Snohomish County, Washington - Chapter 2: County Schools, 1926

When the territory of Washington was organized, one of its first legislative acts was to make provision for public schools; in fact, this was a part of the organic act by which the territory became an entity. The office of county superintendent was created by the territorial legislature in the session of 1859-60. This law provided for the general salary of $25 per year, but permitted the county to increase this amount up to $500, providing that no more than one-half of it should be drawn from the school funds. In the organic act, public lands were set aside, all proceeds from the lease and sale of which were to go into a permanent school fund, the interest of which, only, could be expended within the year. The problem of disposing of these lands with their wealth of timber is one which the state still has with it.

In 1861, when Snohomish County was organized, there was not a white woman nor a white child within its limits. Nevertheless, the men who opened up this county came with the intention of building homes, and, doubtless, every one of them looked forward to the happy day when there should be a wife in that home and children playing at the doorstep. Thus, it came that while there was no school and no occasion for one, the county levied a school tax upon itself in the very first vear of its existence. Between the modest two mills, then levied, and the school tax of today, there is quite a difference, and the amount of money expended for schools by the people of Snohomish County from 1862 to 1926 would doubtless be a staggering sum, but the people do not regret the spending of it, and are just as ready today to support their schools as were the pioneers. This school tax, levied first in 1866, amounted to but a modest sum, and it was not until seven years later that sufficient had been accumulated to establish the first school. The first mention of a county superintendent for Snohomish County was in the proceedines of the commissioners for November 14, 1866, when A. B. Rabbeson was appointed to serve until the next general election. There being no schools, his duties were not overpowering, and there is no record that he performed any official duties, nor is there any record that a successor was elected at the next general election. In the chapter devoted to the early history of Snohomish City, mention has been made of the first school in the county, which was taught by Ruby Willard at the home of Mrs. W. B. Sinclair, next to the building which became famous as the old Blue Eagle Saloon on the river bank at Snohomish. This was known as School District No. 1, and for three years was the only school district in the county. L. E. Beach was the second teacher, and Mrs. Barnett, the third. The first county superintendent who made any report or transacted any school business so far as it is known was Henry McClurg. His report to the commissioners simply transmits the report made by E. C. Ferguson, as clerk of District No. 1 on November 8, 1869, which read as follows:

"T herewith submit my yearly report as the law directs. A school has been kept in this district by a qualified teacher for a term of three months. During the past season, the attendance was very small in proportion to the number of scholars in said district, say about one-fifth, all of which were in the primary class. The amount of wages paid for the term in legal tender was $188.59. No other moneys have been expended from the school fund during the past year.

The list of persons in the school district over four and under twenty-one years of age were as follows: John and James McClurg, Maggie Allen, Adelaide Woods, John Johnson, Margaret and Mary Woodard, Williams and Elizabeth Short, Catherine Hayes, Frank Fields, Louisa Fowler, Jane Frazer, Charles, Horace, Nettie and Fannie Lowe, Gustavus Morehead, Wesley and Jane Giddings, Humboat Packwood, and Lulah Smith. As there was but one district, it was stated that no expense had been incurred in making this list, and that it was, doubtless, incomplete. On December 1, 1869, the entire amount of the school fund for 1868, amounting to $313.11, was turned over to District No. 1 as being the only district entitled to any of the school fund for that year. On November 12, 1869, George Allen and others requested that a new district be formed "along the King County line at Monroe," and this was duly organized as District No. 2 on November 23, 1869. Charles Harriman was clerk of this district, and in November, 1870, he reported that no school had been held and listed the fourteen children of school age in the district as: Charles Elwell, Thomas Duvall, Catherine Hayes, Charles Kelsey, Emma Harriman, John, James and William McClurg, Maggie Allen, Margaret Woodard, and Adelaide and Emarilla Woods. At the same time Clerk Ferguson reported the school census of School District No. 1 with twenty-five girls and twenty-two boys. The school fund of that year was divided as follows: District No. 1, $296.71; District No. 2, $119.60, and Superintendent McClurg reported that school had been kept in but one district, for a term of six months, with an attendance of eighteen. In May, 1870, and again in November, 1871, the minutes of the board show that Henry McClurg was paid $25 per year for his services, while in 1872 he was allowed $31.50 in scrip, this advance representing the discount value. On November 9, 1870, E. C. Ferguson was appointed by the commissioners "to locate lands for school purposes in lieu of lands entered by settlers, and to make up for any deficiency that had in any other way occurred in or to any school section in this county.

