USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Memoirs of Milwaukee County : from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Milwaukee County, Volume I > Part 43
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On March 1, 1892, George W. Peckham was elected superinten- dent to succeed Mr. Anderson, and at the next meeting Mr. Siefert was re-elected assistant superintendent upon Mr. Peckham's recom- mendation. The new superintendent had been connected with the Milwaukee schools since 1873, and from 1885 to the time of his election to the superintendency he had been principal of the high school. He brought to the office a familiarity of the city school system that he gained during his years of experience as a teacher, and a high order of executive ability. His popularity as a teacher followed him to his new position, and in both instances this poularity was based on his success.
Some auxiliaries to the public school system were called into existence about this time. The Woman's School Alliance was organ- ized in 1891 by a few mothers who were interested in the moral and
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physical welfare of their offspring, as well as in their intellectual development. The object of the Alliance was to confer and co-operate with the school authorities in the effort to secure better sanitary con- ditions about the school buildings. In July, 1893, the women made a number of suggestions to the board touching the course of study, truancy, corporal punishment, ventilation of school rooms, etc. Some of these suggestions were acted upon by the board, others were rejected. Although an unofficial body, the Alliance for a time wielded considerable influence in school matters. In more recent years the chief work of the Alliance has been that of providing for the needs of poor children who otherwise might not be able to attend school. In his address in 1907 the president of the school board said: "Many little ones have been able to go to school comfortably clothed and shod, who but for the School Alliance, might have been compelled to remain at home for lack of necessary clothing. The penny lunch system established and conducted by this organization is one of the best managed enterprises of this kind which has been organized in any city, in this country or abroad. Hundreds of children are every year supplied by means of these lunches with wholesome food that they sorely need." The People's Institute was organized to aid the schools in the effort to give instruction to adults whose educational opportunities had been limited in their youth. During the year 1892-93, under the direction of F. W. Spiers, it accomplished a great deal of good, but the panic of 1894 checked its usefulness and it finally ceased to exist.
Superintendent Peckham in his first report-for the year ending Aug. 31, 1892-showed the school population of the city to be 80,116, of whom 29,552 were enrolled in the public schools; 17,565 in private schools, and 32,999 were not enrolled in any school. He recommended that the council be requested to ask the legislature to authorize a bond issue of $300,000 for school buildings in order that proper facilities might be provided for the rapidly growing population. In his report for the following year he announced the south side high school build- ing would be ready for occupancy in January, 1894, and that until that time the school would be conducted in the Fifth and Eighth district buildings.
Mention has been made of the introduction of supplementary reading in the early years of Mr. Anderson's superintendency. Mr. Peckham, in his report for the year 1894, gave expresion to sentiments on this subject that indicated his liberal views with regard to the ques- tion of permitting the pupil to exercise his individuality in the selec- tion of reading matter. He says: "The chief danger to the working
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of the scheme is that the teacher is apt to select such books for the children as she thinks they ought to like, without considering what they actually do like. The well-meant determination to impart useful information when the children are craving fairy stories or tales of adventure, endangers the whole plan. The child does plenty of mental work in school hours. The book he takes home to read should not be an added task, but should furnish him with recreation." He also condemned the practice of some teachers of having children write synopses of the books they had read, and added: "We should furnish them with plenty of good books and should then trust that Nature will see to it that they assimilate what they need and forget the rest." The average daily attendance was better during the school year 1893- 94 than ever before in the history of the city schools, ranging from 88 per cent. of the enrollment in the primary schools to 96 per cent. in the high school.
In 1895 Mrs. S. S. Merrill was elected a member of the school board from the Sixteenth ward to succeed George W. Ogden, being the first woman ever to receive this honor. In making up the stand- ing committees she was appointed to a place on the deaf mute school committee and was made chairman of the visiting committee. The latter appointment was regarded in the nature of a joke, as the visiting com- mittee was more theoretical than practical. But Mrs. Merrill infused new life into it and made it of some utility. Cellars and garrets of school buildings were visited by her direction, sanitary conditions were improved, and reforms in ventilation, heating, etc., were instituted. She was a member of the board at the time it was legislated out- of existence by the law of 1897.
At the beginning of the school year in 1895 the west side high school was opened in temporary quarters in the Plankinton library block, with C. E. McLenegan principal, the superintendent announcing in his report that the building intended for the home of the school would be ready early the following year. The small-pox epidemic in the fall of 1895 led the school board to require all teachers and pupils to show certificates of vaccination before they would be allowed to teach or attend school. Four buildings were closed for a short time on account of the epidemic. The high school at the corner of Prairie avenue and Twenty-third street was established this year. In May, 1895, Waldemar Peterson was appointed truancy officer for a term of three months. His appointment was largely in the nature of an experiment, but in December it was made permanent. In his report for 1897 he announced the apprehension of 959 boys and 225 girls as truants. Of these 1, 184 cases, 385 were due to poverty ; 404 to parental negligence ; 366 to willfulness, and 29 to other causes.
