Jersey County, Illinois - Chapter 21: The Present Public Schools, 1919

Chapter 21: The Present Public Schools

DISTRIBUTIVE FUND - SALARIES OF TEACHERS - FUNDS RAISED BY SCHOOLS - ADDITIONAL FACTS FROM CENSUS OF 1917 - SCHOOL BUILDINGS - LIBRA¬ RIES - PRESENT CONDITION - HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES - SCHOOL COMMIS¬ SIONERS - COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS.

Pioneer Conditions

A proper appreciation of pioneer conditions is shown in the following quoted from B. B. Hamilton's Centennial History of Jersey County, in which he refers to conditions in 1839 :

"Blit what of education, and where were the schoolhouses then? Very few were they. At Grafton, a modest frame building of one story, another at Jerseyville, another at Lofton's Prairie, with perhaps a half a dozen in prairies round about, and in the woody regions log houses of the most primitive style, in point of construction. And all these had been erected by the voluntary labor and contributions of the people. No tax had then been levied - the common school system of Illinois, had then no existence."

"If we had in Illinois, or in the town of Jerseyville an efficient and comprehensive system of public schools, such as they have in Massa¬ chusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and even in some particular towns of our own state, we could very well do without a seminary, estab¬ lished by private funds. But is there a present prospect that the general apathy with regard to public schools will give place to a zeal in this behalf, which will produce a system that will give to the children of Jerseyville anything like a thorough education?"

The Answer

In reply to and in contrast with, the conditions with reference to the schools of Jersey County at the time of its organization, and the present ; the facts, and statistics contained in the "Jersey County School Direc¬ tory," compiled and published by Joseph W. Becker, county superin¬ tendent of schools for Jersey County, for the years 1917 and 1918, to¬ gether with additional data furnished by him, are here inserted, as follows :

D. R. Henry, superintendent, $1,200.00 ; Lillian Sparks, principal, $630.00 ; Frances Hassett, departments 6, 7, 8, $630.00 ; Harriet B. Erwin, departments 6, 7, 8, $630.00; Flora Fink, department physical training, $585.00 ; Genevieve Bonwell, Home Economics and depart¬ mental, $540.00 ; Ida Coulthard, grade 5, $585.00 ; Loretta Burns, grade 5, $540.00 ; Margaret Brown, grade 4, $540.00 ; Pearl Sauer, penmanship and grade 4, $585.00; Nancy Fristoe, grade 3, $540.00; Frances Leigh, grade 3, $540.00; Frederica Keller, grade 2, $540.00; Susan Nott, grade 2, $540.00; Mary E. Dodge, grade 1, $540.00; Anna E. Spencer, grade 1, $630.00; J. H. Baldwin, manual training; Marie Edwards, home eco¬ nomics and departmental, $540.00; Flora E. Ballard, music; Ida M. Wallace (Lincoln Street), $495.00. For salary of superintendent manual training and music teacher, see District 73. Board of Education - Judge W. T. Sumner, president, Jerseyville; Frank Heller, secretary, Jerseyville; H. S. Daniels, Jerseyville.; B. H. Bowen, Jerseyville; Dr. A. S. Hunt, Jerseyville; C. E. Warren, Jerseyville; W. B. May, Jersey¬ ville. v

Washington - District No. 41 - Mary Curren, 8, $45.00, Jerseyville; directors - George A. Riley, president, Kane ; Louis A. Prough, clerk, Kane ; Herman F. Freeh, Kane.

Joseph Kallal, treasurer, Jerseyville; Harry Rice, trustee, Jersey¬ ville; J. D. Erwin, trustee, Jerseyville; William Powers, trustee, Jersey¬ ville.

Central - District No. 56 - Eva Bethel, 8, $40.00, Jerseyville ; direc¬ tors - J. A. Rice, president, Jerseyville; J. Y. Kallal, clerk, Jerseyville; A. L. Wiegancl, Jerseyville.

Quarry, T. 6 Rich Woods, T. 8, R.

ritory in the county not included in a four year high school district. It is created to pay high school tuition only. Dexter C. Slaten, president, Grafton; J. W. Becker, ex-officio secretary of the board, Jerseyville; Thomas A. Case, Otterville; Ralph R. Smith, Fidelity.

