USA > Minnesota > Renville County > The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 10
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When the school land began to be sold, a school fund was created. The aet which authorized the creation of Minnesota as a state provided that every seetion numbered 16 and 36 should be set aside as school land. In case these sections or any part of them had been sold, lands equivalent thereto and as contiguous as possible were to be granted as a substitute. The proceeds from the sale of the land was to constitute a permanent fund and only the annual interest was to be used.
First Districts. On April 2, 1867, the county commissioners created eight school districts. The first six were as follows :
1. Sections 1, 12 and fractional part of section 13 in township 112, range 34; and seetions 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18 and fractional parts of sections 19 and 20 in township 112, range 33, Camp and Birch Cooley.
2. Seetions 33, 34 and 35 in township 113, range 34; and see- tions 2, 3, 4 and fractional parts of 5, 9, 10 and 11 in township 112, range 34, Birch Cooley.
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3. Sections 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 32 and fractional part of see- tion 31 in township 113, range 34, Birch Cooley.
4. Seetions 1. 2, 3, east half of 4, east half of 9, section 10, 11. 12. north half of 13, northeast quarter of 14, north half of northwest quarter of 14. in township 113, range 35, and the west half of seetions 6 and 7 and the northwest quarter section 18, in township 113. range 34: and the southeast quarter section 33 and the south half of seetion 34, 35 and 36 in township 114, range 35. Beaver Falls and Henryville.
5. Sections 15, 16. 21, 22 and fractional parts of seetion 27 and 28 and the southwest quarter and south half of the north- West quarter of section 14 in township 113, range 35, Beaver Falls.
6. Half of section 13 and the sontheast quarter of section 14 and sections 23, 24, 25, 26 and fractional parts of seetions 35 and 36 in township 113, range 35. Beaver Falls.
Growth of System in Renville County. When the Chancellor of the University of Minnesota as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex-officio, made the first annual state educational re- port, Jan. 14, 1861. Renville county was not one of the thirteen connties which had up to that time rendered to him the report re- quired by law.
The second annual report of the state superintendent, Dec. 6, 1861, contains the following note from Renville county : "Yellow Medicine Distriet. S. A. Riggs, superintendent, reports one teacher licensed ; one school: one frame honse shaded by trees, and furnished with blackboard. School properly classified, and opened with prayer and reading of the Seriptures. The superin- tendent further remarks: "There is also one mission school and somte government schools. The schools have before been all government and mission schools; but having to pay taxes, we thought proper to organize under the law." The same report further showed that twenty persons attended public schools in 1859-60. This was outside the present county, Renville county then embracing a strip twenty miles wide, ten miles on each side of the Minnesota, extending westward from the Little Rock river.
Mrs. J. S. Greeley, at that time the only registered teacher in Renville county, taught in Beaver Falls in the fall of 1868, her salary being raised by voluntary subscription. The first county superintendent, M. S. Spicer, of Beaver Falls, drew the munificent salary of $12, for the first year, and, as he expressed it himself, he wouldn't have taken anything for his services but for the faet that he needed the money. No report has been left of his first year's work, but it is presnmable that he visited the one school over which he had supervision frequently, and it is safe to say that he is the only county superintendent who was never aecused of showing partiality among the teachers.
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No elass of Renville county's citizens did more for the uplift of society or for the moral welfare of the public than did the teachers of early days. Under their capable care and keeping were placed an army of untutored young savages whose inclina- tion to mischief knew no bounds. It was no small part of the teacher's work to instill into the hearts of these youngsters the sense of respectability and a desire for knowledge. But these good, faithful, devoted women proved equal to the great task, and many of the foremost men in the country today gratefully attribute their success in life, in part at least, to the good in- fluence and counsel of these noble women.