District No. 3 was organized at Florence in 1872 with Miss Kate Bradley as the first teacher, and District No. 4 at Stanwood (Centerville) was established October 25, 1872, there being eleven pupils, with Ann R. Hancock as the first teacher, and F. H. Hancock as the first clerk. There was no tax levy in this district and the teacher received no salary for the thirty weeks which she taught. Mrs. Caroline Christianson was also one of the early teachers in this locality. .\ school district was also established at Lowell in 1873 with Mrs. H. Blackman as the teacher. The salary of the superintendent was increased to $200 in May, 1873, and in November of that year, the commissioners directed that one-third of the liquor licenses should go to the support of the schools, the money to be distributed by the superintendent, pro rata, according to the number of pupils. The board was not in such a generous mood in 1874, and serious objection was made to McClurg's bill for $100 extra compensation. Hurvey L. Pike succeeded Mc- Clurg as superintendent, and in May, 1874, the minutes show that he was paid $75 from the county fund and $58.37 from the school fund. At the same time, the salary of the superintendent was reduced to $100 and the order to share the liquor licenses with the school was revoked; a large amount of school lands were also leased to D. Kellogg. The next superintendent was William H. Reeves, who served from January, 1875, until May, 1876, when he resigned and Dr. A. C. Folsom was appointed. He was active and took much interest in the schools, but he resigned when the salary was again reduced to $25 a year. The record shows that the salary for 1876 was divided, Reeves receiving $7.28 and Folsom $16.64. In his report, dated January 16, Mr. Reeves made a statement as to the attendance and expenses of the schools from 1869 to 1875 as follows: 1869, 23 pupils, $313.41 expended ; 1870, sixty-one pupils, $15.70; 1871, no record; 1872, 127 pupils, $828 expended ; 1873, 160 pupils, $980 expended ; 1874, 200 pupils, $1,219 expended; 1875, 237 pupils, $964 expended. The large expense in 1874 is accounted for by the building of a $700 schoolhouse at Snohomish on lots donated by Mrs. Packard. There were eight school districts in 1875, the attendance being as follows: District No. 1, 98; No. 2, 20; No. 3, 28; No. 4, 21; No. 5, 32; No. 6,6; No. 7, 20; No. 8, 12.

