Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina to Governor ..., for the scholastic years ...

              OFFICIAL CIRCULARS, LETTERS AND RULINGS
OF THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
FOR THE
Years 1902-1903, 1903-1904
AND
Reports of State Institutions, Peabody Fund, Distribution
of the First and Second $100,000, etc.
PART III OF REPORT.
196 BIENNIAL REPORT OF Til E
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, October 3, 1902.
To the Count)/ Superintendent:
As many of the public schools in the State will not be in session so
early as the 12th of October, the day set apart by the law as North
Carolina Day, I have taken the liberty of exercising the discretion
allowed me by the law to name another day, and have selected Wed-nesday,
November 26, for the celebration of "North Carolina Day" in
the public schools of the State this year.
The subject selected is "The Albemarle Section." I enclose a copy
of the remarkably interesting and valuable programme. Please send
to every teacher in the county a copy of this letter to you and of this
programme. I send you a number of copies of both under separate
cover. I earnestly desire that "North Carolina Day" shall be cele-brated
this year by every public school in the State.
The full programme, containing all the readings, declamations,
sketches and songs, has been bound in a neat pamphlet. Any number
of copies of this pamphlet for use in the schools will be sent to the
County Superintendent from the State Superintendent's office upon
application. Please write me at once about how many copies you
think will be needed for the schools in your county, and I will send
them as soon as they come from the hands of the printer. Direct
your teachers to apply to you for these programmes.
I sincerely hope that every teacher in your county will use the ex-cellent
opportunity of "North Carolina Day" to rally the patrons of
the school around it, to arouse a pride in the public school, to awaken
an interest in the study of the history of the State, and to inspire
a patriotic love of North Carolina and her people.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
SUPERINTENDENT OF ITBLIC INSTRUCTION. 19'
NORTH CAROLINA DAY.
Subject: The Albemarle Section.
PROGRAMME OF EXERCISES.
1. Song—The Old North State William Gaston.
2. Reading—The First Governor. William Drummond.
Adapted from Wiley's North Carolina Reader and
Weeks' Sketch of Drummond.
3. Questions and Answers for Children.
By Committee of State Literary and Historical Association.
4. Reading—Roanoke Island of To-day Charles R. Taylor.
5. Reading—Albemarle Monuments R. B. Creecy.
<i. Reading—Edenton W. E. Stone.
7. Song—America.
8. Reading—Hertford It". F. McMullan.
it. Reading—A Distinguished Citizen of the Albemarle Section.
Adapted from Address by Junius Davis.
10. Declamation—Extract from the Memorial to Congress concern-ing
the Celebration of the Settlement of Sir Walter Raleigh's
Colonies on Roanoke Island. .Geo. T. Winston, for Committee.
11. Reading—Cape Hatteras and the Banks.
12. Hatteras and the Bankers R. B. Creecy.
13. Stories of the Banks Jennie Langston.
14. Declamation—Hatteras Joseph W. Holden.
15. Selected Hymn.
198 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
Office Superintendent oe Public Instruction,
Raleiuh, December 22, 1902.
To County Superintendents:
I have sent you under separate cover blank applications for aid
from the second "Hundred Thousand Dollars" appropriated by chap-ter
543 of the Laws of 1901, "for the purpose of bringing up to the
constitutional requirement for a four months public school term in
each school district of the State those public schools whose terms,
after the distribution and application of all other school funds, do not
comply with said requirement."
Please fill out these blanks and return them promptly. Any delay
on the part of one County Superintendent will delay every other
county applying for aid out of this fund. No part of this fund can
be sent to any county until the applications from all counties have
been returned to this office. These applications should be filled out
and returned to my office immediately after the January apportion-ment
of the county school fund by the County Board of Education at
their meeting on the second Monday in January. We expect to appor-tion
this Second Hundred Thousand Dollars and send out the war-rants
for it not later than February 1, 1903.
To prevent mistakes and avoid, if possible, the delay of correction, I
wish to urge carefulness on the part of County Superintendents in
filling out these blank applications and to call special attention here
to some of the important provisions of chapter 543. Please read care-ful7
ij every word of this chapter in the Laws of 1901, a copy of which
ought to be in the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of your
county. Please observe carefully the following provisions of that
chapter : Section 4, "Report of County Board of Education and con-tents
thereof ;" "Report to be accompanied by affidavits from certain
county officers and contents of these affidavits." Section 6, "Requi-site
number of pupils." You will observe that this section forbids aid
from this fund to any school district containing a census school popu-lation
of less than sixty-five children unless said district exists for
"good and sufficient cause, approved by the County Board of Educa-tion
and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction." The causes
for the existence of such small districts are declared in section 29 of
the School Law to be sparsity of population and peculiar geographical
conditions. No other reasons for their existence will be satisfactory
to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. You will observe,
therefore, that I have enclosed a certificate printed on the back of an
application blank to be signed by the County Board of Education,
stating that all districts containing less than sixty-five children of
school age applying herein for aid out of the Second Hundred Thou-sand
Dollars exist for satisfactory reasons, to-wit : sparsity of popu-lation,
or geographical conditions, such as intervening streams,
swamps, mountains, etc.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 199
You will observe also that the money received by each district
named in your application is usable by that district only, and only
for the specific purpose mentioned in chapter 543, section 3.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, December 22, 1902.
To County Superintendents:
I notice from your report that your county failed to have a four
months school term during the year ending June 30, 1902, notwith-standing
it received aid for that purpose out of the second hundred
thousand dollars. I presume that this was attributable to your fail-ure
to receive the State warrant before your schools closed for that
year. As explained in a statement from me attached to every war-rant
sent to County Treasurers, this money is usable only for the
specific purpose of aiding school districts mentioned in your formal
applications on file in this office to have a four months term. The
amount stated in your application as needed by eacJi district is usable
by that district and no other for the purpose stated and no other. If
it was received too late to be used by that district for that purpose
last year, it should be used at the beginning of the school term for the
year ending June 30, 1903, to lengthen that term.
Please let me hear from you at once stating why these schools in
your county failed to have a four months term last year and what has
been done with the money sent for that purpose to each district apply-ing.
Please answer at once, as it is necessary to have this informa-tion
before the warrants for the second hundred thousand dollars for
this year are sent.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Raleigh, December 24, 1902.
Hon. R. D. Gilmer, Attorney-General Raleigh, N. G.
Dear Sir :—In answer to your inqury relative to the payment of the
salary of Mr. Gilmer Welch, whose school was closed for lack of the
average daily attendance required by law, permit me to say that sec-tion
23 of the School Law says: "When a monthly report of any
school where the district does not contain over one hundred and fifty
children shows an average daily attendance of less than one-fifth of
the school census, the committee shall at once order the school to be
200 BIENNIAX, REPORT OF THE
closed, and the money due said school shall remain to the credit of
that school." Mr. Welch is clearly entitled to his salary up to the
time that his monthly statement showed that the school failed to
make the required average and was ordered by the committee to be
closed.
Very truly yours. J. Y. Joynee,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh.
No Legal Authority to Contract With Denominational or
Sectarian Schools for Using the Public School Fund.
Dear Sir :—Permit me to state through your columns that in every
instance in which the question has been presented to me as Superin-tendent
of Public Instruction I have ruled that there was no legal
authority to contract with any strictly denominational or sectarian
school to use public school funds and conduct the public school in
connection therewith. Section 33 of tbe Public School Law expressly
gives authority to the school committee to contract with the teacher
of a private school regularly conducted for at least six months in the
year to use the public school fund in connection with the private
schools to give instruction to all pupils between the ages of six and
twenty-one years in the branches of learning taught in the public
schools, under the conditions prescribed in that section. I have ruled
that the term private school does not include sectarian and denomi-national
schools. There is, therefore, no express authority for mak-ing
any contract with these schools for the use of public school funds.
Without express authority such contracts would be illegal. Letters
on file in this office will show that this has been my ruling. Captain
John Duckett, chief clerk in my office, informs me that this was also
the ruling of my predecessor, General T. F. Toon.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner.
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Raleigh, January 22, 1903.
To the County Superintendent:
Dear Sir :—You have not yet sent in your application for aid
from the second hundred thousand dollars for a four months school,
or notified me that you will need no aid. All applications must be sent
in by February 2d. Please prepare your application very carefully
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC' INSTRUCTION. 201
so that it may not be necessary to return it for correction. Unless the
counties are as economical as possible, asking for no more than is
absolutely necessary for weak districts that are legally entitled to
aid. there will not be enough of the second hundred thousand dollars
to meet the demands. I wish to urge you, therefore, to be as moderate
as possible in your request and to utilize every cent available in your
county to secure a four months term in every district before asking for
one cent out of the second hundred thousand dollars. Your delay in
sending your application promptly, correctly prepared, will delay
every other county in the State applying for aid and will cause great
inconvenience. I am anxious to send all warrants for the second
hundred thousand dollars to the county treasurers before any schools
in any county close. Please let me hear from you by return mail, if
possible.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh.
No Step Backward.
Dear Sir :—In answer to your inquiry about the second hundred
thousand dollars I desire to say that it is my earnest hope and belief
that the Legislature will make provision for its payment. It will be
nothing less than a calamity to the school interest of the State if
they should fail to do this. The reports that I have been receiving
from the county superintendents in regard to their schools this winter
indicate that the public schools are in better condition than ever
before, that the people are taking more interest in them and that the
attendance is better than at any previous time in their history. Such
is the testimony of a number of the superintendents and teachers in
many counties from whom I have heard from time to time through
personal and official letters. After all the promises made to the people
during the last campaign that they should have a four months school,
I do not think that the Legislature can afford at their first meeting
after the election to permit these promises to be broken. The people
have acted upon the faith of the promises of the party that they have
learned to trust and that has established in North Carolina a reputa-tion
as a pledge-keeping party. In many counties all the arrangements
for conducting their schools four months have been made and in some
counties the teachers in many of the weak districts have already
taught out more than the county apportionment under the advice of
the County Superintendent and County Board of Education that the
second hundred thousand dollars from the State would probably be
202 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
available and that it was better to have a continuous term of the
schools than to close them and allow them to become disorganized and
begin later in case they should get their part of the State appropria-tion.
If this money should fail to be provided now, it would complicate
greatly school affairs in many counties, would cause a number of
county deficits instead of one State deficit, and would have a tendency
to retard educational progress and dampen educational enthusiasm.
It would weaken the faith of the people in the promises of the State
and of the party. It would, as is usually the case in all school
troubles, strike the poor, innocent teacher hardest and probably result
in the loss of a part of their hard earnings to many of these poorly
paid teachers. The failure to provide this money now would work a
hardship to more people than the failure to provide for any appro-priation
made by the last Legislature.
This second hundred thousand dollars was appropriated by the
Legislature of 1901 for this specific purpose. It is as binding as any
other appropriation made by that Legislature. It affects more vitally
the educational interest of the great masses of the people of North
Carolina than any other appropriation made by that Legislature. If
the other appropriations made by that Legislature are provided for,
and many of them have been paid in full to date already, then this
appropriation made for the benefit of the little children of North Caro-lina
must be provided for. If there should not be enough money to
pay all the appropriations made by the last Legislature, then as State
Superintendent of Public Instruction and the legal representative of
the educational interest of the children of the State, I shall insist
that all appropriations shall be scaled and that this appropriation
shall be put upon the same footing with all others and the same per
cent, of this shall be paid ; in other words, if we have not money
enough to pay all, then I shall insist that all appropriations made by
the preceding Legislature shall be prorated. It would not be fair or
just to allow all the deficit, or the largest part thereof, to fall upon
the appropriation for the public schools and the little children. I am
confident, however, that this General Assembly, composed of many of
the State's able, patriotic and just representatives, will see the wis-dom
and the justice in providing the means to keep the State's pledge
to its little children.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joynee,
Superintendent of Puhlir Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, February 16, 1903.