Mr. Spicer as county superintendent made the following re- port to the state superintendent for the year ending Sept. 2, 1869 : "There has not been the progress in school matters that had been hoped for, by those having the cause of education at heart. We have some first-class teachers in the county, who are willing to teach for such compensation as they could reasonably demand at other occupations, but parents and school officers are so much taken up with the extra toils of frontier life that they pass lightly
over the duties they owe the cause of edneation, neglecting the building of schoolhouses and the employment of suitable persons as teachers. A large portion of the district officers are quite unfit to hold such offiees, some on account of habitual neglect of the duties of the office, others on account of ignorance. 1 do not think over two-thirds of the children in the county have been reported. Several of the districts have material on hand for the purpose of building, but have not reported the same. One dis- triet employed a qualified teacher for three months. but as her wages was paid by personal contributions as each felt inelined, the school was not reported. The school where the teacher was employed at $8 per month was in connection with a select school."
This report showed that in 1868 there were 340 scholars, and in 1869 this had increased to 610. Two new schoolhouses were bnilt during the year.
Win. Emerick, county superintendent, made the following report of the condition of the public schools, for the year ending Sept. 30, 1870. "By comparison with last year's report a marked improvement may be observed in many partienlars. The clerks of the several districts have been very prompt in sending their reports. The inerease of the number of scholars over last year is 583: there being now 1,193 in the county reported. The in- crease of attendance over that of last year has been 246. The financial statements of the district elerks are anything but cor- rect. A few reports, however, are prepared with care, and with a view to meet the requirements of law. To secure their pro- portion of the public money seems to be the whole aim of some of these school officers. Twelve new schoolhouses have been built
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the present year, showing an interest in the right direction. School District No. 29, at Cedar Mills, has built a very handsome frame building the present summer at a cost of $500.
The whole number of school terms this year is twenty-two, showing an increase of twelve over that of last year. These schools were taught by one male and twenty-four female teachers. Increase for the year, twelve teachers. Instead of thirty-four dis- triets as my report shows, there are really but thirty-one, three of them have never been in running order, and have never drawn any publie money. While my report shows five (5) distriets as not reporting, there are really only two. Nine new districts have been organized the past year.
Since I entered upon the duties of my office (seven months) I have granted seventeen certificates to teachers, of which two are first grade, two second grade, and thirteen third grade.
We have had some good schools in the county during the sum- mer tem, especially when we take into consideration the dis- advantages under which teachers and scholars have labored. Some schools have been taught in board shanties destitute of fur- niture. while others have been taught in private houses, and in the same room where the family lives. But two blackboards are used in the public schools of the county. We hope to see an im- provement in this line the coming season. I have made a flying visit to most of the schools during the summer. Some schools were not in session when I was around. Border counties will not receive the attention from the county superintendents that they should unless the salaries are fixed by the Legislature."
In 1870 there were 34 distriets in the county: number of dis- triets reporting, 29; number of districts not reporting. 5. There were 7 frame and 6 log schoolhouses, their total value amounting to $2,130. There were 642 male and 551 female scholars between 5 and 21 years of age in the county. During the winter term there were 21 male and 17 female scholars in attendance with an average of 26 in daily attendance, the average length of winter schools being three months. There were two female teachers during the winter months with an average wage of $22.50 per month. During the summer there were 250 male and 215 female scholars in attendance with an average daily attendance of 263, the average length of the summer schools being 3.15 months. There were 19 female and one male teacher employed during the summer with an average monthly wage of $16.00 for the male teacher and $19.50 for the female teachers.
In his report of the county schools, Superintendent J. S. Geral, mentions the following : "My report shows a gratifying increase in the number of schools, in the number of scholars enrolled, and in the average length of schools. The financial condition of the
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majority of distriets is greatly improved. Seventeen new dis- triets have been organized within the year, and ten have been reported entitled to the fall apportionment of 1880. Twenty-six new school houses have been erected during the two last years; the most of them are good, substantial frame buildings and well furnished. The condition of the schools has, during the past year, been better than in preceding years, although in many districts the summer term has been taught by young, inexperienced teach- ers, and in consequence the methods used have not always been the best. Irregular attendance impedes greatly the progress of our schools. The state text-books are used in all districts and seem to give fair satisfaction. The books should not, however, be soll by district clerks. In nearly all districts books are sold on credit, and some clerks have not yet settled for books received more than two years ago. Only twenty-five districts ordered books last spring and the books were received so late that they were of no use for the summer term.