Dr. A. C. Folsom, in his report covering the year 1876, said that there were no new districts established during the year, that the Snohomish school had been open nine months, and that the school fund to be divided amounted to $1,391.21. He also said that Districts Nos. 2, 4 and 8 had built schoolhouses during 1876, mostly by private subscription, while new seats had been installed at Snohomish. There were twelve teachers in the county, seven men and five women. He dwelt upon the fact the children at Snohomish had given a number of entertainments, thus securing an organ for the school, and he urged that music should be given more place in every school. His report closed by saying that some of the buildings used in the county were unfit for a child to enter, and added, "We are all poor, but we must do our best."" A new schoolhouse was erected in 1876 at a cost of $200, a mile and a half distant from Centerville, as that region was rapidly filling up, there being seven new families with twenty-seven children. James Town served as superintendent during the first months of 1877, but he resigned on April 26 and was succeeded by H. A. Gregory, who was also a clerk of the district court. Mr. Town returned to his own home in the Black Hills of South Dakota. School notes for 18/77 include the items that "Mr. Wagner, who teaches school up the Snohomish, is a son of Chief Justice David Wagner of Missouri," and that "school has begun in the Pilchuck district, the settlement of which began in 1875, and where there are now twenty scholars." By 1878, there were ten school districts and for the first time an allowance was made to the superintendent for visiting schools. There is also mention that "Miss E. Bigelow has been teaching on the Stillaguamish River, where her sister taught the year before." Theodore W. McCoy was superintendent during 1879, and until March 1, 1880, when he resigned and was succeeded by C. A. Missimer. During his administration, a new district No. 10 was created on the petition of James Comeford of Marysville. The boundaries of this district were described as "from Dead Water Slough to the mouth of the Snohomish River, along the coast of the H. A. Smith Island to the mouth of Steamboat Slough to the east line of Tulalip Reservation." The school census of 1879 showed 198 girls and 190 boys of school age, and seventy-one girls and sixty-one boys under four years of age. On October 2, 1880, C. A. Missimer made a somewhat comprehensive report on the county schools. There were 222 pupils enrolled out of a possible 377. There were ten teachers, five men and five women. 'The total income of the schools was given as $2,274.38, and the expenditures were divided as follows: teachers' salaries, $1,330; superintendent, $40; furniture, $19.72; libraries, etc., $18.60; paid on debt, $200; total, $1,608.32. The value of school property was given as $2,500, and the cost per pupil as $7.26. The first mention of a board of teachers examiners was made in 1882 when M. L. Packard and J. V. Bowen were appointed, each receiving $6 for his services. Among the pioneer teachers of 1882 were Mrs. M. L. Packard, at Lowell, J. V. Bowen at Mukilteo, Lizzie Anderson, the first teacher mentioned as having graduated from the Normal course at the University, at Pilchuck, and Miss Thorndyke, at the Packwood school. This schoolhouse was burned in July, 1882, and, as everything of value was found outside the burned building, it was suspected that the fire was of incendiary origin. In 1883, District No. 11, "across the marsh" rejoiced in a new building 16 by 20 feet in size, with Miss Merwin as teacher, and the first school on the Stillaguamish above Florence was taught by Mrs. O. B. McFadden in an old cedar shack later used by Rasmus Knutson and Iber Presthen as a residence. Among the pupils were the children of the Harbitz, Stenson, Brekhus, Liabo, Hevly, Gardner, Aune, Thompson, Anderson and McFadden families. The first woman elected to the office of county superintendent was Mrs. L. W. J. Bell, in the fall of 1882. Her many friends were disappointed, however, as she left the county and did not qualify. Elridge Morris was appointed to fill the vacancy, but he failed to qualify and Mrs. E. C. Granger, who had been teaching in Stanwood, was appointed in May, 1883. She served until 1886, and was one of the most active superintendents of the early history of the county. She eked out her meager salary as superintendent by teaching in the public schools and in a select school at Snohomish, and while she was aggressive, and, therefore, at times, involved in controversies, she must be credited for much intelligent effort and as the founder of the first county institute. One of her first acts was to authorize teachers who had not received certificates to complete their terms of school without them. A new schoolhouse, built in 1883, was erected in District No. 12, two miles from Snohomish on land donated by Mrs. Mary L. Evans and John H. Swett. Charles Short was director, and H. WwW . Light, clerk of this district and the schoolhouse was 20 by 30 feet in dimensions with 14-foot posts. When Mrs. Granger first asked for an appropriation of $60 for the purpose of holding an institute, the commissioners refused it unanimously. She went right ahead with her plans, however, and in September announced that a three-day session would be held in Snohomish City, free to all, including a literary and musical program by Professor O. P. Lee, pupils of the Territorial University, and Snohomish City talent. Those who attended this first annual institute were Mrs. E. C. Granger, D. W. Craddock, J. C. Howell, Lizzie Wetherill, J. I. Griffith, E. C. Morse, Eldridge Morse, J. W. Heffner, W. W. Petit, Emma Stevenson, A. M. Hawkins, Willie Elwell, D. F. Sexton, Meda Lyons, Mrs. L. G. Ferguson, Mary I. Sinclair, Mrs. H. M. Vestal, Professor O. P. Lee, of the University, and Rev. 1). J. Pierce, of Seattle. The concert was a great success, and the total expense of the institute was $40, of which Mrs. Granger gave $10. The institute proved so popular, however, that the commissioners allowed the bill at their November session. Mrs. Granger also showed much interest in protecting the interests of the county in the matter of public school lands, and on her request, the commissioners appointed Clark Ferguson to reenter school lands, where necessary, and the following year, Mrs. Granger was ordered "to proceed to Olympia and enter Lieu lands belonging to the schools of Snohomish County." For this, she was paid $3 per day and mileage. She selected seven hundred acres of school lands in sections 25 and 26, township 31-4, next to the reservation.