1 >eak Sir :—Fermit me to call your careful attention to the enclosed
letter in regard to the second hundred thousand dollars for a four
months public school term. This is a serious situation and demands
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 203
prompt and courageous action. In the name of the children, and for
the sake of the people's schools, I urge you to write or telegraph your
Representatives in the Legislature at once, calling their attention to
the importance of making provision for the payment of this money.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, March 13. 1903.
To County Superintendent:
Dear Sir :—The aggregate amount of the applications for aid from
the second hundred thousand dollars for a four months school term
was $141,169.25, hence it was necessary to scale all applications. After
a careful examination of your application the State Board of Educa-tion
lias fixed the amount to which your county, in their opinion, is
equitably entitled at dollars. I have this day
sent the treasurer of your county a warrant for the above amount.
This is a reduction of per cent.
I have sent you another blank for you to report at once the amount
received from this apportionment by each district asking aid in your
application. Each district contained in your original application is
entitled to per cent, of the amount asked for.
You can easily make this calculation and fill these blanks and return
them to my office at once.
Keep a copy of this apportionment on file in your ofliee, as it will
have to be published in your county in the annual report of the pro-ceedings
of the County Board of Education, now required by the
amended school law.
The money apportioned is usable only by the district named in your
original application to which it is apportioned, and only for the pur-pose
of paying teachers and the current expenses of conducting the
school in that district.
If the schools have closed in any of these districts this money
should be held to the credit of those districts, and used only for
lengthening the school terms in those particular districts when the
schools reopen. I would not advise reopening the schools for a short
term. I think it wiser in most cases to wait until the opening of the
schools for the next school year.
Very truly yours. J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
20-1- BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, June 8. 1003.
To the Members of the County Boards of Education:
My Dear Sirs :—You will enter upon the duties of your office July
6, 1003. In view of the impossibility of conducting the public schools
of your county successfully without an efficient county superintendent
and competent school committeemen, I trust that you will pardon me
for taking the liberty of making some suggestions at this time in
regard to the wise discharge of the first most important duties of your
board, the election of a county superintendent and the selection of
school committeemen.
As to the necessity and importance of competent supervision, re-quiring
the entire time and thought of a competent superintendent,
permit me to ask a careful reading of pages 36 to 39 of my biennial
report, a marked copy of which I send you under separate cover.
Permit me also to call your attention to the duty of observing
strictly in your election of comity superintendent the legal qualifica-tions
for the office as set forth in section 1G of the school law. Please
kindly read carefully sections 1G, 38, 39 and 44 of the school law, and
observe especially the notes upon these sections.
I wish, in conclusion, to urge you to observe in your selection of a
county superintendent, the following: (1) Without fear, without
prejudice, political or religious, having before your eyes only the wel-fare
of the children and the success of the public school, select the
most competent man to be had for the money, choosing him from
your county, if such a man is to be found there, and if not to be found
in the county, seeking him wherever he can be found. (2) If your
present county superintendent possesses the necessary qualifica-tions
for a successful administration of his delicate, difficult and im-portant
duties, as I trust he may, re-elect him and give him a chance
to show what is in him and to make a greater success of his work by
] laying him, if possible, a sufficient salary, under section 44, to justify
him in giving all his time and thought to the work of supervision and
to justify you in requiring him to do this. (3) Take advantage of
section 44 and pay your superintendent as large a salary as your
school fund will justify, but be sure that you get more man and more
time for more money.
By way of suggestion to you in the selection of school committee-men,
let me beg you to read carefully section 17 of the school law and
note thereon. Let me insist that you shall earnestly seek to find for
school committeemen men of intelligence and good business qualifica-tion,
who are known to be in favor of public education, as required by
law ; who will take an active interest in the public schools and will
have the courage to discharge their duties, especially the duty of
selecting teachers, without fear or favor.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 205
I desire to assure you of my hearty co-operation with all your
efforts to advance the cause of education in your county, and to
request your hearty co-operation with me in my work.
Very truly yours. J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, June 19, 1903.
To County Superintendents:
Dear Sir :—We send you a number of copies of the pamphlet con-taining
the "Loan Fund Act" and the rules and regulations adopted
by the State Board of Education in regard to this fund. Please read
carefully my letter to County Boards of Education and County Super-intendents
in the first part of the pamphlet. You will observe that
applications for loans must be filed on or before July 15, 1903. We
arc sending you also a number of blanks for applications. Please
kindly communicate with all districts in the county that desire a loan
from this fund and see that they have a chance to make application
through the County Board of Education at the meeting on the first
Monday in July. The delay in sending these pamphlets and applica-tions
is due to our inability to get them earlier from the State
printers.
We are endeavoring to arrange dates for the educational campaign
during the summer and fall. In order to conduct the campaign as
economically as possible we must endeavor to give the different
speakers a series of appointments in the same section on consecutive
dates. Therefore, if you are planning for educational rallies in your
county and desire the aid of speakers through the campaign commit-tee
and the Southern Education Board without expense to you, we
must ask you to confer with Secretary E. C. Brooks at this office
before fixing your dates. This will enable us in many cases to group
appointments in such a way as to save much expense. If you have
not already written Mr. Brooks in regard to appointments for speak-ers
in your county and you desire such appointments, please write to
him at once.
I suggest that, wherever possible, you combine these educational
rallies with your township meetings and endeavor to have present at
all of them members of the County Board of Education, school com-mitteemen,
teachers and patrons. You might arrange for these edu-cational
rallies at central points in the county, fixing the dates of the
township meetings in the surrounding sections so as to immediately
precede and prepare the way for these central meetings. This would
result in a saving of time and energy and an increase in enthusiasm
for the meetings. In order to secure a large attendance at these
central meetings and to get the largest possible hearing for our cause.
206 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
endeavor to organize and rally at these points all the educational
forces of the county—boards of education, school committeemen,
teachers, preachers, editors, politicians and patrons. Advertise the
meetings thoroughly and whenever possible provide attractions such
as basket picnics, barbecues, music, etc.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joynee,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, July 16, 1903.
Dear Sir :—It is necessary in planning a new school-house or in
making additions to an old school-house that you observe suggestions
on page 10 of "Plans for Building Public School-houses," a copy of
which I send you.
The ceiling should be thirteen feet, never less than twelve feet
clear between the ceiling and the finished floor, and if the floor space
is very great the ceiling should be greater than thirteen feet. The
light, according to best authorities, should come from the rear and
left side, or from the left side only. The glass surface should be
equal to one-fifth or one-sixth of the floor surface, and the top of the
window should be as near the ceiling as possible in order to give the
best ventilation. It is the opinion of the best authorities that the
shape of the school-room should be oblong, the ratio of the breadth
to the length should be about as 3 to 5. In constructing a new build-ing
it is an easy matter to provide a cloak-room too, with very little
additional cost, and this should be done.
In section 13 of the School Law for 1903 you will observe this
clause: "They (the County Board of Education) shall not be author-ized
to invest any money in any new school-house that is not built
in accordance with the plans approved by State Superintendent of
Public Instruction."
I call your attention to this clause of the new law, because it is
absolutely necessary that you observe the above suggestions, for in
the future in building school-houses we must keep in mind the health
and comfort of the child, even if it does cost more money.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 207
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, July 25, 1903.
To County Superintendents
:
I wish to call your special attention to the amendments passed by
the last Legislature to the Text-book Law. These amendments are
appended to the School Law, page GO. If more depositories are abso-lutely
necessary in your county for reasonably convenient distribu-tion
of books, please take at once the necessary steps for the estab-lishment
of them as directed in section 1 of these amendments.
You will observe that it is your duty to notify the contractors, pub-lishers
of the text-books adopted, of the date of the opening of the
public schools at least thirty days before they open. This is impor-tant,
so the contractors may supply the dealers with ample quantities
of books before the time the schools open. Please also notify me of
the date fixed by your county board for the opening of your public
schools.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, August 18, 1903.
To County and City Superintendents:
In view of the fact that eighty-five per cent, of the people of our
State live by farming, and in view of the further fact that a large
per cent, of our farm tillers get their only education in the public
schools, the Legislature of North Carolina has ordered that the Ele-ments
of Agriculture shall be taught in all the schools of the State.
All modern arts and trades benefiting by the discoveries and
adaptations of science. Farmers should share in these benefits. It
has been fully demonstrated that children can be taught the funda-mental
principles of good cultivation of the soil just as they can be
taught the fundamental principles of arithmetic and grammar.
Indeed, if our farmers are to hold their own in the sharp competition
of modern life, our future farmers must learn these principles and
their application.
The State Board of Education has adopted a simple and beautifully
illustrated book as a text-book for this subject—a book that any
capable teacher can teach by following the methods suggested in the
book. This book is called "Agriculture for Beginners," and is pub-lished
by Ginn & Company. It will be on sale at all State depositories.
Section 16 of the Text-book Law requires all books adopted by the
Text-book Commission to be introduced and used as text-books to the
exclusion of all others in all the public free schools of the State. In
conformity, therefore, to the law of the State, you are instructed to
208 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
see that every teacher in the schools, white and colored, under your
supervision adds this subject to the regular course of instruction.
I suggest that all pupils in each school who are over fourteen years
old, and such others as are sufficiently advanced, be arranged into one
class for this work.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, September 9, 1903.
To Con nil/ Superintendents:
An examination of the reports for the year ending June 30, 1903,
convinces me that the statistics as to the number of persons between
twelve and twenty-one who cannot read and write are incomplete and
inaccurate. A number of counties have failed to report the number
of illiterates between these ages, while the reports of others show
such a large per cent, of illiteracy that I am confident that they are
incorrect. Please scrutinize closely the census returns of each dis-trict
now coming into your office and require the blanks for the num-ber
of children between twelve and twenty-one who cannot read and
write to be tilled completely and accurately before approving order for
taking the census. Please examine also such reports as have already
been returned and filed and paid for and have them corrected at once,
if you find correction necessary. These statistics are important, and
for the honor of your county and of the State they should be accurate
and complete.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, October 5, 1903.
To County Superintendents:
You are hereby notified that the annual meeting of the State Asso-ciation
of County Superintendents will be held in the Hall of the
House of Representatives iu the City of Raleigh, Wednesday and
Thursday. November 11 and 12, 1903.
Your attention is called to section 39 of the Public School Law re-quiring
every county superintendent to attend this meeting continu-ously
during its session unless providentially hindered, and directing
the County Board of Education to pay his traveling expenses and
his per diem while in attendance. County superintendents employed
on salary will not be allowed this per diem, but will be allowed trav-
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 209
eliug expenses. Let nothing except strictly providential hindrance, by
which I understand one that the power of man cannot remove, prevent
your attendance.
Every county superintendent in the State will probably be present
at this meeting. Such a conference between the county superintend-ents
and the State Superintendent is an absolute necessity and can
not fail to prove profitable. Many topics relating to our work and to
ways and means of improving and advancing it will be discussed. We
are now at work on an informal programme. I will thank you to
write me at once suggesting such questions as you think ought to be
discussed. We propose to make this a working conference. Please
come prepared to give the work your entire attention during these two
days and with such information at your command as will be helpful
to your co-workers. It will be our aim to have a free exchange of
ideas about our common work, and to give to one another the benefit
of our experience and observation.
The first session of the Association will be held Wednesday morning
at eleven o'clock. You are expected to be present at the first meeting.
I am now in correspondence with the railroads in regard to reduced
rates. You will be notified if these rates are secured. The District
Associations of County Superintendents will also meet and organize
during the session of the State Association.