The state institute held at Bird Island last fall was highly appreciated by the teachers in attendance, and the many prac- tical suggestions made by the instructors were well received. I have tried to raise the standard of teachers as much as possible, and have rejected during the past year nearly twice as many applicants as during any previous year."
The report of the superintendent shows that there were 155 scholars not entitled to apportiomnent and 2,518 who were en- titled to apportionment. During the winter term, 1.435 scholars were enrolled ; during the summer, 1.906, with an average daily attendance of 690 during the winter and 874 during the summer. There were 87 common school districts, having 49 frame school- houses and 9 log buildings, with a total valuation of $21.997.93. The total number of months taught by all teachers during the winter term was 123: during the summer, 169, the average mim- ber of months for the year taught by all teachers being 4.
The biennial report of the state superintendent of public in- struction for the year 1890 shows that in Renville county there were 3,249 scholars entitled to apportionment and 1,556 not en- titled to apportionment. During the fall term there were 2,617 scholars enrolled : during the winter, 2.260, and during the spring, 3,124. the average daily attendance for the year being 1,536. During the fall term, 16 male and 55 female teachers were em- ployed ; during the winter term, 19 male and 41 female teachers, and during the spring term, 12 male and 76 female teachers. In regard to the academic and professional training of the teachers the report states that 36 teachers have attended high school, 14 have attended normal school, 5 have attended college and 92 have attended teachers' institutes. Of this number, 6 are graduates of a high school, and 6 have graduated from a normal school.
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Four teachers have have taught continuously in the district for two years, and 10 have taught there one year. There were 107 common school districts and one special distriet, making a total of 108, having in all 107 frame schoolhouses, valued at $3,175. including 7 new school houses built during the year.
The Present Schools. Renville county is one of the large counties of the state as regards its number of schools. There are eight high schools, two graded, two semi-graded and 129 one- room rural schools. It also makes for the first time in its his- tory, the boast of a consolidated school.
The high schools are located at Fairfax, Franklin, Morton, Sacred Heart, Renville, Olivia, Bird Island and Hector. The graded schools are at Buffalo Lake and Danube; the semi-graded in Distriet 49, township of Brookfield, and District 71. township of Martinburg, while the consolidated school is the Morton high school, to which have been joined in consolidation parts of Dis- triets 2 and 3. This plan has just been put into operation and all interested parties are expecting much good to come from it. Two vans are conveying the children to Morton, which school has, during this summer and fall, made ready for this new increase in its enrollment by an addition to their building, some special rooms for their new agricultural department, the installation of a new fan ventilating system, as well as some increase in their regular equipment and their teaching force.
District 15, Sacred Heart, and 82, Kingman, are unique in that each of these distriets maintains two separate schools at opposite ends of the distriets in order to better accommodate the children. This involves a double expenditure of money, since each school is a separate unit as to teacher, building, library and all necessary equipment.
Renville county is beginning to realize that the solution of the rural school problem lies in consolidation. Several of its districts are now seriously considering such a project for the near future, since their present buildings have been condemned for school use. The average school building in the county is far from what it onght to be. although a number of new buildings have been put up which meet the state requirements as to lighting, heating and ventilating.
Sixty-nine of the rural schools are of the so-called " A" class. meaning that they employ a teacher holding a state first-grade common school certificate or something better, are in session at least eight months yearly, and in other ways fulfill the require- ments of the State Department of Education. In all, one hundred five of the rural schools receive special state aid. One hundred nineteen of the county schools loan the text-books free to the pupils attending. About 80 per cent of the rural schools are equipped with combined heating and ventilating plants ; most of the schools are supplied with bubbler-fountains for drinking pur-
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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
poses or with covered jars containing a faneet, in which case the individual drinking enp is used ; good wells are found on a num- ber of school grounds.
