The Utah Public School System

The Utah Public School System BY A. C. NELSON, STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION While it is our province to write of the present condition of the public school system, and not of the history of education in Utah, it will not be out of place, as a prefatory remark, to say that in Utah there have always been schools. Our schools began when Utah began and they have grown as Utah has grown. An examination of the history of thirty-eight towns shows that in every instance a school was opened during the first year of their history. The second act of the first legislative assembly, which convened three years after the arrival of the first settlers, was the passage of a measure providing for the establishment of a .university. The planting and cultivation of crops and the building of homes necessarily claimed first attention, but the establishment of schools HON. A. C. NELSON, STATE SUPERINTENDENT , , was soon begun, and OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, UTAH frQm ^ J^, fc present time there has been a gradual and consistent educational growth. TESTS OF EFFICIENCY Judged from the standpoint of literacy, Utah stands among the first of the states ; measured by the ten tests of efficiency, apL1 w * ■

906 IMPROVEMENT ERA plied to the state school systems by the Division of Education of the Russell Sage Foundation, Utah holds a position of honor ; regarded from the achievements of its students and the character of its citizens, it merits a full share of credit and distinction. For many years Utah has stood third or fourth in the sisterhood of states in point of literacy. Only two and one-half per cent of its population over ten years of age are unable to read and write. These are found almost exclusively among the foreign element in the mining camps, where also are found a large percentage of college graduates governing the great mining industry for which the state is universally noted. The ten tests, applied by the Division of Education of the Russell Sage Foundation, to determine the efficiency of a school system, are as follows : 1. The number of children in school 6. School attendance. 2. School plants. 7. Expenditure and wealth 3. Expense per child. 8. Daily cost of schools. 4. Number school days per child, 9. High school facilities. 5. Length of school year. 10. Salaries Judged from these ten tests, Utah stands fourteenth among the forty-eight states of the Union. When the work of the schools has been exhibited in competition and passed upon by educational experts, the results have been most favorable. At the St. Louis Exposition, held in 1904, the grade schools of Salt Lake City received a gold medal, placing them in the second rank ; the high school a silver medal, placing it in third rank; the State Normal Training School received a gold medal. The grand prize, the highest award given to any school was secured by the State School for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. The credits of the State University are accepted at their face value by the highest educational institutions of the land. The State Agricultural College ranks with the best. The president of that institution, himself a Utahn, is recognized everywhere as an authority on the work of his chosen profession. In regard to the achievements of some of Utah's students, the attention of the reader is directed to the following brief excerpt taken from the Journal of Education, January, 1913, published in Boston by Dr. A. E. Winship, a venerable educator who is recognized throughout the nation as an authority on conditions which best promote the educational welfare : "Today one little county in Utah has in the world's arena, some of the best artists, sculptors, singers, and instrumentalists in America, more,

908 IMPROVEMENT ERA probably, than any state of ten times its population. In Boston, alone, last year a Utahn won the highest prize in sculpture, musical composition, and on the violin. One of the prizes of the National Federation of Musical Clubs goes to a Utahn." Not only is this true of art and of music, but it is also true that Utah has produced writers and actors of note. In history, in law, in science, and in government, our students have made marked progress. It is a matter of common knowledge that Utah students who enter Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Chicago, Wisconsin, and similar universities, often excel in their classes. The excellent standing of these students is due largely to habits of sobriety and right living. With the students, so with the teachers throughout the state, practically all of them refrain from the use of tobacco and intoxicants. ATTENDANCE AND EXPENDITURES Today, in the public school system of the state, 95,000 children between the ages of six and eighteen years receive instruction. There are 115,000 school children in Utah, but several thousands of these attend private schools. The children are taught in 700 school buildings, the value of which is $8,000,000. The expenditure for school purposes has now reached the sum of $4,000,000 per annum, which means an expenditure of $35 for each pupil of school age, or an annual tax of $11. to each person in the state. UNITS OF ADMINISTRATION REVENUES Utah has three units of administration in its school system. One is to be found in the first and the second class cities ; one in the consolidated districts of the first class ; the other in local common school districts. A city of at least 50,000 population belongs to the first class ; a city between 5,000 and 50,000 to the second class ; school districts of the first class must have a population of at least 2,000 children of school age. The schools in cities of the first and the second class, five in number, are governed and controlled by their respective boards of education. A board of education in a city of the first class consists of ten members, one-half of whom are elected biennially for a term of four years ; a city of the second class has a board of education consisting of five members, one of whom is elected every year for a term of five years. In cities of the first class, school boards are authorized to levy a tax of six and one-half mills for general maintenance and one and one-half mills for building purposes ; boards in second class cities with an assessed valuation

