The School Board

The annual school meeting of District No. 1, Ann Arbor, was held in the engine room, Monday, to elect successors to J. T. Jacobs, L. Gruner and Dr. W. B. Smith, on the board of trustees. Only one ticket was in the field, and that contained the names of the retiring members. A very light vote was polled, there being only 185 ballots cast. J. T. Jacobs received 183, L. Gruner, 182, W. B. Smith, 178, and four scattering. The business meeting, which was.held immediately after the polls closed, in Firemen's Hall, was attended by less than a dozen men, besides the members of the board and reporters. The gentlemen whose names were on the ticket were formally declared elected, and the secretary read the financial report of the board, which is given below in its entirety. Judge Cheever offered the following resolution : Resolved, That the sum of $19,500 be raised by tax upon the taxable property of the district, for salaries of teachers and other current expenses, for the school year 1887-8, and that the sum of $200 be raised for the school library. G-eorge W. Knight made a vigorous protest against the adoption of the resolution. Ia his argument he tried to show that the tuition charged foreign students was too smal!, and that they were being educated at the expense of Ann Arbor. Judge Cheever and Superintendent Perry both replied to him, showing that he was wrong in his premises and that foreign students were really paying more tuition, in proportion to the extra cost of their scbooling to the district, and that it is a benefit financially to have them here at the price they are now paying. When the vote was taken on the adoption of the resolution it was unanimously carried, with the exception of Mr. Knight's vote. THIRTY-FIRST ANNNAL REPORT. The Board of Trustees of School District No. 1, of the city of Ann Arbor, submitted their thirty-first annual report for the school year ending the 5th day of September, 1887. Receipts and expenditures for the school year 1886-87 : RECKIPTS FOB THE YEAR. Balance on hand Sept.6, 1886 .$ 1,383 55 Received from City Treasurer 22,957 97 Received from Townshlp Treasurer 1,689 03 Received from priniary school fund 3,360 16 Received from tuitlon 6,007 74 Received from rent of State-st house.... 176 25 Received from dog tax 125 60 Received form libraryfine money 29 00 Receiyed from interest from Savinus Bank 167 28 Received from other sourees 40 61 Total receipts í 36,058 96 EXPENDITCRKS FOE THE YEAK. Paid salaries í 24,968 63 Paid balance due Smead & Co., on heating apparatus, 2d ward building 337 SO Paid bonds due February 1, 1887 2,500 00 Paidintereítondo 650 00 Paid insurance 40 00 Paidjanitore 1,192 50 Paid íor library books 340 07 Paid gas 67 89 Paidfuel _ 1.429 49 Paid improvements 359 31 Paid repairs and incidentals 2,261 99 Cash on hand S General Fund...$l,820 65 j . „., v„ Lasn on nana j Library Fnnd... 9i 13 j i," 7 Total expenditures ■. $ 36,058 96 Estimated expenditures and receipts for the school year 1887-88 : EXPENDITDEES. Bonds due February 1, 1888 ï 2,500 00 Interest on bonds 525 00 Salaries _ _. 25,000 00 Janitors l,2J0 00 lusurance „ 625 00 Repairs 1.000 00 Incidentals _ 1,000 00 Fuel 1,500 00 Gas 100 00 Total ï 33,500 00 RECEIPTS. I'riraary School Money JS 3 000 00 Mili Tax 500 00 Tuition ; 5,000 00 Total { 12,500 00 The Board therefore recommend that thesum of $19,500.00 be raised by tax for the current expenses for the ensuing year. The Board also recommend that the sum of $200 be raised by tax for the purchase of books for the library. The present indebtedness ot the district is $10,500.00, payable as follows : 1888 Februarylst 82,500 00 1889 " ' 2,500 00 -1? " " 2,500 00 1891 " " 2,000 00 1892 " " 1,000 00 The amount raised by tax for school purposes each year for the past ten years has been as follows: }" 22,265 '8'8 20,665 879 18,950 isiölO }J 15,560 1882 17340 3 28,850 4 22 500 J8) 22,400 lfS86 19,500 The amount of tuition colleoted last Jear, mainly from foïeign students, exceeds the sum of six thousand dollars, probably a larger amount than ís collected in any other public high school in the country. The high school was greatly crowded, and the indications at present are tnat the number will be increased the present year. SUPT. PKRRY'8 REPORT. The following embraces as much of Superintendent Perry's report as is of general interest to the patrons of the schools : Tne important statistical part of the year's history will be found in the followinji table of enrollment, attendance, etc, of the three departments, respectively : items. H 8. Gr. iPrim. To'ls. Enrollment, tr'nsfe's ex-1 cluded, i Boya 328 424 418 1070 Girls 245 292 37." 912 Total 573 616 793 1982 Average number belonging 448 515 632 1595 Average daily attendance _ 430 499 615 1534 Percent, of attendance... 