I sent you some days ago a package of pamphlets on the duties and
powers of school committeemen. The pamphlet also contains a letter
to school committeemen. Please send a copy of this pamphlet to every
school committeeman in your county. It is my hope that it may prove
helpful in securing their co-operation and in giving them in a concise
form the necessary information for a business-like performance of
their duties.
The outlook for education in the State is hopeful. This ought to
be the most successful year's work for education in all the history of
North Cai*olina. Its success in each county, however, depends largely
upon the wisdom, the enthusiasm and devotion of the county superin-tendent.
I shall confidently expect you to avail yourself of this oppor-tunity
to confer with your co-workers about your great work and to
get such help as you can from them and to give such help as yoii can
to them.
Very truly yours, . J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of PuMic Instruct ion.
14
210 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, October 28, 1903.
To County Superintendents:
Reduced rates have been secured over the Atlantic Coast Line,
Seaboard Air Line and Southern Railway for all attending the meet-ing
of the State Association of County Superintendents. Round-trip
tickets will be on sale November 9, 10 and 11, with final limit Novem-ber
14, for a continuous passage from all points on these lines within
the State and from Suffolk, Norfolk and Danville. Be sure to ask
for these round-trip tickets.
An interesting program has been arranged, beginning Wednesday
morning at eieven o'clock and closing Thursday evening at ten o'clock.
Among the subjects to be discussed are : "The Problem of Attend-ance,"
"Course of Study in the Public Schools," "Visitation of Schools
by County Superintendents and How to Make it Most Helpful,"
"Emphasis of the Essentials in the Public School Course," "Hints on
Teaching Agriculture," "Institutes and other Means for Improvement
of Teachers." "Township Meetings and Educational Gatherings,"
"Local Taxation and Consolidation," "Rural Libraries," "Superin-tendents'
Records," "Teachers' Reports and Records," "Library Re-ports
and Records," "General Discussion of the School Law and its
Execution," "Apportionment of the Second Hundred Thousand Dol-lars."
On Wednesday evening the State Literary and Historical Associa-tion
will meet with us, and will have charge of the program for that
evening.
Your attention is again called to section 39 of the Public School
Law, making it the duty of every county superintendent to attend
this meeting continuously, unless providentially hindered. I am sure
that it would also be the pleasure of every progressive county super-intendent,
who has the proper conception of his work and an earnest
desire to fit himself better for it and to help others fit themselves
better for it. to attend this meeting continuously. I wish to urge you
to make your arrangements to be present at the first session and to
remain until the close of the last session. Wednesday and Thursday
will be busy days. I hope that all will come prepared to devote
themselves entirely to the work of the Conference Wednesday and
Thursday. Friday can be given to sight-seeing and pleasure.
A printed program will be sent you in a few days. Please examine
it and come prepared to take part in the general discussions.
I will thank you to return at once the enclosed postal notifying me
of your purpose to' attend and the time of your arrival.
I am sending you under separate cover several copies of Educa-tional
Bulletin No. 2, entitled, "Progress in Public Education." Dis-tribute
these copies freely throughout the county, and especially give
one copy to your county newspaper, with the request that the editor
make editorial mention of the same.
Very truly yours, J. T. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
SUPERINTENDENT OF ru/BLIC INSTRUCTION. 211
STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS
OF NORTH CAROLINA,
RALEIGH, NOVEMBER 11, 12, 13, 1903.
Programme.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11.
11 to 11 :30 a. m. Organization.
11:30 a. m. to 12:30 p. m. Address—Superintendent J. T. Joyner.
2 :30 to 2 :50 r. m. How Local Taxation was Secured for Every Dis-trict
but One in Dare County—Superintendent B. G. Grisp of
Dare.
2 :50 to 3 :20 i\ u. What the County Superintendent Can Do to Secure
Consolidation and Local Taxation. Discussion led by Super-intendent
T. A. Sbarpe of Guilford and Superintendent W. S.
Long of Alamance.
3 :20 to 3 :40 p. m. General Discussion, led by Superintendent R. J.
Cochran of Mecklenburg.
3 :40 to 4 :10 p. m. Teachers' Institutes. Discussion led by Superin-tendent
Y. D. Moore of Caldwell and Superintendent W. H.
Ragsdale of Pitt.
4:10 to 4:30 p. m. General Discussion of Institutes and other Means
for Improvement of Teachers—Superintendent J. D. Hodges
of Davie.
4 :30 to 4 :50 p. m. The Southern Education Board and the Campaign
for Education—Charles D. Mclver, District Director.
4 :50 to 5 :10 p. m. Township Meetings and Educational Gatherings.
Discussion led by Superintendent R. B. White of Franklin
and Superintendent R. W. Askew of Bertie.
\
WEDNESDAY EVENING.
7 :45 p. ir. Meeting of State Literary and Historical Association. By
invitation the State Association of County Superintendents
will meet with the State Literary and Historical Association.
212 BIEX^IAL EEPOET OF THE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12.
EXPLANATION OF THE GRIMES AND CUNNINGHAM PHIZES.
10 to 10:45 a. m. The Apportionment of the Second Hundred Thou-sand
Dollars for a Four-months School Term. Discussion
conducted by State Superintendent.
10 :45 to 11 :30 a. m. General Discussion of the School Law and its
Execution.
11:30 to 12 a. m. Some Suggestions to Those Beginning to Teach
Agriculture—Dr. F. L. Stevens of the A. and M. College.
12 a. m. to 12:30 p. m. Emphasis of the Essentials in the Public
School Course—Superintendent John C. Scarborough of Hert-ford.
12 :30 to 1 p. m. General Discussion.
2 :30 to 3 p. m. Practical Hints on Teaching About Crops and Farm
Animals—Dr. C. W. Burkett of the A. and M. College.
3 to 3 :20 p. m. How Teachers May be Encouraged and Stimulated to
Promote Attendance and Advancement of the Children. Dis-cussion
led by Superintendent J. C. Kittrell of Vance.
3 :20 to 3 :40 p. m. The Problem of Attendance—Superintendent W. M.
Thompson of Onslow.
3:40 to 4:10 p. m. Course of Study in the Public Schools, and Ad-vancement
of Children from Year to Year—Superintendent
C. W. Massey of Durham.
4:10 to 4:30 p. m. General Discussion.
4 :30 to 5 p. m. Organization of District Associations of County Super-intendents.
8 to 8 :30 p. m. Visitation of Schools by County Superintendents, and
How to Make It Most Helpful. Discussion led by Superin-tendent
Charles H. Mebane of Catawba.
S :30 to 8 :50 p. m. General Discussion.
8 :50 to 9 :15 p. m. Life and Character of Calvin H. Wiley—Professor
R. D. W. Connor, Wilmington, N. C.
9 :15 to 10 p. m. The Superintendent's Record, the Teacher's Record
and the Library Record. Discussion of Superintendent's
Record—Superintendent E. Leff Wagoner of Alleghany. Dis-
/
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 213
cussion of Teacher's Record—Superintendent J. W. Hays of
Wilson. Discussion of the Library Record—Superintendent
C. C. Wright of Wilkes.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13.
10 a. m. Farewell Meeting in the Hall of the House of Representa-tives.
Visit to Public Institutions.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, November 19, 1903.
To County Superintendents:
Friday, December 18th, has been fixed as the date for North Caro-lina
Day this year. The interesting program is now in press. It will
be ready for distribution next week. I am anxious that every public
school in the State shall celebrate this day this year. Please notify
me at once how many copies will be needed in your county for all
your schools. Several copies will, of course, be needed by many of
the schools. This will enable us to estimate the number of pro-grams
needed. We will send the programs for the schools in your
county to you. Please see that they are distributed at once to the
various schools. Unless they are distributed immediately after re-ceiving
them the schools will not have time to prepare the program.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, December 7, 1903.
Dear Sir :—I am taking the liberty of sending you some copies of
the program for the celebration of North Carolina Day in the public
schools. I sincerely hope that it will be convenient for you to cele-brate
this day in your schools in accordance with chapter 1GG of
the Public Laws of 1901. You are, of course, at liberty to modify
the program as you see fit or to substitute for it an entirely
different program if you prefer. I am anxious, however, that
at least one day in the year shall be devoted to the consideration of
some topic of our State history, the study and discussion of which
will tend to awaken a new interest in the study of North Carolina his-tory
and to cultivate a sane spirit of State pride. I am especially
anxious that our graded schools, the best equipped public schools of
the State, shall aid in securing the universal celebration of North
Carolina Day in the public schools by celebrating the day themselves
214 BIENNIAL EEPOKT OF THE
and thus setting a good example to all of the public schools. If the
programs reach you too late to celebrate the 18th of December, I
suggest that you might select a later date. Should you need more
copies of the program let me know.
If you have not sent to tbis office the report of your school for the
year ending June 30, 1903, please kindly send it at once.
Witb best wishes for a most successful year, I am,
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, December 15, 1903.
Dear Sir :—Your attention is called to section 75 of the School Law
requiring the annual publication on the 31st day of December of a
financial statement by the Board of Education. After consultation
with the Attorney-General I have concluded that it will be a sub-stantial
compliance with the spirit of this section of the law to pub-lish
the annual report of the treasurer of the school fund required in
section 51 of tbe School Law. This will probably contain all the infor-mation
needed about the management of the school fund without in-curring
the expense of publishing every item as required in the finan-cial
statement of tbe Board of County Commissioners. To publish
such a full report of every item of expense for the County Boards of
Education would require annually not less than ten thousand dollars
of the school fund. It seems to me, also, that the financial statement
will have to be for tbe fiscal school year which ends
June 30, 1903. In tbe interest of economy, therefore, I send this let-ter
of advice in regard to these statements.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, December 31, 1903.
To the County Superintendent
:
Dear Sir :—I write to urge you and your board to scrutinize care-fully
the application of every school for aid from the second hundred
thousand dollars, and to enforce a strict compliance with the law as
laid down in tbe Appendix to the Public School Law and explained
in my recent circular letter accompanying the blank applications.
Unless the strictest economy is practiced, and the law rigidly followed
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 215
by County Boards, the appropriation will be insufficient to meet the
demands this year.
Please fill out the application blanks heretofore sent you and return
to this office immediately after the first Monday in January, so as
to prevent delay and enable me to notify County Boards at once what
amount of money each can depend upon from the second hundred
thousand dollars.
Please read this letter to the County Board of Education.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh.
A campaign for education is on in earnest. This is to be fought for
better schools and better school facilities. To accomplish this, an
educational campaign will be made in every county whei-e there seems
to be an opportunity to improve the present conditions. Walter II.
Page says truly that there is enough native intelligence going to waste
in North Carolina for lack of training to govern the entire world.
There must be a cause for this. If a person's surroundings and asso-ciates
determine his character and intelligence, then the individual's
surroundings should be studied and improved. It is a recognized fact
that a child's associates must be elevated if that child's training is to
remain permanent. This is the work the Central Campaign Commit-tee
for the Purpose of Improving the Public Schools has undertaken
to accomplish.
THE EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM.
The following resolution was unanimously adopted by this commit-tee
in Raleigh, February 13: it was reaffirmed at Greensboro, April 3,
also at Charlotte, May 2. and at Morehead City by the Teachers' As-sembly,
June 13
:
"Be it therefore resolved. That it is the sense of this conference that
an active and vigorous campaign should be at once inaugurated in
every county for the accomplishment of the following ends, to-wit
:
"1. The consolidation of small districts wherever possible.
"2. The erection of adequate and comfortable school-houses.
"3. The lengthening of the public school term by local taxation."
A FOURTH OF THE SCHOOLS ARE RUN CONTRARY TO LAW.