The records show that J. W. Heffner taught a four months school at Lowell in 1884; that Snohomish voted a special tax for a new school building to cost $1,200; that James Watson taught the school at Tualco, closing the term with a fine entertainment in July, 1884, and that in September, Mrs. Granger opened her select high school at Snohomish City with courses in physiology, school law, and theory and practise of teaching, this being the first course in Normal instructions in the county. The enterprise seems not to have met with success, however, as in January, 1885, Mrs. Granger was teaching for a time at Stanwood. Her report, February 3, 1885, shows eighteen school districts in the county, as follows: 1 - Snohomish, 2 - Park Place, 3 - - Florence, + - North of Stanwood, 5 - Lowell, 6 - Mukilteo, 7 - Tualco, 8 - Stretch's Farm, 9- - Pilchuck (Niemeyer's), 10 - Marysville, 11 - Stevenson's Marsh, 12 - Near Short's, 13 - Near Ferness, on Stillaguamish, 14+ - York's, 15 - Brackett's, 16 - and 17--on Kent's Prairie, 18 - Stanwood, the last ive having no schoolhouse.

In March, 1885, S. P. Clark, H. J. Andrus, and J. C. Gregory published a card thanking W. J. Heffner for his good work in teaching evening classes in their clistrict. This brief card of thanks should been extended to many teachers of the county. The day school was for the little folks, but the evening schools, wherever held, were attended by young men and women as well as by many of advanced years. These represented a hard working, ambitious people who were determined to advance themselves. Many of the best men and women of the county owe a large part of their education to these night schools held in the little cedar shacks. It is true, perhaps, that Dan Cupid was also busy, but the homes founded upon these meetings where grown men and women were not ashamed to admit their lack of education, and sought to obtain more, were nearly always happy ones. The influx of population was very heavy in the early eighties, and by the summer of '85, the school population had reached 2,511 (1,468 boys, and 1,043 girls), and there were six schools along the Snoqualmie Valley, these with their attendance being Cherry Valley, 14; Novelty, 21; Tolt, 24; Silvana Prairie, 22; Fall City, 33, and Snoqualmie, 23. In 1886 Mrs. E. C. Granger was the holder of the only Territorial Teacher's Life Certificate held in the county, and J. I. Griffith, S. S. Murphine, D. W. Craddock and J. W. Heffner were the only ones who held first grade certificates. The county was also proud of Miss Beckie Gaines, who received the highest average, 99 per cent, at Washington University. Among the teachers for that year were Elizabeth Wetherill, at Florence: Maria Wetherill, at Mukilteo: Olava Hanson at Stillaguamish; Madge I!lman at Stanwood; J. I. Griffith at Kent's Prairie, and Mrs. E. C. Granger at District No. 4. The Kent's Prairie schoolhouse was new, and not only was it paid for by subscription from the people of the district, hut the dressed lumber for its construction was carried by canoe and muleback. There were fourteen teachers in attendance upon the second county institute held in August, 1886, in charge of Professor Taylor. Music by the band and songs by Mrs. Elwell and Messrs. Hawkins and Bell were features of the occasion. Numerous district changes and several new districts were chronicled in 1887, and among the new teachers mentioned were Miss Hattie Thompson of Iowa, who taught in Marysville; Eva Andrus, at Burn school, Mr. Redpath at Pilchuck; and W. M. Allen, who taught at Sultan, and who eked out his salary by running a photograph gallery on Saturdays on Dr. Stevens' ranch. Mrs. Granger resigned in November, 1886, and was succeeded by ]. W. Heffner. He also proved a good superintendent, and the institutes held under his direction were notable events for the teachers. Those who attended in 1888 were John Highland, Elizabeth Yarem, Fannie I<. Griffin, Pattie E. Thompson, Susie Runquist, Susie Houghton, M. M. Uiman, H. Condon, Agnes Short, J. W. Redpath, C. R. Gregory, J. I. Griffith, F. J. Atwood, J. W. Jackson, and Supt. J. W. Heffner. Professor