George Washington Educational Fund

A trust fund bequeathed by George Washington, a liberated Negro slave, for the higher education of his race. The sum has increased to $23,000.00. The trustees are appointed by the circuit court ; trustees - Harry L. Chapman, president; Charles S. White, secretary-treasurer; Oscar B. Hamilton; A. M. Slaten; D. R. Henry; A. M. Cheney; J. W. Becker.

Hamilton Primary School Fund

A trust fund of $2,000.00 bequeathed by Dr. Silas Hamilton for the founding of the first free school in Illinois at Otterville. The income accrues to the Otterville school. Trustees - William Dougherty, presi¬ dent; Charles H. Terry, treasurer; Thomas A. Case, secretary; George W. Noble; A. J. Humiston.

Standard Schools

The following are the Standard schools in Jersey County : Independ¬ ence, District No. 43 ; Central, District No. 6 ; Tolman, District No. 39 ; Union, District No. 37 ; Bott, District No. 1 ; Delhi, District No. 4 ; Pleasant Hill, District No. 36 ; Kemper, District No. 20 ; Fieldon, District No. 66 ; Lone Star, District No. 67.

Additional Facts From Census Of 1917

The bo3rs enrolled under twenty-one years numbered 2,553, and the girls, 2,597, making a total of 5,150; the boys between six and twentyone, 1,841 ; girls, 1,856, total, 3,697. In the grade schools there are 1,211 boys; and 1,206 girls, or a total of 2,416. In the high schools there were enrolled 156 boys, and 203 girls, making a total of 359. In the grade and high schools there were enrolled 1,367 boys, and 1,408 girls, making a total of 2,775. In the parochial schools there were enrolled seventy -five boys, and 104 girls, making a total of 179. There were 119 pupils grad¬ uated from the grade schools; twenty-six pupils from the two year high school course ; and thirty-five from the four year high school course in 1917. There were twenty-three men and ninety-one women teachers em¬ ployed, making a total of 114 teachers in the county public schools, and seven in the parochial schools. The average salary paid to men teachers was $578.37 ; to women, $409.13, or an average of $443.27. The total earned by the men teachers was $13,302.50 ; and by the women teachers was $37,230.72, or a total of $50,533.22. The total days attendance dur¬ ing 1917 was 332,786. Forty- three teachers contributed to the State Teachers' Pension Fund, the amount contributed being $395.00.

School Buildings

There are seventy-five school buildings in Jersey County, with a total capacity of 3,338 pupils. The sites and buildings are* valued at $183,- 475.00, the equipment at $32,719.00, making a total of $216,194.00. The bonded indebtedness is $46,200.00. There are sixty-three libraries con¬ nected with the schools of Jersey County, containing in all 4,481 volumes.

Present Condition

And now in its centennial year, Illinois is abreast of any of the older states, in her universities, colleges, high schools, grade, common and district schools; and Jerseyville is nowT able to answer Dr. Grosvenor's inquiry in the affirmative, with her modern, up-to-date "Jersey Town¬ ship High School" with its latest improved equipment, and its thor¬ oughly qualified and enthusiastic principal, and corps of professors, whose graduates are fitted to enter upon college or university courses without further preparatory work; in point of scholastic ability and training they are the peers of the finished product of any institution of like grade in this or any of the older states; and of this Jerseyville and Jersey County are justly proud.

High School Graduates

The following is a list of the graduates of the Jerseyville High School from 1878 to 1915 inclusive, and of the Jersey Township High School from 1915 to 1918 inclusive.

Colored School

For many years there has been a separate school maintained in Jer¬ seyville for the education of colored children. The taxpayers have been required to pay about $1,000.00 per annum for its support. In 1917-18 there was an enrollment of eight, and an average attendance of four to six pupils. This school is a wholly unnecessary burden upon the tax¬ payers. These pupils should be in the regular grade schools of this

Two colored students were enrolled in the Jersey Township High School, the past school year, and there is no sound law or reason why the others should not be enrolled in the grade schools. In the Ham¬ ilton Primary School, and in the schools in all of the cities of the same grade as Jerseyville, in this part of Illinois, the colored students are en¬ rolled in the public schools, the same as white students. Is it not about time that this dark blot be removed from the otherwise admirable and efficient administration of the school system of our beautiful city; that justice be done to these colored students; and also, to our overburdened taxpayers as well?