The reports from the different County Superintendents show that
about one-fourth of the school districts contain less than sixty-five
children of school age. In other words, about twelve districts for
every county (when a general average is made) are illegal. The
216 BIENNIAL REPOET OF THE
schools run about three months in the year, and the State Superin-tendent
is called upon for funds to increase them to a four months
school.
WHAT CAN BE DONE BY CONSOLIDATING.
Take three districts that contain just sixty-five children each. The
appropriation would be about $90 for each ; just about enough to run
three months with one good teacher. This teacher would have an
attendance of about thirty-five children, and she would have to teach
every subject, from the alphabet to the higher English branches. Now
take these three districts and combine them into one and employ two
teachers, one for the primary grades and the other for the higher
grades. There would be money enough to run the consolidated school
four and a half months, and the work could be done infinitely better.
THE DIFFERENT COUNTIES ARE RECOGNIZING THIS FACT.
This consolidation of small districts is such a great economy in
school management that county after county is readily combining their
schools. In every instance it is done by the people and not by educa-tional
boards. The Rockingham Board of Education has invited the
patrons of the school all over the county to be present and consider
this one question at the next general meeting. Two schools have
already been consolidated recently by the vote of the people. At
Providence, Randolph County, men left their ripe wheat uncut to
attend the educational rally and hear this subject discussed. One
farmer expressed the situation when he said : "Nearly every man
here represents an uncut wheatfield, but we value good educational
advantages at this time more than the saving of wheat. We are
deeply in earnest on the question." Over 100 school committeemen
alone, in Wilson County, attended the educational conference June 27,
to consider this question. The women of Hickory have taken up this
matter and are arousing deep and lasting interest in this question.
THE EFFECT OF CONSOLIDATION.
One County Superintendent says : "The residents of the school dis-tricts
which have been consolidated would raise a strong protest if an
attempt were made to go back to the old small school system. Pupils
from every part of the district enjoy a long school term. The ming-ling
of the pupils has had a deepening and broadening influence upon
their minds, and there have come into these districts highly educated
teachers, whose influence has been far greater than ever came from
the contracted district, the dilapidated school building, and the short
term of service."
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 217
What is Being Done for the Improvement of the Schools.
Reports being received daily from every section of the State give
the strongest proof that there is a growing sentiment in every county
toward the improvement of the public schools. The educational asso-ciations
and assemblies on every occasion have emphasized three
principles and have worked toward these three ends, believing that
the accomplishment of these will lead to other needed reforms.
I. CONSOLIDATION OF DISTRICTS.
Alamance County has so arranged six townships that it is now pos-sible
to establish graded schools. So well did the Superintendent per-fect
his work that consolidation followed as a necessity. Anson
County consolidated four districts into two last year. Ashe reduced
eight districts into four. Caldwell consolidated three into two ; Cher-okee
two into one ; Brunswick reduced her number from seventy-nine
to seventy-one ; Davidson has consolidated five districts and is now
considering several others. Edgecombe has consolidated nine into five.
Gaston has consolidated eight into one and others will be changed
soon. Guilford has consolidated a number of districts and a number
of others have the matter under consideration. Harnett has consol-idated
ten into five and discontinued two. Hertford has consolidated
two. Iredell has reduced the number in three townships from twenty-two
to seventeen. Lenoir consolidated four the past year. The work
of consolidation in Lincoln will begin immediately after the educa-tional
rallies : there are three townships now ready for the change.
Mecklenburg has consolidated eight into four and is making arrange-ments
to reduce the number very materially within the next year. In
Pitt the districts have been rearranged in two townships. Polk has
consolidated four white districts into two and five colored into three.
The Superintendent of Randolph County says : "We have consolidated
the districts in one township and next year we will begin a systematic
rearrangement and consolidation." Rockingham has consolidated two
and arranged to reduce the number to three less still. Vance has
reduced three districts to one ; Tyrrell has consolidated two ; Warren
two : and Watauga three. Stokes County has reduced the number to
ten less, and more consolidations will follow soon. Mitchell consoli-dated
two and is preparing others for the change. Wilkes has reduced
the number to ten less. Rutherford County has consolidated two and
Cleveland six districts.
II. IMPROVEMENT OF THE SCHOOL-HOUSES.
In Randolph County the citizens of Franklinville have raised $1,000
by private subscription for the erection of a school building, and four
other new up-to-date buildings have been erected the past year and
plans are perfected for more this year. In Mecklenburg County one
218 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
building is now being erected at a cost of $3,500 and about $7,000 in
all will be spent by next January. Six hundred patent desks were
bought last year and about the same number will be purchased this
year. Edgecombe County has built five new buildings, one at Conetoe
at a cost of $1,200; all will be repainted this year. Lenoir County
built four houses last year. Lincoln County spent $1,550 in the past
year in buildings. One building in Union County was built last year
at a cost of $1,500. Eight thousand dollars is to be spent in Guilford
County during the next year for school improvements. Iredell erected
five new buildings, the citizens subscribing a large per cent, of the
money. In Alamance the citizens have agreed in six townships to
erect new school buildings. The cost of each will range from $200 to
$500. A great deal of the money has already been subscribed. Har-nett
County built last year fifteen new school-houses, and will build
eight during the next year. Bertie has made great improvement in
school buildings and equipments. Caldwell built four new buildings.
Gaston County erected three large buildings. At Lowell's subscription
was raised for a $1,500 building. Gates County built two modern
buildings, arranging to build three more this year. Cherokee built
four the past year. Watauga erected by private subscription one
large central high school building. Hyde County is making arrange-ments
to enlarge and improve the old buildings. Columbus County
built several new houses last fall. Hertford erected four new build-ings
at a cost of $400 each, one other enlarged at a cost of $250
;
others to be greatly improved. Brunswick has built three the past
year. Currituck is making arrangements to equip the schools with
better supplies. In Orange County the people of Andrews' School
House have decided to build a $450 school-honse. At Pickard's, same
county, $100 was raised toward building an up-to-date building. A
movement is on foot to erect a better building at Hillsboro. Mitchell
built four new houses. Wilkes is arranging to build twenty-five this
year. Rutherford has given contract for three modern school build-ings.
Cleveland County has built four well-equipped houses, costing
in all $2,100.
III. LOCAL TAXATION.
Randolph County has one rural district ready for local taxation,
others are ripe and will vote next year. Forsyth County has one
township that has petitioned the County Commissioners for an elec-tion.
The County Superintendent of Mecklenburg County says about
one-half of the county will vote on local taxation this fall. Beaufort
County has one rural graded school. Union County has one rural
graded school and will have two others next year supported by
private subscription, free though to all in the district. Guilford
County has five districts that will ask for a vote on local taxation.
Pitt Ceunty will hold an election in Bethel Township and in Farm-ville
Township on September 4. The schools in New Hanover all run
seven months. The county tax for the present is sufficient. Davidson
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 219
County will support one graded school for nine months by private
subscription free to all the children in the district. Wilkes County
has two townships ready for local taxation ; and Stokes has one, where
an election will be ordered. The Superintendent of Alamance County
has arranged for six rural graded schools this fall. Warren County
has one high school free to all the children in the district for nine
months, supported by private subscription. Caldwell County has two
districts that will vote on question of local taxation this fall. Gaston
has two districts, and possibly two others, that will vote on question
of local taxation this fall. Hyde County has one rural graded school.
Columbus has six districts that will vote on local taxation ; Rowan
County has two districts that will vote on same question ; Vance
County has one. Currituck has one school supported for ten months
by a Sporting Association near Poplar Branch. In Rutherford County
several local tax districts are in contemplation. Cleveland County
will vote on local taxation in two districts on September 6.
Add to this report the work done in Wake, Durham, Buncombe, and
other counties that have not yet reported, and the great improvements
in buildings, equipments, and length of term are remarkable when
compared with the stagnation that appeared only a few years ago.
One other force should be mentioned here—the work of the "Woman's
Club for Building Better School-houses.
'
r This club has extended its
usefulness in a number of counties, and almost daily the report comes
that a Woman's Club has been organized in another county, and that
the citizens are making plans to avail themselves of the assistance of
this organization.
All this work is in the rural districts or the smaller towns.
It is a Crime to Neglect the Education of the Country
Children.
The Tarboro Southerner says: "The advantages of a good school
are by no means limited to the student, but influence everybody in its
reach. You can no more have an educated people who depend on for-eign
schools for the training of their children than you can have pros-perous
farmers who depend on foreign markets for their food sup-plies."
The larger towns have recognized this fact and have estab-lished
their graded schools to educate all the children. The rural dis-tricts
are beginning to recognize it. This one fact must be well under-stood
: only '/ far children that arc sent away from the country to be
educated return to live there and to bring the result of their training
back to their community and to their associates; and the money that
is expended, on one would almost support a nine months public school.
Is it not better to give fifty children a good common school education
than one a college course? Another fact must be recognized: the
2.20 BIENNIAIi KEPOKT OF THE
family cannot he elevated successfully unless all the children of that
family are educated, and this education will not remain permanent
unless their associates are educated.
IGNORANCE ENCOURAGES FALSE RELIGIONS.
The newspapers contain some interesting items concerning the
Mormon Church. Eighteen Mormon missionaries have recently-been
sent into North Carolina, and a Mormon temple is to be
erected in the eastern part of the State. These missionaries enter
districts that are most illiterate ; here they make many converts ; here
they establish their churches and Sunday-schools; and here they fill
the mind with false teachings because the county and the State of
North Carolina have allowed these people to grow in ignorance, unable
to discern between the true and the false. Is there not some argu-ment
here for united action on the part of the churches and all friends
of Christianity in behalf of better schools and diffusion of education
among people of rural districts? Should no demand be made for a
stronger school, that the children and parents might have the benefit
of a strong teacher living in their community.
NEEDS OF THE FARMER.
The farmer needs a generous supply of fresh reading matter that he
may keep in touch with the important events of his country, that he
may know the supply and demand of the market, that he may know
of the latest development in the field of agriculture; for his family,
that home may be made more attractive, that the people may be
brought into contact with one another, and that they may be able to
converse more intelligently. This can be done to a better advantage
where two or more schools are brought together, or where the dis-trict
is large enough to afford a longer school term, a good circulating
library, and a strong teacher.
WHAT IS BEING DONE.
The people have recently consolidated two districts in Vance County,
and are preparing to vote a local tax. News comes from ten counties
that the people are arranging to unite their schools, and some to vote
special taxes. One Superintendent writes that the children, who are
now walking three miles to school when before the consolidation they
walked only one-half a mile, say they would not want to go to school
if they had to return to the old school building. They now have two
good teachers, with the work well arranged. The attendance has
increased over fifty per cent, because the new school is attractive.
The term has been lengthened one-third, with no additional cost ; and
the people are now ready to vote a slight tax to increase the term to
eight months. Since over sixty per cent, of the people in the rural
districts pay tax on less than $500 worth of property, it is readily
seen that a small tax for the poor man is a paying investment.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 221
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, January 9, 1904.
Dear Sir:—In your application for aid from the second hundred
thousand dollars you neglected to fill the blank asking for the total
school fund. Your application cannot be acted on until this informa-tion
is received. You will, therefore, please kindly furnish this in-formation
on the inclosed blank and return it at once. You will
observe that the total school fund includes all funds received and to
be received and apportioned from taxes, fines, forfeitures, liquor
license, etc., and from all other sources, except local taxation, from
July 1, 1903, to June 30, 1904. including also the State apportionment
from the first hundred thousand dollars made to your county in Jan-nary,
1904. All taxes for 1903, whether sheriff has settled or not, must
be estimated, included and apportioned before your county will be
entitled to aid from the second hundred thousand dollars.
