III. THIRD ADMINISTRATION OF ROBERT L. LONG, 1906–1909.
Mr. Layton resigned and was succeeded January 1, 1906, by Mr. Robert L. Long, who then entered upon his third and last term as Territorial superintendent. He was reappointed in 1907 and served till March 17, 1909, completing in his three terms of service a little more than nine years. He published reports for the bienniums of 1905–6 and 1907–8. These appear to be, with two exceptions, the last printed reports issued by the department. It seems unreasonable that the educational report of a great and growing State should be less full and far less available, now that it has attained statehood, than it was in the earlier days of Territorial dependence, but such is the case. Since the report for 1907–8 the State has not maintained the standard of excellence set by the Territory in the matter of reporting on the work actually accomplished.
The 1905 session of the Territorial legislature was not rich in legislation dealing with the schools. Only a few acts were passed. One gave funds to Graham County to restore a schoolhouse at Clifton, destroyed by the flood of February, 1905; another provided for reestablishing schools whose houses had been destroyed by violence like the above, while other acts provided for support of the reform school and for the teaching of manual training and of music and drawing in the schools.
The new superintendent pointed out that the attendance on the schools was still—
wholly voluntary, as the compulsory attendance law is so defective in some of its provisions that all attempts to enforce it have failed. If such a law is deemed necessary, it should compel the attendance of all children between the ages of 6 and 14 years during the entire time the schools are open. Habitual truants should be provided for at the industrial school.
As these remarks would indicate, the attendance was much as it had been in the past. In 1904 and 1905 the enrollment was 74.4 and 76.8 per cent of the school population, and the average attendance as measured on the basis of school population was only 47.4 and 47.7 per cent for these years, respectively; and while this was much better than in some of the States, it was so poor and irregular that the Territory was still paying more than $2 for every dollar’s worth of services received.
In 1905, 10 new buildings were erected; in 1906 there were 12. Some of these were to supply the places of outgrown structures, but most were in new localities. Many were built on the latest and most approved plans, with ample playgrounds and supplied with the best furniture. The house at Douglas cost $15,000 and that at Bisbee about $70,000. Tucson paid $50,000 for a high-school building, and buildings of this character and cost were soon to become relatively common.