The average length of term for next school year is nine months in the graded and high schools, while in the rural schools it is 7.8 months (seven and eight-tenths) distributed as follows: five distriets 9 months, ninety 8 months. twenty-four 7 months, nine 6 months, and, unfortunately, one distriet 5 months.
For several years the question of associating rural schools with some nearby eentral high or graded school has been of interest in this county. Heetor high school was the first to take up this work with the result that it now has eight associated distriets and is maintaining, besides its regular corps of teachers, a special teacher of sewing and cooking who devotes all her time to the teaching of these branches in the eight rural schools. In addition to this Hector has a commercial department housed in a new building just completed. The state is encouraging these commer- cial courses by allowing special state aid for one such course il each county and Hector drew the one for Renville county.
Fairfax also has eight districts, more recently acquired : the fact that one of these is located in Nicollet county speaks for the energy of the Fairfax high school. Renville has five, Olivia four and Bird Island three associated districts. Each central school supervises the teaching of the industrial subjects in the districts associated with it; besides which the instructors of agriculture and domestic science and art do a great amount of extension work among the rural patrons in the form of lectures, demonstrations and general advice. The agriculture instructors spend the entire year in the school locality and stand ready to help the farmers survey, spray orchards, lay tile, and various other things. For purposes of this extension work various conveyances are provided by the central school, to carry the instructors into the rural com- munities. Here Fairfax has taken the lead in the purchase of a Ford runabout, and it is rumored that Bird Island also is soon to buy an automobile. Bird Island leads in another particular. namely, in owning a moving picture machine, by means of which good motion productions can be brought to the school patrons at short intervals during the school year.
A number of the high schools are offering short winter courses in the academie subjects, in agriculture, blacksmithing, sewing. cooking, commercial, and other industrial subjects. These courses are especially designed to meet the needs of the country boy and girl who ean attend only a short time during the winter months and who could not, to any advantage, pursue regular high school work.
The high sehools have also been active in maintaining normal training departments, designed to prepare teachers for the rural
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IHISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
schools. These cadet teachers are not only given the pedagogical theory of teaching, but they do real practice teaching, under the supervision of their normal instructor and the regular grade teach- ers. They are also taken out to visit rural schools and occasion- ally are called upon to do substitute teaching in such schools. This class of instruction is meant to meet a long-felt need, namely, the provide especially trained rural school teachers. Owing to the increased stringency in the state requirements there are only three high schools offering such a course this year, namely. Olivia, Renville and llector, with a total of about forty-five students en- rolled for these three departments.
All these activities point to the fact that the people of Ren. ville county realize that in school matters they cannot rightly be separated into a rural and an urban population, but that they must work together for the good of all, the villages contributing organization, superior equipment, a large and selected teaching force while the rural communities swell the enrollment, help share the financial burden, and in every way utilize the good things that the village stands ready to offer. It ought to be a concentrated effort on the part of all to make the schools of Renville county, whether in village or township, second to none in the state.
Statisties. The following items are taken from the report for 1914-15 :
lligh and graded schools : Ten in number.
Pupils : Number of pupils entitled to apportionment, 2,135; number of pupils not entitled to apportionment, 265; total enroll- ment, 2,400; average number of days each pupil has attended, 150.95; number of pupils from 5 to 8 years of age, 367; mmber of pupils from 8 to 16 years of age, 1.622; mumber of pupils from 16 to 21 years of age. 405; total number of pupils from 5 to 21 Years of age. 2,394; number from 8 to 16 years of age attending school during the entire term, 1,549.
Teachers: Number of men teachers in the year, 20; number of women teachers in the year, 83; average monthly wages of men teachers. $113.66: average monthly wages of women teachers, $71.08: number of teachers graduates of a high school, 88; nmun- ber of teachers graduates of normal school, 52; number of teachers gradnates of a college (not a business college). 37; number of teachers, not graduates, who have attended a normal school. 5: number of teachers, not graduates, who have attended a college, 5: number of teachers teaching continuously in one district for three years, 26; for two years, 31 ; for one year, 46.