Before the amounts to which the districts designated in the enclosed
blanks are legally entitled out of the second hundred thousand dollars
can be determined, the information asked in these blanks must be
furnished. Please fill and return them at once. You will observe that
the number of teachers actually employed in each district must be
given and the salary actually paid ; that the actual current monthly
expenses for incidentals, such as wood, etc.. must be separated from
the monthly salaries of teachers; that only the actual necessary
expenses that are in fact paid can be allowed, and tnat these cannot
in any instance exceed $25.00 for the entire school term.
Please send this information by return mail, as I desire to have the
second hundred thousand dollars apportioned without delay so that
each county will know as soon as possible how much money it is to
receive before the schools close, and may know whether the schools
in any district must be closed before the expiration of the term.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, January 13, 1904.
READ CAREFULLY EVERY LINE OF THIS LETTER.
Dear Sir :—An examination of the thirty applications received has
made manifest the absolute necessity for the information asked on the
blanks enclosed for every district in every county asking for aid. To
prevent delay, therefore. I am sending these blanks for supplementary
information to every county that has filed an application. The appor-tionment
of the second hundred thousand dollars cannot be made until
this information is received. You will, therefore, kindly fill the
222 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
blanks at once for every district contained in your application and
return to me, if possible, by return mail. It is evident from the appli-cations
already received and from the estimates received from other
counties that the amounts asked for will exceed the special- appropria-tion.
It is also evident from an examination of the applications
received that the amounts asked largely exceed the amounts allowed
by the special Act of 1903. My examination of these leads me to
believe tbat the appropriation will be sufficient to meet all demands
that are in strict compliance with the law. The State Board of Edu-cation
cannot grant to any district more than is allowed by the
special Act of 1903. (See appendix to Public School Law, pages 56
to 60, and explanation in circular-letter heretofore sent you, another
copy of which is enclosed )
.
To aid you further in filling these additional blanks and in under-standing
the necessity for this additional information, I call your
careful attention to the following additional explanations of the law
:
I. The following is the maximum number of teachers allowed under
the law for schools in districts asking aid
:
1. Schools with actual enrollment of less than seventy pupils not
more than one teacher. •
2. Schools with actual enrollment of seventy to one hundred and five
pupils, not more than two teachers.
3. Schools with actual enrollment of one hundred and five to one
hundred and forty pupils, not more than three teachers.
4. The same proportion of not more than oue teacher for every
thirty-five children enrolled will apply to schools with an enrollment
of more than one hundred and forty pupils.
Salaries will not be allowed for a larger number of teachers than
this. If the number of teachers actually employed is less than the
number allowed by law, salary will be allowed only for the teachers
actually employed.
II. The following is the maximum total amount allowed by law for
salary of teachers for four months in white and colored schools in
the respective districts asking aid
:
WHITE SCHOOLS.
1. Schools with an actual enrollment of seventy and less, not more
than $113.44.
2. Schools with an actual enrollment of seventy to one hundred and
five, actually employing two teachers, not more than $226.88.
3. Schools with an actual enrollment of one hundred and five to one
hundred and forty, actually employing three teachers, not more than
$340.32.
COLORED SCHOOLS.
1. Schools with an actual enrollment of seventy and less, not more
than $90.52.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 223
2. Schools with an actual enrollment of seventy to one hundred and
five, actually employing two teachers, not more thau $181.04.
3. Schools with an actual enrollment of one hundred and five to one
hundred and forty, actually employing three teachers, not more than
$271.56.
If the actual salary paid teachers, white and colored, employed in
these respective schools is less than these maximum amounts, only
the amounts actually paid such teachers will be allowed for the four
months.
III. Current Expenses.—The only expenses besides teacher's sal-ary
that will be allowed needy- districts are the actual incidental
expenses incurred and paid, which must be reported separately for
each district, and these must not exceed in any cases, as heretofore
explained, the maximum of $25 for the four months term. If no inci-dental
expenses for fuel, janitor, etc., are actually incurred and paid,
none should be reported and none can be allowed. The number of
teachers and the salary of each teacher in each district must be re-ported
separately, and the incidental expenses actually incurred and
paid for running the school must be reported separately, therefore, as
directed in columns 2, 3 and 4 in these blanks.
IV. Available Funds.—Every district asking aid must report every
cent apportioned to that district from all school funds, State and
county, received or to be received from all sources during the school
year from July 1, 1903, to June 30, 1904. It matters not how these
funds or any part of them may have been or may be used, whether for
building, equipment, paying latter salaries than those mentioned
above and allowed by law, or for any other purpose. This district
will not be entitled to receive from the special appropriation one cent
for a four months school term, even if it cannot have a four months
school, if its total apportionment from all sources for that school year
is equal to or greater than the amounts allowed above for teacher's
salary, pins the amounts allowed above for actual current expenses.
To illustrate: If a white school district allowed one teacher under
the law and employing one first-grade teacher has received or will
receive from its entire apportionment from all sources during this
school year $113.44, plus the actual current expenses as explained
above, that district will not be entitled to receive any part of the
special appropriation for weak districts. If a colored school district
allowed one teacher under the law has received or will receive from
its entire apportionment from all sources during this school year
$90.52, plus the actual current expenses as explained above, that dis-trict
will not be entitled to receive any part of the special appropria-tion
for weak districts.
The same rule will apply to white and colored districts entitled to
more than one teacher. You will, therefore, see the necessity of
reporting the total apportionment to each district from all sources for
this school vear as directed in column 5 of these blanks.
224 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
If you will read carefully the second paragraph of my note to sec-tion
13 of the Public Law, page 12, you will see that districts apply-ing
for aid from the special appropriation must account for their
entire apportionment for the entire school year and will not he allowed
to deduct amounts used for building or for other purposes and make
up the deficit caused thereby from the second hundred thousand dol-lars.
In other words, if any district uses a part of its apportionment
for building or other purposes than actual current expenses, not ex-ceeding
$25, it cannot ask to have this amount supplied out of the
second hundred thousand dollars, even if it cannot have a four months
school. The special appropriation can be used only for teachers' sal-aries
and current expenses, and any district having a sufficient appor-tionment
from all sources for these purposes, as explained above, will
be excluded from participating in the apportionment of the second
hundred thousand dollars. No part of the second hundred thousand
dollars can be used directly or indirectly for paying for buildings.
If you will furnish promptly and accurately the information asked
in these blanks for every district contained in your former application,
the amounts to which these districts are entitled under the law can be
calculated at once. These amounts will be calculated in this office
from the information on file here and will be placed in the blank
columns left for that purpose and returned to you promptly.
Fill out two copies of these blanks, returning one to me without
delay and keeping the other in your office. We send you enough
blanks for two copies. By making your own calculations for each dis-trict
in accordance with the explanations in this letter, you can deter-mine
for yourself, before the apportionment is made and official noti-fication
is sent from this office, how much most of the districts will
receive under the law, and stop now, if necessary, the schools in those
districts that are not entitled upon this basis of apportionment to
enough to continue four months.
With the increase in the property for taxation and in the assessment
thereof in nearly every county in the State, and with the amendments
to the special act passed by the Legislature of 1903, the legal demands
for aid this year ought not to be nearly so great as last year, and will
not be, if the law is obeyed. If I can secure through your co-operation
a strict compliance with the law, I believe that the appropriation will
be sufficient for all legal demands this year. Unless I can secure a
strict compliance with the law in the apportionment of the second
hundred thousand dollars this year, I foresee that, in all likelihood,
the law will be repealed.
Very truly yours. J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. __>
The following address was issued to the members of the General
Assembly of 1903 in the interest of the bill pending for the establish-ment
of a Loan Fund for Building and Improving Public School
Houses. The bill was passed.
A 1'ERMANE.NT LOAN FUND FOR BUILDING AND IMPROVING PUBLIC SCHOOL
HOUSES IN NORTH CAROLINA.
There is in the hands of the State Treasurer about two hundred
thousand dollars belonging to the State Board of Education arising
from the sale of public lands. About one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars of this is in State bonds at four per cent, interest. The fund
has been accumulating for years. A part of it is the old Literary
Fund. Under the law only the interest on it is usable for the public
schools. This has been apportioned to the schools per capita from
time to time and has srarcely been permanently felt in increasing the
school fund or improving the public schools. I have recommended
that this entire fund and all funds arising hereafter from the sale of
lands belonging to the State Board of Education shall be created a
permanent loan fund and placed under the control of this Board to
be loaned by them under such regulations as they may adopt to
County Boards of Education and by these in turn to school districts
to build and improve public school-houses.
A bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senator White to carry
out this recommendation. The bill provides, among other things, that
this money may be loaned by the State Board of Education to County
Boards of Education payable in ten annual installments, bearing
interest at four per cent. The County Board of Education is author-ized
to execute a note for the amount borrowed and directed to set
aside a sufficient amount from the county school fund each year before
apportioning the same to pay the annual installment and interest.
The amount loaned to any county is made a lien upon the total school
funds of such county in whatsoever hands such funds may be found.
Upon failure to pay any installment or interest or part of either when
due, the State Treasurer may bring action against the County Board
of Education of such county, and person or persons in whose possession
may be any part of the school funds of the county and against the tax
collector of such county. If the amount of the school fund then on
hand be insufficient to pay in full the sum so due, then the State
Treasurer shall be entitled to an order directing the tax collector of
such county to pay over to him all moneys collected for school pur-poses
until such debt and interest shall have been paid. This, of
course, makes the State Board of Education absolutely safe, insuring
repayment of all amounts loaned. The County Board is authorized to
loan to the district and deduct, if necessary, from the annual appor-tionment
to that district the annual installment of its debt with inter-
15
226 BIENNIAL EEPORT OF THE
est. This renders the Couny Board absolutely safe. The district can.
of course, raise by private subscription or otherwise its annual install-ment
and secure its entire apportionment each year for running its
school if it prefers. If this bill putting into operation my recom-mendation
be passed by the General Assembly, two hundred thousand
dollars will be available the first year for building and improving pub-lic
school-houses and twenty-eight thousand dollars every year there-after
perpetually for the same purpose. Under the rules of the State
Board of Education this fund could be used to secure buildings where
they are needed worst, and to stimulate self-help so that the invest-ment
each year in public school-houses could probably be nearly
doubled by private subscription and in other ways. This loan fund
would, of course, be increased from year to year by the proceeds of
sales of State lands, and I should hope to see it increased in the years
to come by devises and bequests. It seems to me that it would invite
the philanthropy of men honestly desirous of helping in the best way
the public schools of this State. The proposition is such an absolutely
safe one that it ought to and would, I think, appeal to business men
of large means and philanthropic instincts at home and abroad.
I honestly believe that through such a use of this fund we might
hope to secure a good, comfortable, well-equipped school-house in every
district in North Carolina within one generation. Such a use of this
fund would be carrying out in the wisest possible way the purpose of
its creation. Our ancestors, wise in their day and generation, hedged
about this fund in such a way that only the interest on it could be
used, for the evident purpose, I think, of accumulating a fund event-ually
large enough to be used to great advantage for permanent im-provement
of the public schools. No other use of the fund would be
so permanent and far-reaching in its benefits as the one provided for
in this bill. It would bless the present and future generations of
children. It would reduce the amount absolutely necessary to be
appropriated out of the general fund for building purposes and thereby
increase the apportionment for running the schools ; thereby, also,
reduce to some extent the special State appropriation for a four
months school term. It would be, as pointed out above, a perpetual
loan fund for the improvement of public school-houses, twenty-eight
thousand dollars of which would be usable for this purpose every
year through all the years that are to come.
I consider this the best opportunity that has yet been offered to the
General Assembly of North Carolina to provide through this use of
this fund a practical plan of securing in a reasonable time a comforta-ble
and respectable school-house in every rural district in the State.