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The legislature of 1897 changed the law with regard to the Mil- waukee school board, which was legislated out of office and a new board created. The members of the new board were to be known as school directors and were to be chosen as follows : The mayor was authorized to appoint four commissioners whose duty it should be to select and appoint a school director for each ward of the city, making the board consist of twenty-one members instead of forty-two as under the old law. No person was eligible to appointment as one of the four com- missioners who was an officer of any political club or organization or who held a public office of profit other than judicial, the purpose of the law being to remove the schools as far as possible from the influences of party politics. The new law took effect on the first Tuesday in May, 1897, and under its provisions the superintendent of schools was elected for three years instead of two as heretofore. The directors appointed under the provisions of this act were as fol- lows: First ward, Frank M. Hoyt; Second, H. H. Schwarting; Third, P. H. Reilly ; Fourth, Jeremiah Quin ; Fifth, Emil Durr; Sixth, H. A. Schwartzburg; Seventh, R. E. Collins; Eighth, Sebastian Walter; Ninth, Frederick M. Williams; Tenth, Rip Reukema ; Elev- enth, Jacob Black; Twelfth, G. D. Basse; Thirteenth, Frank R. Ellis; Fourteenth, J. W. S. Tomkiewicz; Fifteenth, B. F. Zinn; Sixteenth, F. W. Sivyer ; Seventeenth, C. S. Otjen ; Eighteenth, Charles Quarles; Nineteenth, August Kringel; Twentieth, Henry J. Rathke; Twenty- first. Charles Fahsel. On Feb. 8, 1898, Jacob Black resigned and M. E. Wilde was appointed to the vacancy. Mr. Collins of the Seventh ward resigned on April 5, 1898, and was succeeded by A. G. Wright.
At the time designated by the law the new board met and organ- ized by the election of Charles Quarles president and Henry E. Legler secretary. The latter had been chosen secretary upon the tragic death of Mr. Schattenberg and continued to hold the office by re-elec- tions until 1904. Under the law of 1897 the officers of the board were elected annually. In 1896 H. O. R. Siefert was elected superintendent of schools to succeed Mr. Peckham. Mr. Siefert began his professional career as a teacher in the parochial schools, where he taught for a number of years before being appointed principal of the Seventh district school in September, 1885. As assistant superintendent from 1889 to 1896 he was occupied with the work of general supervision, visiting schools, classes, etc., and in this way he became personally acquainted with the teachers, their capabilities and limitations. His experience as assistant enabled him to bring to the office of superin- tendent all the essential qualifications for the successful discharge of his duties. He made his first report to the board for the year ending
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Aug. 31, 1897, the principal features of the report being his com- ments on the condition of the several buildings and his recommenda- tion with regard to the salaries of teachers. He showed that there were three high schools, twenty-four district schools, twenty-one primary schools and the school for the deaf, and made a number of suggestions for the improvement of the buildings, in order to secure more room, better sanitary conditions, etc. On the question of salaries he called attention to the difficulty of fixing annually the compensation for the teachers in the high schools, and suggested the adoption of a definite schedule. Acting upon his recommendation, the board fixed the salary of the principal of each high school at $2,500 a year and divided the other teachers in those institutions into four classes-A, B, C and D. The five instructors in Class A were to receive $1,700, $1,600, $1,500, $1,400 and $1,300, respectively. Of the remaining positions one-third were to constitute Class B, each member of which was to receive a salary of $1,200; Class C was composed of one-half the positions below Class B, and each teacher in this class was to receive $1,000; all the other teachers were to be in Class D, each to receive $900-the figures given to be the maximum salary in all cases.
During the school year 1896-97 the Polish population of Milwau- kee requested the board to have their language taught in the public schools, claiming that it would increase the attendance and arguing that, as the German language had been made a part of the regular course of study, it was not fair to discriminate in favor of one foreign language as against another. The board agreed that if it could be shown that 250 Polish children were in attendance at any public school the language would be taught in that school, but the required number could not be mustered and the matter was dropped.
In July, 1897, the National Educational Association held its meet- ing in Milwaukee. It brought many eminent educators from all parts of the country and proved of great benefit to the local teachers, the lectures and discussions giving them a broader view of their profession and a better grasp of their work.