Text-Books. Number of districts loaning text-books free, 10; number of distriets selling text-books at cost, 1 and 1 high school ; average department cost per pupil of text-books in districts loan- ing, $1.03: average cost per pupil of text-books in distriets sell- ing, $0.40.
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Libraries and Arbor Day. Money expended by libraries, $845.14. Number of books taken from libraries, 8,418; number of distriets planting trees on Arbor day, 21; number of trees planted, 14.
Aggregate indebtedness of all districts, $122,000; number of distriets included, 9; average length of school in months, 9; aver- age length of school in months voted for the coming year, 9; aver- age number of voters present at annual school meeting, 47.
Receipts: Cash on hand at the beginning of the year. $18 .- 736.79; received from apportionment, $12,552.25; received from special tax, $55.534.02; received from local one-mill tax, $3,731.38 : received from special state aid, $26,312.50; received from bonds, and other sources, $16,809.46; total, $133,676.40.
Disbursements: Paid for teachers' wages and board, $68 .- 662.21; paid for fuel and school supplies, $9.656.07 ; paid for re- pairs and improving grounds, $5,500.98 : paid for new schoolhouses and sites, $12,650.87 ; paid for bonds and interest, $3,945.76; paid for library books, $845.14; paid for text-books. $3,092.07; paid for apparatus. $2,040.88; paid for transportation of pupils, $818.50 : paid for all other purposes. $10,084.82: cash on hand at end of year, $16,379.10; total, $133,676.40.
Semi-Graded and Rural Schools: Number, 131.
Pupils: Number of pupils entitled to apportionment, 3,036; number of pupils not entitled to apportionment, 390; total en- rollment, 3,426 ; average mumber of days each pupil has attended, 97.81 ; number of pupils from 5 to 8 years of age, 787; number of pupils from 8 to 16 years of age, 2,540; number of pupils from 5 to 21 years of age, 3,422; number from 8 to 16 years of age attend- ing school during the entire term, 1,424.
Teachers: Number of men teachers in the year, 7 ; number of women teachers in the year. 126; average monthly wages of men teachers, $55.57: average monthly wages of women teachers, $50.19 ; number of teachers graduates of a high school, 56; number of teachers graduates of a normal school, 5; number of teachers teaching continuously in one distriet for three years, 12; for two year, 27 ; for one year, 94: teachers, not graduates, attended high school, 44; teachers, not graduates, attended normal, 26; teachers, not graduates, attended college, 4; teachers, graduates of a high school training department, 65.
Text-Books: Number of distriets loaning text-books free, 109: number of distriets selling text-books at cost, 20; average cost per pupil of text-books in districts loaning, $1.32; average cost per pupil of text-books in districts selling, $0.85.
Libraries and Arbor Day: Money expended for books, $1,- 519.02; number of books taken from the libraries, 12,023; number of districts planting trees on Arbor day, 29; number of trees planted, 298.
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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
Aggregate indebtedness of all districts, $8,229.29; number of districts included, 18; average length of school in months, 7.7; average length of school in months voted for the coming year, 7.8; average number of voters present at annual sehool meeting, 9.
Receipts: Cash on hand at the beginning of the year, $32,- 680.97; received from apportionment, $17,934.25; received from special tax. $36,936.63; received from local one-mill tax. $11,- 430.56; received from special state aid, $13,053.00; received from bonds and other sources, $1,682.54; total, $113.717.95.
Disbursements: Paid for teachers' wages and board, $51,- 189.71 ; paid for fuel and school supplies, $7.985.73; paid for re- pairs and improving grounds, $5,005.83: paid for new school- honses and sites, $657.55: paid for bonds and interest, $1,006.93; paid for library books, $1,519.02: paid for text-books, $1.438.92; paid for apparatus, $136.18: paid for transportation of pupils, $376.41 ; paid for all other purposes, $7,026.67: eash on hand at end of year, $37,375.00; total, $113.717.95.
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