I sincerely hope that the General Assembly will give to this bill the
serious attention that it deserves, and that they will enact it into a
law, that this fund now locked up in the treasury of the State may be
invested for this permanent purpose and set at once upon its perpet-
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 227
ual round of blessing to this and all future generations of children in
North Carolina.
The use of this sacred fund for any temporary purpose would, as I
see it, he a crime against past, present and future generations. It
would he a violation of the evident wise purposes and intentions of
our ancestors in the creation of the fund. As long as it remains com-paratively
idle in the hands of the Treasurer it will be a constant
temptation to every General Assembly that happens to find a deficit
that must be met. If used for any temporary purpose or to meet any
temporary deficit it will, in my opinion, be lost forever to the children
of the State. Everybody knows the difficulty of getting the State to
repay money that it borrows from itself. Gentlemen of the General
Assembly, it is my deliberate conviction that the most important leg-islation
for education in North Carolina that has been presented to
you or will be presented to you during this session of your body, is this
bill for the creation of this permanent loan fund for supplying much-needed
public school-houses in your State. If enacted into a law, I
believe that it will result in more permanent benefit to the public
schools of the State than any law passed by this or any other General
Assembly of the last quarter of a century.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Raleigh, February 26, 1903.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, August 5, 1902.
To County Superintendents and County Boards of Education:
Since the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Hooker ct ah
v. Toivn of Greenville, some confusion seems to have arisen in regard
to the distribution of the school fund. In response to numerous in-quiries
from County Superintendents, members of Boards of Education
and others, I have deemed it necessary to send out this letter of in-struction.
In the case referred to above, the question of the distri-bution
of the school fund was not directly at issue, therefore, what
the Court says upon that subject is what the lawyers call a dictum
instead of a decision. Section 24 of the Public School Law of North
Carolina, directs the County Boards of Education to apportion the
school fund of the county to the various townships per capita. It
further directs them to distribute and apportion the school money to
each township so as to give to each school in said township for each
race the same length of school term, as nearly as may be, each year,
and to have proper regard for the grade of work to be done and the
qualifications of the teachers required in each school for each race,
and fix the maximum salary for each school in the county. This law
228 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
having been legally enacted by tbe Legislature, must be assumed to be
constitutional until it is expressly decided by the Court to be uncon-stitutional.
I cannot think that what appears to be a dictum of the
Supreme Court upon a question not directly at issue, in a case involv-ing
the constitutionality of a special Act of the Legislature, applicable
only to a particular locality, can be understood, or was intended by the
Court to be understood, as- setting aside section 24 of the General
School Law of the State, and radically changing the entire method of
distribution of the school fund. Therefore, I feel it my duty to in-struct
County Boards of Education to continue to apportion the school
fund as directed by the Public School Law of North Carolina.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, November 16, 1903.
Dear Sir :—I am sending you blank applications for aid from the
second hundred thousand dollars. These blanks cannot be properly
filled, signed and returned under the law until after the meeting of
the County Board of Education on the first Monday in January. 1904.
In most counties, however, perhaps in all, the necessary information
can be obtained and the blanks filled ready for immediate action by
the County Board of Education at that meeting, so as to be returned
immediately afterward to this oriice. Let me urge that this be done
in every instance, so as to prevent delay in sending the warrant, thus
making it possible for the money to be placed to the credit of the
needy districts before the close of the schools.
I enclose also a blank to be filled and returned at once, giving as
accurate an estimate as you can of the total amount needed by your
county for a four months school term in the weak districts entitled
under the law to aid from the second hundred thousand dollars. I
presume that every County Superintendent now knows approximately
the available funds of every district in his county from the apportion-ment
for the year beginning July 1. 1903, and ending June 30. 1904,
and can, therefore, estimate approximately how much each of these
districts will lie entitled to under the law out of the second hundred
thousand dollars for a four months term. From these estimates, I
will' be able to tell—certainly within a few hundred dollars—the
amount needed for a four months term in the State this year, and to
give the County Superintendents some assurance at once as to whether
the hundred thousand dollars will be sufficient to meet the demands,
so that they will know whether it will be safe to continue their
schools. 1 hope that it will never happen again in North Carolina that
the poorly paid teachers shall be allowed to do their work and then
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 229
have to be notified after it is done that there is not money enough to
pay them. If these estimates are carefully made and returned to me
hy you at the earliest possible date, I shall hope to be able to notify
you within a few weeks, certainly during the month of December,
whether the hundred thousand dollars this year will be sufficient to
pay all legal demands for a four months term.
Before making these estimates and before filling out these blanks,
read carefully every word of the act appropriating two hundred
thousand dollars to the public schools in North Carolina, found on
pages 56-60 of the Appendix of Public School Law of 1903. Examine
carefully the headings of each column in the blank applications, and
read carefully the following explanations and suggestions:
/. Counties < ntilled l<> aid.
No county is entitled to any aid out of the second hundred thousand
dollars under this act unless the provisions of the law as to- the appli-cation
of fines, penalties, forfeitures and other money properly belong-ing
to the school fund have been complied with, and unless the consti-tutional
limitation of taxation has been reached in the county, and
the affidavit to these facts provided for on the back of the blank appli-cations
has been made by the Chairman of the Board of County Com-missioners
and the Clerk of the Superior Court, as required by section
8 of the special act.
No county that has set aside a larger per cent, of the total school
fund for building and repairing school-houses and for equipment than
that allowed for that county by section 24 of the School Law and men-tioned
in section 10 of the special act is entitled to aid.
No county having more than a four months school term in any town-ship
is entitled to aid unless it has set aside at least one-sixth of the
total school fund and used the same as far as it. will go to bring its
own weak districts up to a four months school term.
No county is entitled to aid that has not complied in all respects
with all other requirements of the School Law in regard to the appor-tionment
of the funds to the various townships and districts. (See
section 10 of the special act).
//. Districts ci>litlc<l to aid.
Section 7 of the special act forbids aid from the second hundred
thousand dollars to any school district containing a census school pop-ulation
of less than sixty-five children, unless the formation and con-tinuance
of such district shall have been for good and sufficient rea-sons
named in said section and set forth in an affidavit by the Chair-man
of the County Board of Education and the County Superintendent
of Schools, which affidavit will be found on the back of the blank ap-plications
to be signed and sworn to by these parties and approved
by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
230 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
///. Avail a hie funds.
Section 4 requires a report of all funds available to each district
for school purposes from all sources, except funds obtained by special
local taxes and balances brought over from the second hundred thou-sand
dollars from the preceding school year. All funds apportioned to
the district by the County Board of Education under section 24 of the
School Law out of the county and State school funds for the year be-ginning
July 1, 1903, aud ending June 30, 1904, must be included and
reported. All school taxes levied for that year must be included and
reported. If the sheriff has not settled by January 1, 1904, the school
funds for that entire year that he is required to collect and account
for in his settlement must be estimated and included in the report of
available funds for each district. The apportionment to the county
from the first hundred thousand dollars must be included and reported.
That apportionment for your county this year may be ascertained by
multiplying #0.14730 by the number of children of school age in your
county according to the school census of the year ending June 30. 1903.
Funds arising from special local taxes in rural tax districts are not
included and need not be reported, for these are not subject to appor-tionment
by the County Board of Education under section 24, and are
expressly exempted from consideration in estimating the available
funds of rural special tax districts by sections 4 and 5 of the special
act.
Balances remaining to the credit of the districts from the preceding
school year from money received for the district from the second
hundred thousand dollars last year after the closing of the school are
not included in available funds for this school year and need not be
reported. If such balances are not used, however, before January 1,
1904, they must, under section 24, be returned to the general school
fund lor re-apportionment unless the district shall have been pre-vented
from using them by providential or other unavoidable causes.
In a word, each district entitled to aid out of the second hundred
thousand dollars under the special act has a right to a four months
school term each year out of the second hundred thousand dollars, and
the apportionments to that district from all available State and county
school funds of that year under section 24 of the School Law, provided
the applications do not exceed the special appropriation.
IV. Expenses.
In a calculation of the necessary monthly expenses required to be
reported under section 9 of the special act, the following expenses will
be allowed :
1. Current expenses.
The actual current expenses for necessary supplies, etc., for con-ducting
the school, not to exceed in the aggregate $6.25 per month, as
provided in section 21 of the School Law.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 231
2. Salary of Teachers.
For the year ending June 30, 1903, the average monthly salary paid
white teachers in the State was $28.36 and the average monthly salary
paid colored teachers was $22.03. In the calculation of the monthly
expenses no white teacher can be allowed more than $28.36, and no
colored teacher can be allowed more than $22.63 for each of the four
months. If they have been employed at monthly salaries less than
these amounts, they will be allowed only the actual salary paid. No
second grade teacher of either race will be allowed more than the
actual salary paid second grade teachers of that race in that county.
In no case can a second grade teacher's salary exceed $25 in any
county. In schools having more than one teacher, salary will be
allowed for one teacher to every thirty-five pupils enrolled, provided
that number of teachers is actually employed in the school. No school
with an enrollment of less than seventy will be allowed salary for
two teachers. (See section 0).
The continuation of the appropriation of the second hundred thou-sand
dollars will, in my opinion, depend upon the wise and economical
management of it. It is the duty of every County Superintendent and
every County Board of Education to co-operate with the State Super-intendent
in enforcing this law, in preventing abuses or evasions of it,
and in carrying out the intent of the law and the purpose of the law-makers
and of the people by securing a four months school term in
every public school of the State without using more of the money
provided for that purpose than is absolutely necessary.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, February 6, 1904.
To County Superintendents:
You will find enclosed a copy of the apportionment from the second
hundred thousand dollars, in accordance with chapter 751 of the Pub-lic
Laws of 1903, to the various districts in your county applying for
aid under that chapter. The State warrant for the total amount will
be sent to your County Treasurer when issued by the State Auditor,
and I am authorized by the State Treasurer to say that the warrant
will be paid promptly on March 1st. In a few counties asking for
large amounts and containing a number of small districts, the
amounts asked by these small districts were scaled, and in a few
others asking for large amounts for current expenses, these expenses
were scaled, and in this way. the apportionments were brought within
the available appropriation. With these exceptions, there has been
no scaling this year, and every district in every county has been
allowed every cent to which it was entitled for a four months school
under chapter 751.
232 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
Please furnish your County Treasurer with a copy of these appor-tionments
and instruct him to place to the credit of the respective dis-tricts
the respective amounts allowed. Please keep also in your office
for the information of the Comity Board of Education a record of
these apportionments. I suggest that you copy them in your record
book.
As you have been instructed heretofore this money is usable only
by the particular district to which it has been apportioned for the
specific purpose for which it was apportioned, to-wit : to supplement
the county and township apportionment to that district for the pay-ment
of salary of teacher and current expenses for a four months
school. It cannot he legally used for any other purpose. If, for any
good reason, the money apportioned to any district cannot be used for
that purpose during this school year, it must remain to the credit of
that district and be used to lengthen the school term of the district
next year. It must be used for this purpose, however, by each district
on or before January 1, 190"). Please impress upon your committee-men
and other school officers that the use of this money- for any other
purpose would be a violation of law and a misappropriation of the
fuiids.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, February 23, 1904.