THE UTAH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM 909 of at least $10,000,000 have the same taxing power. In second class cities with less than $10,000,000 assessable property, school boards may levy eight and one-half mills for general maintenance and one and one-half mills for buildings. The members of the boards of education in county school districts of the first class are elected for a term of four years. The elections are so conducted that some of the members are always experienced in their duties. The boards have authority to levy from ten mills to fifteen mills for general maintenance and building purposes, according to the assessed valuation of their respective districts. The local or common school district boards consist of three members, one elected annually for a term of three years. These local boards have a taxing power of ten mills. In addition to the taxing power of the boards in these respective units of organization, additional funds may be raised by a vote of the qualified electors. All cities and districts receive their pro rata share of the three mill state tax for graded schools and of the county school tax, which may not be more than four mills on the assessable property of the county. All high schools in the state which are maintained upon the standard fixed by the State Board of Education receive their pro rata share of the funds derived from the state high school tax, which consists of one-half mill of the eight mill state tax. From these sources of revenue come the $4,000,000 which are raised and expended annually among the public schools of Utah. SCHOOL BUILDINGS The school plant, as before intimated, is one of the factors which has much to do with a school system. With school buildings this state is well supplied. The little one room rural school house is now almost unknown in Utah. There are perhaps not more than a dozen such buildings in the state. Practically every community has a school building which adds to the beauty of the place and which contributes to the health and comfort of the child. With the exception of the Salt Lake City high school building, which is being erected at a cost of one-half million dollars, the accompanying likenesses are of buildings such as are being constructed in many parts of our commonwealth. It will be noted that some of these buildings are more or less remote from the centre of population. During the last five or six years nineteen high school buildings have been erected ranging in cost from $25,000 to $100,000. In every case these buildings have been fully equipped with modern conveniences. A brief description of one of them may aid the reader to form a more ade-

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THE UTAH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM 911 quate idea of the buildings in which the children receive their school training. The Carbon county high school building with its furnishings cost approximately $100,000. It is built of reinforced concrete and is absolutely fireproof throughout. It covers three-fifths of an acre of ground and contains more than one and one-half acres of floor space. Outside, it is cement plastered and finished with Caen stone color water proofing. The ground floor contains the gymnasium, the domestic science and art department and the manual training department. The gymnasium is 50x75 feet. It has a running track, a number of shower baths, and a 25x40 foot swimming pool. It also has a spectators' balcony. The domestic science rooms are equipped with electric, gas, and coal ranges. CARBON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL, PRICE, UTAH In connection with the domestic science department there is a model dining room and also a lunch room for the boys and another for the girls. The building contains its own gas plant used chiefly for the chemical laboratories and for the domestic science department. The first floor has an auditorium with a seating capacity for five hundred persons. Leading from the gymnasium on the ground floor to the auditorium is a spiral stairway, over which the gymnasium performers may pass to and from the stage of the auditorium without in any way disturbing the audience. On the floor also are two locker rooms equipped with steel lockers, two retiring rooms for teachers, and the principal's office. The second floor contains the physical and chemical laboratories, a lecture room, and music and art rooms. Throughout the building there are the latest designs in plumbing and heating. The building is equipped with an electric plant. This lighting is of the indirect type which approaches more nearly to daylight than any other artificial light known. Besides the rooms already mentioned, there are eighteen regular class rooms. The likeness of the building shows that it is a structure of architectural beauty.

912 IMPROVEMENT ERA TEACHERS Much as are to be desired commodious and comfortable school buildings, attractive and sanitary surroundings, the most modern and improved equipment, still they are all of secondary importance to the character and qualifications of the teachers. During recent years somewhat rigid legal requirements have enhanced the teaching efficiency in the schools. No person is now eligible to take the examination for the purpose of securing a teaching certificate valid in the common schools until such person has acquired either three years of successful teaching experience or four years of high school training and about one-half year of normal school work. Graduates of normal training schools which require their students to complete two years of work beyond * ilf £ ffr ' "uJ L^_. » •^&£' 1 miir ill II Hill Hi! in fit m Mill mi; i jpfjWHf i 1 pug m 8S SPANISH FORK, UTAH COUNTY, HIGH SCHOOL a four year high school course, or its equivalent, are given teaching certificates without examination. A greater number of such qualified persons are entering our schools each year. They are well prepared, especially after one or two years of experience, to give valuable service. The increased preparation required of teachers has contributed to a rise in teachers' salaries. The average monthly salary of the common school teachers in Utah is, male, $85 ; female, $65. HIGH SCHOOLS A remarkable impetus was given to the high schools when in 1911, state aid was secured and the high schools were placed under the direction of the State Board of Education. Utah is one of the few states giving state aid to high schools; last year

