 364
Illiterate (Ages 16-21), 302
Home Permit (Ages 14-16),
3
*Educational Permit,
7
Total, 861
.
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CERTIFICATES NOW IN FORCE.
Employment,
93
Literate
277
Illiterate
218
Home Permit
2
Educational Permit,
7
Total,
597
CERTIFICATES RETURNED.
Employment,
92
Literate,
87
Illiterate,
84
Home Permit,
1
Total, 264
*A form issued where birth or baptismal certificate is tin -- obtainable, due to European War.
There is a constant shifting of certificates, due to change of age or occupation and to leaving town by the certificate holders. Much clerical work is involved. The new system, nevertheless, enables the school to keep ac- curate account of the whereabouts of all between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one who are not in day school.
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