To County Superintendents:
Somewhat full power is vested in the County Board of Education
and County Superintendent for the regulation and government of the
schools by sections 13 and 14 of the Public School Law. I am confi-dent
that by a wise exercise of this power the County Board of Edu-cation,
through the adoption of reasonable regulations, can do much
to place the public schools of the county upon a better business basis,
to stimulate teachers and pupils of these schools, and to reduce the
work to order and system. I wish to prepare for discussion in our
District Associations of County Superintendents a suggested set of
such rules and regulations to be sent later to all County Boards of
Education. Some County Boards of Education, under the advice of
the County Superintendent, have already adopted such rules and regu-lations
and have found them very helpful in the management of the
public schools. In the preparation of this suggested set of rules and
regulations, I desire to have the benefit of the experience of County
Superintendents and Boards of Education who have already adopted
and tried such. I will thank you. therefore, to send to me at your
earliest convenience copies of all rules and regulations adopted by
your Board, together with such criticisms of them and such sugges-
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 233
tions about changes in them or additions to them as you may see fit
to make.
I greatly desire, also, to have your aid and suggestions in the prepa-ration
of a course of study for the public schools to be discussed and
agreed upon in our District Associations. We need. I think, more
definiteness, correlation and uniformity in the course of study in the
public schools. .Many teachers. espe< ially young and inexperienced
teachers, would do much more successful work if they could have
placed in their hands a more definite chart of work. The work of the
public school would suffer less from the unfortunate frequency of
changes in teachers if we would adopt a graded and progressive course
of study and require it to be followed in all the schools of the county
by all teachers from year to year. I know that such courses of study
have been prepared and used with considerable success in many coun-ties.
If you have such a course of study for the schools of your
county, I will thank you to send me a copy of it, accompanied by any
criticisms or suggestions that you may see fit to make. With a view
to aiding us in the preparation of such a course of study, I have had
prepared for distribution to all white public school teachers in your
county some blanks, of which I send you a number of copies. Please
require every teacher of every white school that has not yet closed to
fill one of these blanks, sign and return to you. Please forward ten
of the best of these to me as soon as all of them have been returned
to you. Keep in your office the others and copies of those sent me.
The information obtained by you from a careful examination and
study of these reports ought to be of much service to you in finding
out about the work of your schools and in shaping that work in the
future.
After 1 shall have had an opportunity to get the benefit of your
experience and suggestions about these matters and to discuss them
fully with you in our meetings of the District Associations. I shall
have printed and sent out from the office a suggested set of rules and
regulations for adoption by County Boards of Education and a graded
course of study and schedule of recitations for the public schools.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Publie Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, March 2. 1904.
To the Librarian:
In accordance with section 4 of the School Law and Rule 12 of the
Regulations governing tne Rural Libraries, please furnish the informa-tion
asked on the enclosed sheets. Prepare two copies, sending one to
me and the other to your County Superintendent.
234 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
I desire to publish a complete report of all the libraries in the State
for the stimulation of the districts that have not yet been progressive
enough to provide libraries for themselves, and for the information of
the General Assembly and the public. The continuance of the appro-priation
for Rural Libraries will depend upon the successful manage-ment
and benefits of them as indicated by these reports.
On the other sheets please give, as directed, a complete catalogue of
all books in the library.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, March 2, 1904.
To County Treasurer:
I send you to-day Auditor's warrant for the amount allowed your
county from the second hundred thousand dollars to aid districts to
have a four months school. The County Superintendent has been
furnished a copy of the allowance to each district, and has been in-structed
to furnish you a copy of the same.
Please place the respective amounts to the credit of the districts
named therein. This money is usable only by these districts, and
must be used only for the specific purpose of paying salary of teachers
and actual expenses for a four months school in these districts.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh.
My Dear Sir :—If possible, I should like for you and your County
Board of Education to decide at the April meeting of the Board about
a Teachers' Institute or Summer School for your county. Please read
carefully my note to section 26 of the School Law, and kindly call it
to the attention of the members of your County Board of Education.
From this note you will see that I consider a summer school contin-uing
several weeks, in which the study of the subjects taught in the
public schools may be pursued as well as the study of methods and
principles of teaching, more advisable and more profitable than a short
institute lasting only one week. I also believe it advisable for two or
more counties to unite in such a joint summer school where such a
union can be effected without too great inconvenience and expense to
the teachers. A number of counties have already notified me of their
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 235
purpose to uiiite in such schools this summer. Several such joint
summer schools have been very successfully conducted heretofore in
the State.
Please notify me immediately after your meeting in April of the
decision of your Board in regard to the Institute or Summer School.
Notify me also of the date in case you decide to hold an Institute or
Summer School. I desire to confer with you also in regard to the
faculty. You will observe that under section 2G the power of appoint-ing
the teacher or teachers for such Institute or School is vested in
the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the exercise of
this power I shall, of course, give due consideration to your prefer-ence,
wishing only to be assured of the competency of the teachers pre-ferred
by the local authorities. It will be safest, however, to confer
wiili me before making any contracts with teachers. As soon as I
can ascertain the number, location and dates of the County Institutes
or Summer Schools for the summer of 1904, I shall undertake to get
a list of competent men and women whom I can recommend for Insti-tute
and Summer School work, and shall be glad to co-operate with
County Superintendents in getting the best possible teachers for this
work.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, April 9, 1904.
Dear Sir:—T send you a blank for petition for special school tax
election under section 72 of Public School Law.
I send you also two certificates of election returns. The general
election law requires that, after the election, the returns shall be made
to the Chairman of the County Board of Elections, also to the Regis-ter
of Deeds.
If you need additional blanks for petitions or returns they will be
furnished from my office upon application.
I enclose you a blank asking for information in regard to local taxa-tion,
consolidation of districts and improvement of school-houses.
Please fill these blanks and return to me at once. This information
is desired for the use of the Executive Committee of the Central Cam-paign
Committee, composed of State Superintendent J. Y. Joyner,
Charles B. Aycock. Charles D. Mclver, and E. C. Brooks, Secretary.
This committee will plan the campaign for education this year largely
upon the information furnished by you in these blanks.
There are now 193 local tax districts in North Carolina ; 149 of these
have been added since the inauguration of the campaign two years ago.
During the past two years at least 1,200 unnecessary small school dis-
236 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
tricts have been consolidated into larger districts and 884 new school-houses
have been built. Most of these houses have been built in
accordance with plans sent out from this office, and are of far better
character than school-houses heretofore built. This indicates very
commendable and encouraging progress along these three important
lines of improvement.
This progress is due in part to a cultivation of sentiment resulting
from the agitation by public discussion, in part to the intelligent and
active efforts of County Superintendents, school officials and other
public-spirited citizens, and in part to a quiet, earnest, deep-seated
interest in public education among the people and a daily growing
determination on their part to give their children a better chance
through better schools to get a better education. The outlook is hope-ful.
Nothing can stop this educational movement. Any relaxation of
effort, however, on the part of the friends of education must result in
retarding it. The Campaign Committee and the State Superintendent
are anxious to co-operate with you. your school officials and other
interested citizens in carrying on the good work for better public
schools.
Arrangements have been made as heretofore to send speakers to aid
the local authorities in communities where there is a reasonable prob-ability
of securing local taxation, consolidation or improvement of
public school-houses and grounds.
Please furnish the information requested as soon as possible.
Very truly yours. J. Y. Joyneb,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, April 21, 1904.
Dear Sir :—1 regret that after consultation with the Attorney-
General. I am compelled to say to you that, in my opinion, there is no
warrant of law under section 20' for appropriating money for an insti-tute
or summer school unless such institute or summer school is held
in the county or is held by agreement between two or more adjoining
and contiguous counties for those adjoining and contiguous counties
at some convenient and satisfactory point in one of said counties. I
am satisfied that it would be very helpful to your teachers to attend
a good Summer School, like that at the University and the A. and M.
College, and other places in the State, where they would have the ben-efit
of instruction by strong faculties and the benefit of association
with a large number of teachers from all parts of the State, and I re-gret
to be compelled to seem to throw any obstacle of any sort in the
way of ambitious teachers who are seeking large opportunities for
improvement, and who ought to be encouraged in every effort to avail
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 237
themselves of such opportunities. But it is my duty to obey the law,
and I do not believe that the law under any reasonable construction
will permit the appropriation by the County Board of Education of
any county of funds for paying the tuition or expenses of teachers at
a Summer School in a distant county not adjoiniong or contiguous.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, May 12, 1904.
Dear Sir :—1 am satisfied that my ruling in regard to the appro-priation
of money for traveling expenses and tuition of teachers at-tending
a Summer School in a distant county not adjoining or contigu-ous
to the county making the appropriation is correct. The Attorney-
General assures me that he has not changed his opinion in the matter.
I am of the opinion, however, that, under the circumstances, your
Board of Education might have a right, under the authority vested in
them in section 24 to fix the maximum salary of teachers, to allow
teachers attending Summer Schools and presenting -satisfactory cer-tificates
of attendance and work in such schools a small increase of
salary for the term, sufficient perhaps to cover their tuition and possi-bly
a part of their traveling expenses. This increase in salary, how-ever,
could not be made for the specific purpose of covering tuition and
traveling expenses, but woidd have to be made under the general
authority of the Board to fix the salary of each teacher of each scbool
by allowing teachers who would attend a good Summer School at con-siderable
expense to themselves a reasonable increase in salary as an
encouragement to teachers to prepare themselves better for their
work, and upon the general idea that teachers attending such schools
ought to be better prepared for a higher grade of work.
You will observe that section 24 allows the County Board of Educa-tion
to take into consideration the grade of work to be done in fixing
the maximum salary of the teacher of any school. If this arrange-ment
is made, however, the teacher will have to pay his or her own
expenses and tuition and take chances about getting a school and
securing the increase of salary. The entire salary of each teacher
will have to come out of the funds apportioned to the district in which
he or she teaches. In districts receiving aid from the special State
appropriation for a four months school term, of course no increase of
salary could be allowed in excess of the average salary allowed by
this special act. This could, of course, be regulated by your Board by
apportioning a sufficient amount to districts in which such teachers
teach to cover the increase allowed in the salary. I do not advise
this course, but simply suggest it as a possible legal way out of any
238 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
embarrassment arising from contracts made with Summer Schools for
tuition of teachers and to prevent undue disappointment on the part
of teachers that had made their plans to attend such schools. Your
Board must be the judge of the advisability of adopting this course.
Very truly yours, J. T. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
This letter was sent to Superintendents of Alamance, Rockingham,
Chowan, etc.
Construction of Section 72.
Dear Sir :—In answer to your letter of February 4th my opinion
is as follows
:
Under section 72 of the School Law the money raised by special tax
for any district must be placed by the sheriff in the hands of the
Treasurer to the credit of the School Committee of that district. The
apportionment of this money among the schools of the district, white
and colored, is then absolutely under the control of the committee in
the same manner as the apportionment of the county fund or the town-ship
fund among the schools, white and colored, is under the control
of the County Board of Education as prescribed in section 24 of the
School Law. In other words, the committee of the special tax dis-trict
can apportion the money raised by the special tax among the
schools of the two races in such a way as will give them equal length
of term, having due regard, however, to the grade of work done and
the qualifications of the teachers required in each school for each
race. The committee could not, therefore, apportion to the white
schools the money paid by the white race and to the colored schools
the money paid by the colored race, but, considering the fact that the
colored schools would not require as well qualified teachers and their
teachers would not and ought not to be paid as large salaries because
they are not as well qualified as a rule and because their expenses are
not as great and they can, therefore, afford to teach for smaller sala-ries,
the committee could so apportion the money as to do substantial
justice to the colored race and satisfy them by giving them about as
many months of school without having to apportion to them anything
like their per capita part of the special tax money. I expect that you
would find upon a calculation that you could divide the money legally
in this way and give the negroes about equal length of term for very
little more money than they would actually pay in taxes and poll tax.
