Our Public Schools

In ccorduncc with llie direction of lbo last aunual meeting, tbe School Board of tiii.s city Las furuigliecl for publicaron tho following report whk-h wil] be Rnbmittfid to tbc anuual meeting to bc held Jlonday next : ANKUAL REPORT FOR 1863-64. ïho Board of Trustees of School Distiict r.umber Eleven, of tbc City and towuehip of Anii Arbor, submit tbe fol lowing report for the school ycarendins September 5:h, 1804: Rucmi'Ts. g ets. From balance al date aflaat report, 680 85 '■ lax voted to pay leai'her.s' wage', 8,275 00 " ta. volta to psjl inteiest on bonds, 17! 25 " tax voted to pay for fnel and care of school houws. l,l0 00 " üix voted toiiniMi baementof lst ward school house, .'Jfx) 00 " tax voied foiTepairs;insii;aiice and Renoval incidentals, 4 ;ü .'ij " tax voted to buihl BtiHoci! iioiise in 3rd w id, :.oon no " two mili tax, 2,35') 44 " i i iniary school fund K027 r,0 " tuítioii feos from non-resKlniit ptiplls 1,166 3C ' tnitlon fees from resident pnl'ils, laugngesi umi drauing, 28Y.25 '■' rent of Union School Hall,. . 15 00 " interest on Continental lnsur anee Scrip, 3 70 Total, 04,813 70 i:xj']:ni)t'í"ui:es. Paid salaries of teachers 7,1 5t7 00 " bonds duo Feli lst, 18ÜJ 2,20(1 00 " interest 011 boude,. 1,171 2ö " for fmisliing and seatiug lst ivavd basement 488 15 " fmnitiire, repairs, and incident als 1,145 84 " care of school liouses 405 00 " fnel, includ'gsawing 275 5D " ' Insurance on Imiüi]ings and furniluro 198} $13,561 68 Balance in Trcasmy $1,351 62 Fi-oru this balance an unfilled wood contract is yet to bo settlcd, wbicb will leavc nothing in the hands of the ïreas urcr oxeept to tbe credit of a special fund as licreafter state-d. The laet antmal report abowoi} 3 balanco'in tbc Treasurer's bands of $788 05, an eScess of $157 80 over what it is now stafed at. This discrepar.cy occurred from the making up of the last annual report from tbc Scerctary's order book, in bis absenco, and without cenparing it,, ns is usual, with the cash book of the Treasury. No orders, amciuitiug to S157 80, had been rcgularlv ad properly dfawn and paid, butby mistake had not been entered in thcir order by the Becretary, thus reducing the balance as above statcd. The "ippropriaüon of $3,000, made to purchasc a site for a school house in the 3rd ward, and commenuc the building of a school house, ha not been espended for tb 1 1 purpose. Afier considerable investigatiou, reflecion, and diseussion, the Board resolved to purchasc lots 6 and 8, block 2, Felch's addition, a loeation satisfactory to the ward, but Ihe owneis declined to sell the same. The Board then instructetl the President to take the IfigaJ measureü. neeessary to procure a title under the laws ; but on oonsulting au attornoy, he was advised that tho annual meeting not íaing attempted to lócate, the Board lad not the nuthority necessary to procure a tille by order of the court. This fact, togother with the largo and unexpected increase in tbe prica of building material and labor, induced the Board to refer-the matter to the annnal meeting, and make every eifort, in the sjcantiuie, for the best [lossible accouimodation of tho schools in tbc present buildings. Of the $:,000 raisei for the above purpose, tb o sum of $2,200 bas been tompornrily use i ia pnying tbo samo amount of boncis of tbe district, duo Fob rtfary lt, 1864-, and the reinaiuing S800 is ia t'iiá hauds of the-Troasurer. Having, used $2,200 of the tiiïrd ward school bouso moneys, for tbe payment of bonds of the district, which feil due Februwy lst, 18(54. no new lonn bas been made under the resolution of tbc last annual meeting, autborizing one for tbe purpose of payiug stick bonds. Tbe bouds can be issued at any time when the money is wauted to proeced with tbe building. The bouded dobt of tho district is as follows : Duo Feb.ruary lst, lSfiö '. . ?2,.';3V 50 ' " 1868 2,250 M " " " ]8G7 3500 00 " " ': ÏJ66 2,00' 00 $10,87 50 Of tuis amount, tbis meeting raust próvido for the payment of Bonds due Febmary lst, 18G5 $ifa# Í50 Interest d' u e. " " " 05125 For which, tbc Board, belicving it poor policy tri carry the indebtedness of the district from year to ycar, ndefinitely recomtnends tbat a tax bo v-eted, Tho loan of $1,500 authorized to out up Union School Hall iato school rooms, and soat tbe saaie, bas not been iiiade. Tho work could not be done uiitil the late vacation, et which time, owing to " high prices" it would have considerably overrun the appropriation, and Ihc llourd, thcref tre, concludcd to wait the further direction of the district. lioth the High aud Grammer Schools, are inconvenicnlly full, but desiring to praciiso the utmost consistent economy, tho Board will endeavor to go tbrough ■ anotber ycar without asking appropriatioua to furuiöb immcdiate increased accoiniodatjons. Should tlus meeting so ■íHíMt, H3 ííaid an bo divided into Bcbool room?, baé pTopcrly seated, durui_' the DCSt-sammer's vncition. The to!al atteudanee opon tJié sáveral sclidöfi of Ihe diilrict, during lbo yar, nuinbered 1826, nnd the average attendance corresponded fuvorably witii formcr yeurs. The Board and teiebcrs, j ever, doern a greater regularity of altendanco both desirable and important, and urge tho co-operation of pareuts to secure it. Tho large inercase of scholars ia tho lnwer grades, has made it nccesary to soat .1 basement room in tho iirst ward building, and five teachers aro now ompioyed in the school. It has also been found neoosaary to divido thu upper room in Ihe second ward building, and cmploy auother teacher for I lu: (hird (lcwist) grailu. To iciieve the third and fourth ivards Behcol, tho b'ó'ard oontcn;iilat(S opening a sébiVol wiihin a few du J's, in on3 cftLe basement rooms of the higli school building, for the accoin. iiiojatinii ol 8cln)!ars of the thiid primni'y grade. The census just taken, and whioh special care lias been ued to make correct, givos the number of persons in the district, between the ages of 5 and 20 ye?.rs, as S.hedulc A, ar.companying this ï'cport, is a staUniont of tho salaries p:iid t'cachors during the school yoar 18G3 Cl. Sehcdule B is an cstiirutic sheet of the recoipts and expenditures for the coming schojl year. In making the estimates, the Bonfd has endearored to hai nionizo the largo demands upon (aspayers of tho district, with justieo to teachers and other employés, and can Bot pee thal any reduetion can be made with due regard to the interests of the schools. Tho teiuns of office of three Trustees Messrs. D. Godfrey, P. Baeh, and P. Donovan, expire at tiiia date, and it is incumbeut upon l tii meeting to eleet the succesors. By order of tho Board of Trustees,