Tate, of Tacoma, conducted the institute in 1889, assisted by Dr. J. EK. Hams. The attendance of twenty-four was the largest the county had known, but it was excelled by the institute of 1890 which had an attendance of sixty, and was conducted by Professors Brintall and Hull, of Olympia, with J. I. Griffith as secretary. The memory of this institute is saddened by the tragedy which befell, when Elizabeth Nearum, who taught at Marysville, was drowned as she was returning from the institute when her canoe upset on Steamboat Slough. What night have been a serious accident occurred at Sultan, in December, 1889. One Richard Regan bought the Chesney ranch near Sultan after an arrangement had been made for the school to occupy a part of his residence. He agreed to the arrangement, and the house was fitted for the joint occupancy, but he failed to get along well with the school children, and to rid himself of the school he put a quart of blasting powder in the stove. The explosion wrecked the stove and the schoolroom, but fortunately no one was seriously injured. In his report for 1889, Superintendent Heffner gave a brief review of early school history, covering the formation of District No. 1 at Snohomish, and telling of the building of the first schoolhouse there with the addition of a similar building by its side for the primary department, and the erection of the $14,000 building in 1889 with patent seats, charts, maps and equipment, two study rooms, and two recitation rooms on each floor. This school opened November 3, 1889, with over 300 pupils in charge of six teachers. Of other districts, he said '"District No. 2 was formed from No. 1 in 1869. In 1879 it had twenty pupils, while in 1889, there were forty-two. The district has a schoolhouse which is also used as a church, and has levied a tax for a $500 building. District No. 3, Florence, was organized in August, 1872. It now has a two-story building, costing $25,000, with seating capacity of 150. District No. +, Stanwood Flats, organized in 1872 from parts of Districts 1 and 3, has an old building, the first cost of which was $400. A new $2,500 building is contemplated. District No. 5, Lowell, organized May 25, 1873, has a $500 schoolhouse, 24 by 100 feet, with the capacity of fifty. This also serves as a church. District No. 6, Mukilteo, established May, 1874, has a new building which cost $800. District No. 7, Tualco, has a schoolhouse which cost $750, which will soon be provided with patent seats. District No. 8, Kreishell, established May 24, 1873, has two schoolhouses, both good, costing $500. District No. 9, Pilchuck, established April 14, 1879, has a schoolhouse 24 by 35, costing $500. This district has 120 of school age. District No. 19, Packwood, organized August, 1877, has a schoolhouse costing $200. 'There are now thirty-five districts in the county, and the value of school property has increased from $5,200 in 1879 to $27,500 in 1889." Following the election of 1890, J. W. Heffner resigned in favor of Superintendent-elect B. H. Dixon, who took office at once. His report in October, 1891, gave the school population as 2,828, and the attendance as 2,050, with 127 in private schools. There were sixty-seven teachers in the county and their average pay was less than $50 per month. There were fifty districts with thirty-nine schoolhouses, nine of which were built of logs. The value of school property had more than doubled, standing at $56,207. Royal J. Tilton was the only holder of a First Grade State Certificate. Teachers who attended the examinations in 1891 were Miss Anna Gunn and Miss D. Gray, R. A. Croxford and W. W. Hewitt, of Snohomish, J. W. George, T. H. Look, T. E. Ashley, J. W. Redpath, Miss A. M. Williams, Miss A. Berg, of Marysville, Frances Webster, of Wallace, Mrs. Nelson of Getchell, Mrs. D. Teggar of Haller City, Pearl Coveny of Rudd, and Miss M. E. Batterson of Yew. That school teaching even as late as 1891 was not without its dangers is shown by the fact that when George Hart whipped the son of S. S. Murphine, that irate parent knocked down. the teacher and blacked both his eyes.

