Supt. Sherman made reports on the public schools under his authority for the years 1879 and 1880. These are summarized in the reports for the United States Commissioner of Education for 1879–80 and 1880–81. The progress reported for 1879–80 over 1878–79 was very gratifying and more or less uniform, except in length of term. In 1878–79 the latter is given as 165 days, while the next year it went down to 109. In explanation it was said that the city and village schools were taught from 150 to 200 days, while the terms of the country schools were seldom over 100, and sometimes as low as 40 days. There was also a decrease of $1 in the average monthly salary, from $84 to $83. The income under the law of 1879 was more than twice what it had been under the old law. In 1878–79 the income and expenditures were, respectively, $32,421 and $29,200; in 1879–80 they were $67,028 and $61,172.
The enrollment in 1879–80 was one-fourth larger than in 1878–79; the average attendance was one-half larger; and the per cent of attendance on enrollment rose from 63.4 per cent in 1878–79 to 67.7 per cent in 1879–80.[1]
In some districts there were no schools, and large numbers of children never attended school at all, and yet the accommodations were so poor and so meager that it was impossible to take care of all who applied for admission; it was therefore still impossible to enforce the compulsory law of 1875.
Sherman’s report for the period of his administration as a direct representative of the people, 1881–1883, has been seen. Like all other officers engaged in similar work, he has the usual complaint that reports to him were incomplete, and that the county superintendents, tied down as they were by their duties as probate judges, could not go out among the schools and learn for themselves, but must depend on such information as might be sent in by individual teachers; hence the general report necessarily fell short of showing the actual condition of schools, but with the aid of reports from the various counties, he is able to give a general survey of the Territory as a whole. He points out that the main difficulty was in the sparsely settled rural district, with its short term. This term was often only three months, the minimum requirement to meet the law, and was not only too short for the good of the child, but was in proportion unduly costly.
In 1882 the superintendent reported “good progress,” but the difficulties were the same as ever. The probate judge’s time and attention were too much filled to make him a good school officer; besides, this office demanded a man particularly trained and qualified. Progress had been made in the erection of schoolhouses, but the
- ↑ Rept. U. S. Commis. of Educ., 1880, pp. 352–355.