THE UTAH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM 913 the state contributed $20.90 for each student who had been in attendance at least twenty weeks during the year. To be eligible to participate in the state high school fund, schools must follow the prescribed course of study ; they must provide adequate equipment for the courses which they offer ; they must remain in session at least thirty-six weeks during the year, including holidays ; they are required to employ teachers who hold state highschool certificates or diplomas. As these certificates represent scholarship equivalent to a degree from a standard college, including credits in the professional subjects, it is apparent that high school teachers are required to undergo thorough preparation for their work. A state high school inspector works under the direcIIIGH SCHOOL, AMERICAN FORK, UTAH tion of the State Board of Education, who visits the schools frequently and gives such aid as may be required. The course of study aims to train for efficient citizenship. In the course of study, the fact is not lost sight of that the high school owes a duty to those seeking higher education, but the dominant idea is not that the function of the school is performed merely in preparing its students to enter college. It takes into account the fact that many high school students do not enter college at all, but that practically all of them enter civic and industrial life and that they should, therefore, receive the best possible training for civic and industrial success. It is recognized also that the schools should train young men and women for useful-

914 IMPROVEMENT ERA ness in their own community. Heretofore, the rural high schools have been feeders to the college and to city life. The high school is now seeking to readjust itself to the needs of the particular community in which it is situated. Courses are given in agriculture, outside of mining districts and first and second class cities. Courses in domestic art and science are offered, that the girls may become acquainted with household duties. Courses in music, commercial branches, and subjects leading to the professions are also given. But one of the main purposes now sought in the rural high school is to educate the stronger youth toward the farm and to industry instead of toward the professions and business exclusively. . The greatest change in the Utah school system during recent years has taken place in the high schools. Only a decade ago, there were but four or five high schools in the state. Today there are forty. High school privileges are now accessible practically to all of the youth who are prepared to pursue courses in secondary instruction. LIBRARIES A word should be said of the public libraries. Recent legislation has made it the duty of the State Board of Education to promote the establishment and maintenance of libraries. School boards are required to set aside annually from the local school fund, a sum equivalent to fifteen cents for each child in the district of school age, which sum is expended for books recommended by the State Board of Education. The schools throughout the state now have libraries well adapted to the needs of the pupils. In addition to school libraries there are between twenty and thirty public libraries in various towns and cities. Since the beginning of the library-gymnasium movement, gifts aggregating $70,000 have been received from Andrew Carnegie. Other gifts from private and public organizations have contributed to the establishment of municipal libraries which are a distinct credit to the cities in which they are situated. CONSOLIDATION About eight years ago, a law was enacted providing for the consolidation of small school districts into larger units of organization. Seven of the twenty-seven counties have already taken advantage of the benefits of this law and several other counties will doubtless consolidate their districts within a comparatively short time. In these consolidated districts, there is an equitable distribution of school funds. As a tax is levied upon all the assessable property of the county, sections with much corporate property necessarily contribute to the support of sections less favored in this respect. Consolidation admits readily of the appointment of efficient supervisors ; of a desirable grading, both of

THE UTAH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM 915 teachers and of pupils ; of economy in the purchasing of supplies ; and of a more efficient school administration throughout. SUMMARY While, as before stated, there has been a consistent development in the schools of Utah from the beginning, it is only fair to say that the schools have made especially commendable progress during recent years. The citizens have responded readily and generously to any requests which have appealed to them as beneficial to the schools. During the last decade we have changed our school law, and therefore our standards, so that now we have MT. PLEASANT HIGH SCHOOL, SANPETE COUNTY, UTAH free, uniform text books, uniform state examinations for teachers, uniform examinations for eighth grade pupils, school libraries, better organized county teachers' institutes, a committee to prepare a state course of study, county consolidation of districts, a committee to approve school house plans, and medical inspection in city schools. Now our high schools receive state aid when they reach such standard of efficiency as is prescribed by the State Board of Education. Ten years ago, an eighth grade graduate was eligible for examination for a teaching certificate. Now four years of accredited high school work and at least nine hours in the professional subjects are required for entrance to the examination. The requirements for state certificates and diplomas have been greatly increased. A state high school diploma then represented scarcely more than one year's work of college grade. Now a full college course or its undisputed equivalent is required.

916 IMPROVEMENT ERA Corresponding increases have been made in the requirements for grammar grade diplomas and state five year certificates. Largely through these requirements the schools have grown in influence and efficiency. They are not perfect, but they are responding in an encouraging manner to our necessities and to the praiseworthy ideals of our people. [Superintendent A. C. Nelson, who has faithfully and efficiently served Utah as Superintendent of Public Instruction since the year 1900, is a man who stands as well with the leaders in education in the United States as in our own State. Here is what Carrol G. Pearse, Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, wrote last August: "Mr. Nelson is known to me, as he is to all the men engaged in school work throughout the country, as a splendid type of western educational leader, a man who commands the respect of all his associates throughout the country; and who is regarded by them with the warmest feeling of personal friendship." M. G. Brumbaugh, Ph. D., LL. D., Superintendent City Schools, Philadelphia, says of our state superintendent: "I count Superintendent Nelson one of the kingly men in the profession, able, alert, progressive, sane, and lovable." G. H. Harris, State Superintendent of Louisiana, writes: "I consider Superintendent Nelson one of the strongest superintendents in this country. He is so considered by thousands of men who annually attend the N. E. A." — The Editors.] A SCENE IN EMIGRATION CANYON THE RAILWAY WINDING OVER THE HILLS