Responding to the rapid growth of the county, the school system developed greatly during 1892 and 1893. District No. 59, at Arlington, was organized in March, 1892, with Grant, Roscoe, and Monty directors, and Dr. W. F. Oliver, clerk. The Silver Lake district was next organized, the directors being Hogan, Larimer, and Jackson, and C. T. Brewer, clerk. Miss Moran was the first teacher in this district, and Mattie Warren, of Sultan, the second. A new schoolhouse was built on the Pilchuck near Pomona Postoffice in April, and Miss Williams, who taught at Dean, was referred to by the Snohomish Sun as "one of the best teachers in the county." Mukilteo, Arlington and Stanwood sold bonds for the erection of new schoolhouses; Mukilteo in the sum of $10,000; Arlington, $1,500, and Stanwood, $5,000. In July, 2,688 acres of school land were sold for $52,183.57. The prices ran from $10 to $70 per acre. The highest price was paid by W. J. Rucker of Everett for 200 acres on the marsh east of Snohomish. The county was not free from school district troubles, and the Norman schoolhouse was destroyed by fire in June, 1892, together with all the children's books and the teachers' register, as the work of an incendiary. This school was also known as the Brooklyn school. The first teacher was Mrs. O. B. McFadden, and others were Mrs. Gregory, Miss Illman, and the ill-fated Miss Nearum. Among the families whose children went to school were those of Breckus, Stubb, Prestlien, Olson, Engenseth and Erickson. Mount Park district was organized in August, 1892, and by the end of the year the school population had gained 24 per cent. The first county declamatory contest was held in 1892 at Snohomish, there being three first prizes of $10 each, and $5 for the best essay on any of the subjects - temperance, true greatness, George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.

1893 was also a busy year. J. N. Sinclair, who took office January 1, had $13,000 of school funds to apportion to the various districts, and the July apportionment amounted to $3,758. Among the new districts was the one at Lake Stevens, organized in January; District No. 58 on Jim Creek, organized in February, with Albert Porter, Mrs. Porter and Owen Feeley, directors, and Mrs. M. J. Calligan, clerk; and the Monte Cristo district in November, a two-story structure was built at Wallace (now Sultan) ; and the first public school at Silverton, opened December 12, 1893, with twelve scholars and Miss Jennie Turner as teacher. Superintendent Sinclair divided the waring district at Norman's, where, on account of the ill feeling, many would not send their children to the new schoolhouse erected after the old one was burned. A five-day institute was held, this being the first teachers' institute held at Everett, much to the disgust of the people of Snohomish. Superintendent Sinclair visited the East during this year, and J. J. Sheehan, who was said to have been "the only teacher to get a first-grade certificate at the last examination," was appointed as deputy during his absence. He taught at Haller City the following winter. An association known as the Puget Schoolmasters' Club was organized and held at a meeting at Everett October 21, the main feature of the program being an address by Professor Van Horn.

