“high integrity and strict morals,” disagreed with the board of control on the question of corporal punishment and was dismissed; another increased the running expenses by 72 per cent in a single year, and the State auditor complained that there was a tendency on the part of officials to conceal objectionable occurrences.[1] It is frankly admitted that this is the most expensive of the State institutions, its per capita cost being considerably more than that of some other institutions. It is conceded, however, that its location is not favorable to a creditable showing in this respect, while its smaller enrollment accounts for a part of this increased cost. The cost of the Industrial School, for both maintenance and improvements, has been as follows: 1897, $279.50; 1902, $15,375.35; 1903, $13,868.22; 1904, $25,482.18; 1907, $24,086.30; 1908, $15,129.86; 1911, $24,642.91; 1912, $26,768.87; 1913, $40,520.41; 1914, $86,088.86; 1915, $61,568.12; 1916, $42,445.15.
The State has now also taken over and conducts the education of its deaf, dumb, and blind children. During Territorial days this duty had been performed under contract by institutions in California and Utah, the contract price being $350 per pupil per year. During these years the annual cost for this service was, as far as the reports of the State auditor show—1900, $543.90; 1901, $1,770; 1902, $1,770; 1903, $2,337.50; 1904, $1,500.
When the State took over this work it was located in rented buildings in Tucson. The school opened with 17 pupils. It had its own equipment, but there was little facility for carrying on its work and the school was then in great need of better classrooms, reading rooms, sitting rooms, and a well-equipped library. In 1915–16 there were 26 children in school, which was about half the known defectives in the State. The expenditures in recent years have been—1912, $1,546; 1913, $4,544.14; 1914, $9,610.65; 1915, $13,987.27; 1916, $14,983.67.
The rural schools, with a population more than twice as large as that of the urban schools, are now doing work of such vital importance that expert rural supervision is becoming a necessary step “toward equalizing the educational advantages of city and country.” [2] It was in accord with this idea that Dr. Neil was employed as State high-school inspector, but little special work has as yet been done for the grade schools. They are still under the care of the county superintendent, who is, first of all, a politician and sometimes without special qualifications for the more professional duties of his office. In addition to this, he generally has under his control more schools than he
- ↑ See auditor’s reports for 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1915, where there is sharp and vigorous, but nevertheless sound and sane, criticism of this and other institutions. Indeed, quite the best criticism that has been found anywhere of the Arizona public institutions are these incidental notes of J. C. Callaghan, State auditor, 1912–1917.
- ↑ The school law of 1913 provided that the county superintendent should apportion to each district “not less than $35 per capita upon the average daily attendance” as determined in a certain way, but no district was to receive an apportionment of less than $850.