You might make some calculations along this line. I happen to know
that the negro schools in most of the towns and cities having graded
schools supported by special tax are run about the same number of
months as the white schools for little more than half the cost per cap-ita
of the white schools. This problem is managed without difficulty
in this way in towns like Durham, Goldsboro, Wilson. Washington and
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 239
other cities and towns supporting their schools by special tax and
having a large negro population. You understand, of course, that on
account of the smaller salaries and cheaper school-houses and equip-ment
and the probable irregularity of attendance during certain
months of the year, tbe negro schools can be run tbe same number of
months for very much less per capita cost than tbe white schools.
Suppose you calculate how much it would cost to run your negro
schools and then calculate how much they would receive from the
county school fund and bow much they would pay in the way of poll
tax and small property tax under the special tax and you could then
easily arrive at how much of the special tax paid by tbe white people
would have to be used under tbe law by this plan for the negro
schools. I am of the opinion that you will find tbe amount small.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruct ion.
Ruling as to What Constitutes a School Day.
Dear Sir :—1 presume that in construing the law fixing a school
day at not less than six hours nor more than seven hours the commit-tee
would have to use tbe same common sense that they would use in
other business. A literal construction of the law would, I presume,
require at least six hours of school work. A reasonable construction
would probably allow short recesses to be taken out of this time as the
teacher is compelled to remain and have supervision of the children
during recesses. If the amount of time taken for recesses is excessive,
of course it should not be included in the six hours. You can easily
understand how, if the teacher was allowed to count all recesses and
to give as much time for recesses as be chose, the number of hours of
work might be too greatly reduced. Whether the law ought to be
construed as to require six hours of actual school work would depend,
I think, to some extent upon the season of the year and tbe distance
that the children living farthest from the school had to walk. For
example, in many places it would be difficult in the winter to begin
earlier than 9 A. M., or to close later than 4 P. M. This would give
six hours of work with an intermission of an hour for dinner, but
would not include any short recesses between times, which are usually
desirable, and which, I think, ought not to be taken out of the six
hours.
Very truly yours. J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
240 BIENNIAL, REPORT OF THE
Ruling as to Using Public Money in Denominational Schools.
Raleigh, March 14, 1904.
Mr. ./. D. Morris. Union Mills, N. O.
Dear Sir:—I instructed the County Board of Education of Ruth-erford
County that under section 33 no contract could be made with
the teacher of any sectarian or denominational school and no part of
the school fund could be used in connection with such school. I have
invariably given the same instruction to every County Superintendent
and County Board of Education who have consulted me upon this
question. Your County Board of Education decided, as I understand
it, that Round Hill Academy at Union Mills was a denominational or
sectarian school. Upon their statement of the facts, I was of the
same opinion, and have seen no reason to overrule their finding of
fact in regard to this, even if I had authority to do so.
Sections 13 and 14 of the School Law vest in the County Boards of
Education the general control and supervision of all matters pertain-ing
to the public schools in their respective counties and confer upon
them all powers and duties conferred and imposed by the School Law
or the general laws of the State respecting public schools which are
not expressly conferred and imposed upon some other official. In the
exercise of these general powers and duties, your County Board of
Education refused to lease two rooms of the denominational school at
Round Hill Academy for the public school, and decided that it would
be wisest and for the best interest of the public school in that district
to build a public school-house and to use the public school funds for
that purpose. Under the law they had authority to pursue this course
if they deemed it best. Neither the State Board of Education nor I
have authority to overrule their action even if we did not agree with
them.
I have no authority to instruct the County Board of Education to
have the public school taught in connection with the Round Hill Acad-emy
nor to have it taught in any particular house. I have no author-ity
to overrule their action and say to them that they must not use
the money to build a house in the public school district, if they deem
this wisest, or that they must lease a house belonging to a denomina-tion
and have the public school taught therein, if they deem that un-wise.
If you will read my letter to Mr. Sams, a copy of which I sent you,
you will find that I never instructed Mr. Sams nor his Board, but that,
on the other hand. I simply gave him my opinion upon a statement of
facts made in a letter from him to me. and that the opinion given him
in that letter was in exact accord with the opinion given upon the
same matter to you and your County Board and to all others asking
my opinion upon that question. You will find, also, that the advice
given to him in that letter was in exact line with the advice given to
others upon the same question, and that I went out of my way to say
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 241
to him that on account of the sensitiveness of the people on the sub-ject
of any sort of connection between a denominational and a public
school, I deemed it wisest for the public schools to he taught in a pub-lic
school-house, wherever possible, and that there should be a com-fortable
public school-house in every district in North Carolina as
soon as possible.
Now. in conclusion, I shall not instruct your County Board of Edu-cation
to have the public school taught in any house or in connection
with any school contrary to their judgment as to what is best in the
exercise of their general authority to coutrol and supervise all matters
pertaining to the public school in their county, and to have the general
government of the schools. I shall not instruct your County Board of
Education not to build a public-school house in your district if they
deem it wisest in the exercise of their authority to build such a house
and to Use the funds of the district for that purpose. They are the
judges of these matters, and their action in these matters so far as I
am concerned and so far as the State Board of Education is concerned,
are final under the law.
I regret that you differ from me in my construction of law, but the
Constitution makes the Attorney-General my legal adviser, and I
prefer to accept his opinion upon legal matters. I have discharged
my duty in this matter as I see it, and I have followed the law as I
understand it and as I have been advised about it by the Attorney-
General. If my action does not please you and your friends, I regret
it, but I cannot help it. I have done nothing in the matter that I am
ashamed of or afraid for the whole world to know, so that if it will
be any consolation to you to air the matter in the papers, you have my
permission to do so. I had rather be damaged than be coward enough
to be driven to do what I do not believe the law and my conscience
approve by threats of damage by exposition. My actions are the
actions of a public officer, and are always open to the world.
"Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Raleigh, September 22, 1904.
Mr. C. O. Gray. Marshall, X. C.
Dear Sir :—I have been unable to get an official ruling from the
Attorney-General. He is now engaged in the campaign, and will not
be in his office for the next week or ten days. I have carefully con-sidered
section 33 of the School Law and I am satisfied that it was
the purpose of the law-makers to prevent absolutely the use of any
public school money in collection with any sectarian or denominational
school. The principle of absolute separation of church and state is
16
242 BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE
fixed in our Constitution and in our law, and should be guarded with
much vigilance. What cannot be done directly ought not to be done
indirectly, even though an apparently temporary gain might result
therefrom. I have advised, therefore, and urged that a good public
school-house should be provided in every public school district, owned
and controlled absolutely by the public school authorities. I do not
believe it prudent or wise to evade or even to seem to evade this law
preventing any sort of combination between the public and the secta-rian
or denominational school. I am satisfied that such a combination
is not only illegal and unwise, but harmful to both the public and the
denominational or sectarian school. I am satisfied, therefore, that the
best thing for your people to do is to make arrangements at once to
build a good public school-house in Marshall, and, if necessary, vote a
local tax for the support of a first-class public school. Any other
arrangement, even if it could be legally made, will be bound to be
merely temporary and would provoke in the end dissatisfaction and
criticism.
The only sort of legal arrangement that could be made in your case
would be for the School Committee, by authority of the County Board
of Education, to rent your house for the public school term and to
have absolute control of it during that time and to have the entire
management of the school, including the election and the control of the
teachers. In other words, the committee might rent from your de-nomination
or your trustees the school property for public school pur-poses
just as they might rent any other property from any other owner
for such purposes in case there was no public school-house in the dis-trict,
but in the event of renting such property from j-ou, the commit-tee
and the County Board of Education should have as complete con-trol
of the property and of the school as they would of any other pub-lic
school of the county. I am satisfied that the Attorney-General will
endorse this opinion.
Very truly yours, J. Y. Jotner,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
This opinion and ruling endorsed by Attorney-General, September
28. 1904.
Explanations of Section 24.
Dear Sir:—As there seems to be considerable misunderstanding in
regard to the effect of the amendment recommended by the Joint Com-mittee
on Education to section 24 of the Public School Law regulating
the apportionment of the county school fund, I beg to offer a few
words of explanation thereof. Under the head of other necessary
expenses the present law does not limit the part of the school fund
that may be set aside by the County Board of Education for building
school-houses. The amendment proposed to limit the amount that may
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 243
be set aside from the county fund for this purpose to not more than
twenty-five per cent, in counties with a total school fund of live thou-sand
dollars or less ; not more than twenty per cent, in counties with
a total school fund of over live thousand dollars and not more than
ten thousand dollars ; not more than fifteen per cent, in counties with
a total school fund of over ten thousand dollars and not more than
twenty-five thousand dollars ; and not more than ten per cent, in coun-ties
with a total school fund of over twenty-five thousand dollars.
Under the present law in many counties a larger per cent, of the total
school fund than this has been used for building during the past
year. Under the present law and the ruling of my predecessor the
entire cost of building school-houses was paid out of the general fund.
The amendment proposes for the county to bear one-half of the ex-pense
out of the building fund thus set aside and the district to bear
the other half, either by private subscription or out of its annual
apportionment. Under the old law the entire expense of building had
to be borne by the school district and so it often happened that small,
weak districts were compelled to close their school for two or three
years in order to use their annual apportionment in paying for a
house and then perhaps get only a very poor house. The proposed
amendment seems to ine to be fair, just and wise middle-ground be-tween
the old law and the present law, placing as it does one-half of
the burden of building the house on the county and the other half on
the district. Under the old law it was almost impossible to get
houses in the weaker districts and the stronger districts had a very
great advantage. Under the present law there is a possibility of doing
an injustice to the stronger districts in bearing the entire expense of
building the houses in the weak districts.
Another amendment to this section proposes, to set aside one-sixth,
if necessary, of the total school fund to be used in securing a four
months school term in every school in the county. This amendment
would not affect in the least those counties that already have a four
months term in every district. For many such counties it would not be
necessary to set aside this fund. In a number of counties under the
present method of apportioning the school fund per capita by town-ships
it happens that the stronger and more populous townships often
have a school term of six or eight months while the more sparsely
populated townships in the same county have a school term of less
than four months, and consequently ask the State to bring these
schools up to a four months term. The purpose of this amendment is
to throw upon the counties themselves a part of the burden of bring-ing
their own schools up to a four months term before they ask for
aid out of the special State appropriation for this purpose. This
seems but just and would reduce the special appropriation necessary
to give a four months school term in eveiw district and save several
thousand dollars to the State. It seems but just that the county
should bear at least a part of the burden of bringing its own weak
244 BIENNIAL EEPOKT OF THE
districts up to a four months term before asking for the help of the
State, especially as the State appropriates one hundred thousand dol-lars
per capita to all the counties and the biggest part of this goes to
the counties and townships that have the largest number of children
and the longest school term.
After this small part of the total school fund or so much thereof as
may be necessary has been used to bring the weak districts in the
county up to four months, the balance of the fund is to be apportioned
per capita by townships as at present and the stronger and more popu-lous
townships will get their per capita part of it. It simply requires
the strong in the county to help to a small extent the weak in their
own county before calling upon the State to bear their entire burden.
Some of the cities and towns are fighting this amendment, but it does
not seem to me unjust that they should bear a small part of the bur-dens
of the rural districts in their own counties from which they
have largely drawn their support and their population. It has been
the purpose to strike a just middle-ground here also, setting aside
only a small part of the fund to be used for this purpose and allowing
it to be used for equalizing school terms in the entire county but
simply not for bringing all to the constitutional limit of four months
and beyond that allowing each strong town, city or township to get
the benefit of its larger population and per capita.
Ruling as to Teaching Higher Branches in Public Schools.
Raleigh, December 12, 1903.
Dear Sib :—Section 24 of the School Law vests in the County Board
of Education the authority to fix the maximum salary for each school
in the county. It also directs them to distribute and apportion