In 1894 there was continued increase in the school population and many demands for school expanses, but there was little money, there being no apportionment of school funds in January, as there was not enough money to warrant it. Nevertheless, Hartford erected a $600 schoolhouse, and Haller City built a two-story structure, while Monte Cristo voted a 10-mill special tax for the reopening of the public school and employed Mrs. W. R. Howard as teacher. Later in the year the Monte Cristo Townsite Company deeded an acre of land to the school district for the site of a new building. Marysville was unfortunate in the erection of its new building, as the contractor absconded with $1,813 and left the schoolhouse uncompleted. The school property of the county in October, 1894, was valued at $217,158, upon which there was a bonded indebtedness of $161,900. Nearly half of this indebtedness was due to the rapid growth of Everett. This indebtedness became very irksome and in 1896 it was announced that Lowell would have no school as with a bonded debt of $44,000 it took every dollar of the taxes to pay interest on the bond. In 1897 the free text book proposition was first voted on, but Trafton was the only district in which it carried. The school report for 1897 said that out of the seventy-six districts in the county but twenty-one had increased their indebtedness, while fifty-five had decreased theirs. The total increase of warrant indebtedness was $11,924.88, and of this amount Everett alone had added $11,840.12. The school property of the county was valued at $200,000, and there were 112 teachers employed - thirty-five men at an average monthly wage of $42.40, and seventy-seven women at an average wage of $38.40. R. E. Friars assumed office as county superintendent in January, 1897, serving until August 5, 1901. He found that the outlying districts had great difficulty in obtaining teachers, the Trafton district using its share of the apportionment because it was unable to maintain a school for three months because it could not secure a teacher. A school was erected at Bryant and opened in April, 1898, with Miss Louise Strang of Snohomish as teacher, and by the close of 1899, according to Mr. Friars' report, there were seventy-eight school districts in the county with a total enrollment of more than 5,500. The school apportionment for 1900 reached $12,790.82, the largest ever made to the county schools up to that time. A new departure in the school system was the creation of a county board of education appointed by the commissioners. The first board consisted of W. F. Street, Edmonds, Samuel Vestal, Snohomish, Catherine Anderson, Stanwood, R. J. Fausett, Monroe, and the county superintendent, Mrs. R. A. Small, as chairman. Mrs. Small was elected in 1901 and served until 1903. Succeeding county superintendents and their terms of office were as follows: Thomas Stiger, 1903-1907; Miss Eva V. Bailey (now Mrs. McPhall), 1907-1911; Mrs. Lizzie Jones, 1911-1915; Mrs. R. A. Small, 1915-1917; W. F. Martin, 1917-1921; J. A. Jacobsen, 1921-1927. W. F. Martin was the nominee of the republican party at the primaries held in: September, 1926. With the dawn of the new century, pioneering in school work was almost a thing of the past. The county continued its liberal policy toward the schools, the chief feature being the consolidation of districts and the establishment of high schools, by which the children of the country are enabled to receive the same advantages as the city dwellers. One thing which has made these high schools possible is the fine road system, which permits the transportation of the children at moderate cost. One of the first references to this transportation of pupils was in 1908, when the commissioners sustained the action of the superintendent, Miss Bailey, as to the consolidation of the districts in the vicinity of Stanwood, with the understanding that where necessary the pupils should be furnished transportation. There are now seventy-three school districts in the county, with 124 schoolhouses, 16,341 pupils and approximately six hundred teachers. The value of buildings and sites is in excess of $2,000,000, while the furniture and equipment add more than $500,000 to the total school value. The high schools are located at logical centers of population, and practically every part of the county has easy access to high school facilities. Motor buses furnish free transportation to the pupils and there is also provision for free text books. In 1902 nearly $1,500,000 was expended for education in the county, of which sum $138,583 was for permanent improvements. The total expenditure is increasing yearly, keeping pace not only with the growth of population, but with the wider and better ideals as to what the schools should furnish the coming American citizens. Snohomish County is fully abreast of the times, in its schools as in its roads, and there are few who would have it otherwise.