The law of 1897 caused considerable popular dissatisfaction, many contending that the school directors ought to be elected by a vote of the people. In his annual address for the year ending Aug. 31, 1898, President Quarles discussed this question at some length. "I fancy," said he, "that men who have the good of the government at heart believe that there are now too many objects upon which the right of suffrage may be exercised. And I believe that there are certain offices, administrative in their functions and having no possible con- nection with partisan questions, which should be kept entirely separate
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and isolated from political contests. * It has seemed to me that all the offices purely administrative should be carefully guarded against the fevers of the people." Then, after showing that the mayor was responsible for the character of the school board, as the law made him the ultimate source of the appointing power, he continued: "It has been demonstrated by the experience of the past year that the methods now provided by law for the selection of school sites and school plans is a great improvement upon the methods formerly pur- sued; and if that committee to which these functions were committed is 'removed from the people,' yet it has carefully guarded the interests of the 'people' who are so remote."
Some complaints were made about this time that employes of the school board, including several of the teachers, were not paying their bills as promptly as they should, and this led the board to adopt a resolution to the effect that "All employes of the board are expected to pay promptly their obligations for services rendered them or goods received by them. Failure to do so shall be sufficient warrant for their dismissal after an investigation by the committee on complaints to verify the facts in each particular case."
Shortly after the opening of the schools in 1897 a resolution came up before the board, providing for the appointment of another assist- ant superintendent. It was defeated, but a second resolution bearing on the same subject was referred to the committee on course of study. The committee asked Mr. Siefert to inform the board (1) How often the superintendent and his assistants could visit the schools and classes. (2) How often each class ought to be visited, and (3) If the present force of the office was not sufficient to recommend what additional as- sistance was needed.
The superintendent replied that there were 854 teachers then em- ployed in the public schools; that, allowing a half-hour to a visit, he could visit each once and some of them twice in the course of a year, and then. after discussing the question of additional superintendence at some length, closed his report by saying: "At the end of the school year I shall be better able to give my opinion. I may then recommend the appointment of an additional superintendent, but I think I shall not favor a specialist." No additional superintendent was appointed until late in the year 1900, his duties to begin with the year 1901.
Several of the Milwaukee teachers having married while engaged in their professional work, the question as to the employment of married women as teachers came before the board in 1898, when the committee on rules was asked to establish some principle for the guidance of the board in the employment of teachers. The committee
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on rules declined to act, leaving the whole subject to the discretion of the committee on appointments, which adopted the policy of not appointing married women.
At the beginning of the school year in 1899, Principal Arthur Burch of the South Division high school, asked for and obtained permission to open a lunch room in the building. A basement room 27 by 60 feet was selected for the purpose; a kitchen 10 by 20 feet was partitioned off in one corner; furniture, dishes, etc., amounting to $316.65 in value were purchased, and Miss Emma Stiles, of Chicago, was placed in charge. Her duty was to purchase provisions, plan each day's menu, and to see that all lunches were paid for. The bill of fare was placed on a blackboard in the corridor, every dish furnished being sold at five cents. This was something in the nature of an innovation and other cities made inquiries regarding the success of the scheme. In his report for the following year Superintendent Siefert incorpor- ated a statement from Mr. Burch giving in detail the system of management and the results, which were pronounced satisfactory. The principal advantage, according to Mr. Burch, was derived from serving warm lunches to the scholars, many of whom came from a dis- tance too great to go home every day for a warm lunch, and who did better work in the afternoons than if they had eaten a cold one.
In January, 1900, a resolution was introduced to disinfect the school buildings, in order to lessen the liability of spreading infec- tious diseases. It was referred to the committee on buildings and sites, with power to act. This committee invited the health commissioner into consultation, with the result that the whole matter was placed in the hands of the health department. The health commissioner added seven physicians to his staff, each of the new members being assigned to duty in a certain district, with instructions to visit the school build- ings daily on the watch for measles, diphtheria, and other contagious diseases. In this way epidemics were checked by prompt and vigorous action. At the same time an examination of the sight and hearing of pupils was ordered. Eye and ear specialists instructed the teachers in the methods of making the examinations and the board appro- priated $100 for the necessary test charts, etc. Of 19,618 pupils examined it was found that 5.789, or nearly thirty per cent. had less than normal sight and hearing. Of the 5,055 with bad eyes only about one-half were wearing glasses.
For several years prior to 1900 the city of Milwaukee had been using barracks, or movable schoolhouses. In response to inquiries from other cities, Superintendent Siefert, in his report for 1900, gave a detailed description of how these barracks were constructed. That
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description is not necessary here, but the inquiries from a large number of cities concerning the subject show how wide-spread is the interest in "emergency" schoolhouses, and that Milwaukee is not alone in the difficulty of providing facilities for a constantly increasing school population.
In 1901 part of the towns of Greenfield and Wauwatosa was annexed to the city, bringing within the limits of the Twenty-third ward some school property. The funds for the erection of the building in the joint school district had been obtained from the state, on which debt the district then owed a balance of $4,000. The officials of the district held that the city must pay to the unannexed portion of the district the amount contributed by that portion before taking possession of the building. The question was referred to the city attorney, who held that the joint district continued to exist as though part of it had not been annexed to the city, and that the common council should proceed in the manner provided by statute for the separation of the district before the city school board would have the right to appoint teachers or otherwise assume jurisdiction over the school. The matter remained in an unsettled condition for several years.