96 96.8 95.71 96 No. of non-residents ' Ï90 38 23 351 No. of men teachers ' 5 2 7 No. ofwomen " I 6 13 16 35 No. of special " I 3 Average number ol (laye attendance of each pupil 148 158 149 152 No. of pupils to each teacher 41 34 40 38 Cost per capita for tultion $24 33 813 02 S10 51 S14 57 Cost per capita for incidentals 3 25 3 25 3 25 S 25 Total cost per capita 27 58 16 27 13 76 17 82 The enrollment distributed under the usual age limita was as íollows: Nnmber under 6 years of age 49 between 6 and 16 years of age 496 " over 16 years of age 1437 Total ü THE ATTENDAtfCE during the year in the high school was fairly regular. The enrollment, 578, was 28 more than that of the year preceding. In the grades below, the aggregate enrollment was 49 higher than that of the preceding year, yet the average attendance was lower. This was caused by sickness. No such wide-spread interruption of the school work has occurred here since the schools carne under my charge, 17 years ago. During the latter part of February, and the whole of March, nearly 200 pupila were daily absent from the schools with the measles. An estímate of this broken attendance shows that the grammar grades lost 1,848 days of attendance, and the primary grades lost 5,551 days ; or in the aggregate 7,399 days of school work were lost to these grades by the unusual prevalence of contagious disease. Some of the rooms in wards III, IV, and V, were closed for a time. Nearly 100 pupils, withdrawn from school by reason of sickness, did not return. Such an amount of absenteeism could not but leave its effect upon the progress of the various classes. In a few rooms the work in the several branches - as apportioned in the course of study - was not completed, while there was less than the standard thoroughness in what was attempted. The promotions to higher grades will be less in number than usual, and will be also a somewhat smaller percentage of the number examined for promotion. I cannot but commend the spirit of our teachers for their endeavors to overeóme these difficulties, and for the measure of success they attained. In view of the large amount of enforced absence during the year, the unbrokea record of attendance of the following pupila must be regarded as highly creditable. The superintendent then devotes considerable spaee to the progress being made in the different branches of study in the primary grades, all of' which is very satisfictory. A set of physical wall maps is greatly needed, the superintendent says; also quite an addition to the forms and models for drawing. The discipline he aleo says has been very good, and at times corporal punishment has been resorted to in order to maintain it. THE HIGH SCHOOL. The aggregate enrollnient of the High School for the year was 578, an increase of 28 over the preceding year. This incroase would have warranted an additional teacher in the department, but there wf s no room in the building for an additional class. The only alternative wa3 to place the surplus classes out of regular school hours - in the afternoon - and cali upon the regular teachers to instruct them with pro rata additional wages. The amount of such extra pay was $440.75. Th:s does not in elude $75 paid for thecorrection of essays in English work. The general work of the High School has been carried forward with the customary force and efficiency. I cannot epeak too highly of most of the instruction ; it comports well with the wide reputation of the school, and with the promises held out for patronage. While this is true in general, is it not possible that we sometimes forget the great responsibilities that are laid upon us to furnish to the pupils resortine hither, the best possible facilities for education in all of the varied courses and branches offered in the school ? Especiaily it is to be hoped that we may soon have facilities for microscopio woik in Botany and Physiology, and that the instruction in Elocution and General English may be given the scope and opportunity their importance demands. The school is apparently well entrenched in public confidence, but to insure its retention of that position, its tquipmeat for doing its work must be generous, and the work itself, in all its details, must be continuously and critically scrutinized. BRANCHES TAUOHT. The following table gives the branches taughi in the High School during theyear, and the number of pupila in each branoh. It has proved very serviceable to many inquirers in former years: STUDIES. BOYS. GIBLS. TOTAL. Latin 142 61 203 Greek. 31 19 60 Germau 49 68 117 Jreneh. 25 15 40 : Eughsh Literatee 21 21 42 1 Rhetoric 24 24 48 Í Composition 77 49 126 s Grammar 86 70 156 V Algebra 43 98 191 1 Geometry 58 58 116 Arithmetic 7'J 88 167 Bookkeeping 85 44 129 Astronomy 11 12 23 é Chemistry 30 7 37 Physies 77 47 124 Botany „ „ 64 73 157 Fhysiology 50 42 92 Playsical Ueography 47 49 % Uuited States History.... 70 57 127 English History 25 32 57 Kcman History 29 16 45 Greek History 7 10 17 General History 49 59 108 Political Economy 22 15 37 Civil Government 45 S2 77 Etymology 3 19 22 Commercial Law „.. 17 5 22