At the beginning of the school year of 1901-2 the school board had at their command the sum of $650,000 for the erection of build- ings, $250,000 of which represented the proceeds of a bond issue of the preceding year. In 1897 bonds to the mount of $140,000 had been issued for the completion of the high school buildings and for rebuild- ing the old school house in the Seventh ward. In this year the board adopted a rule by which an official record of each teacher's standing was kept. In his annual address President Schwarting said: "The most vexatious problem in school administration to-day, is the one dealing with the employment and dismissal of teachers. It is much easier to appoint an incompetent teacher than to drop one. * -X-
The introduction of the new rule does not imply a reflection on the superintendent. No matter how able and energetic that official may be, it can not be expected that he should follow personally the work of 900 teachers employed in the schools, and judge accurately their indi- vidual merit. By allowing each teacher access to his or her record, as filed with the board, a fair protection against abuse of the rule is provided. The fear of being placed in the power of the principal is dispelled. Again, the privacy of the record, being accessible only to those immediately interested, is an additional safeguard to the profes- sional interests of the teacher." In the same address Mr. Schwarting urged the appointment of more men as teachers, especially in the upper grades and the high schools, where they should be given the preference,
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other things being equal. He held that "The disciplinary influence of the male principal over a large school should not be underestimated."
A piece of good fortune overtook the school board this year, when the finance committee reported that the amount apportioned by the state to Milwaukee would be at least $110,000 more than had been estimated, and recommended that the annual budget be so amended that the council would be required to raise $436,000 by levy, instead of $536,000. The supervisory force this year consisted of H. O. R. Siefert, superintendent: Walter Allen, first assistant superintendent ; Albert E. Kagel, second assistant, and Bernard A. Abrams, third assistant.
The plan to increase the salaries of teachers was vetoed by Mayor David S. Rose in 1903. The mayor, after reviewing in detail the recent expenditures in the interests of the schools, said: "There is but little question but what the present legislature will reduce the amount of the one-mill school tax levy, which will correspondingly reduce the amount which we will receive from the state, and will necessitate the levy of a larger local tax to take its place. If our teachers and principals could afford to serve the city at the salaries which they have received during the two years and upwards just past, it seems that they can afford to serve the city at the same salaries until such time as we can recuperate from the large expenditures we have made and are making in providing additional school buildings."
In the spring of 1904 the board established a four-year commer- cial course in the high schools, and elected Carroll G. Pearse super- intendent to succeed Mr. Siefert. Mr. Pearse made his first report for the year ending on June 30, 1904, but as he had been in office but a short time the report was necessarily brief. It dealt chiefly with the questions of high school attendance and truancy. On the former subject he showed that Milwaukee stood twenty-third in cities of her class in the percentage of her pupils that attended the high schools. Kansas City led the list with 12 per cent. while Milwaukee showed but 4.2 per cent. He reported, however, that the prospects for an in- creased attendance the ensuing year were favorable, and attributed part of it to the commercial course just inaugurated. On the subject of truancy he showed that 2,668 boys and 1,021 girls had been arrested as truants, 375 of them being apprehended more than once. Five of these cases had been taken to the district court and twenty-five to the juvenile court. Under Mr. Pearse's administration more atten- tion was paid to truancy and the evening schools, which had been closed for several years for various reasons, were re-opened in 1905, when the board set apart $5,000 to defray their expenses.
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The legislature of 1905 passed an act providing that the terms of all school directors should expire on July 3 of that year, and that a new board of twelve members should be appointed by the circuit judges. Four members of the new board were to serve for two years from the first Tuesday in July, 1905; four for four years, and four for six years. At the school elections in April preceding the expiration of these terms the successors were to be elected by the people, and at these elections women were allowed to vote. School directors under the new law were to be subject to the restrictions, liabilities and limita- tions as members of the common council, and circuit judges were em- powered to remove any director for any cause for which a member of the council might be removed. The first board under this act was composed of Joseph Ewens, A. S. Lindemann, John Tadych, Alex- ander Wall, William S. Arnold, David Harlowe, C. S. Otjen, Thomas J. Pereles, James C. Crawford, Glenway Maxon, Thomas J. Neacy and William L. Pieplow. It organized by the election of A. S. Linde- mann as president and Frank M. Harbach as secretary. In his annual address in 1906, Mr. Lindemann said: "The reduction of the board membership of from forty-six commissioners to twenty-three, and then again to twelve members, as provided under the present law, has given the school government a directory much like the directories of large quasi-public and private corporations. With the additional powers granted this board it is possible to expedite its business very materially, and yet safeguard the public interests more closely than ever before in any previous act of legislation."
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