Kentucky School Report 1912-1913

Kentucky School Report 1912-1913 by Barksdale Hamlett, State Superintendent. Hardback, approximately 900 pages, no index.  

Pages 133-135. OHIO COUNTY

"In making this report to you, as to the progress of the schools of Ohio County for the last two years.  I shall confine my report strictly to what has been done.  While I cannot report a complete revolution in school work and school conditions, I can say that many changes for good have been made.

Very little work, so far, has been done in the way of employment of supervisors due to lack of funds for such work.  The county board recognizes the good that can be done in that way, but have been unwilling to run the county in debt for it.

I find it very difficult to get the teachers to carry out the Course of Study fully, but many more teachers are interested in it now than have ever been before.

The compulsory school law works well until the superintendent and the teachers are mixed up with diphtheria, measles, mumps, whooping cough and small pox, all of which we had to deal with in the last year.  Then, I confess, we completely lost sight of the situation.  Still for all that, our average attendance was better than it has ever been before.  I think the law will work well enough when we can provide means with which to carry on this and many other needed reforms.

In the last two years, we have built fourteen new buildings, at a cost of approximately $7,000 and repaired thirty at a cost of $4,000.  School equipment to the amount of $1,975 has been purchased and placed in the schools of the county.

As to consolidation and transportation, nothing of note has been accomplished, except that the question has been, and is being agitated in every part of the county, with the prospect favorable to at least a trial of it soon.  I am very much in favor of consolidation, if other local conditions which are essential to its success, can be managed.

The school term has not been lengthened and there is not much sentiment in favor of it.  I am sure, that in many rural localities, an extra month would be poorly attended.  I very much prefer that means be provided whereby we can pay our teachers better salaries for the term now taught.

The salary schedule is the most perplexing thing in the whole matter and the most difficult thing for the teachers to understand.  In our county, there are quite a number of small schools and this causes us to employ many teachers, which of itself, pushes the salary down, at least for the teachers in the large district.  $35 is not too much for any teacher, but $45 and $50 is much too small for the experienced teacher.  This salary schedule has caused more dissatisfaction among the teachers, especially the best ones, than anything in the past ten years.  If you can devise some way by which we could pay our good teachers a good salary, we may hope to keep them in the profession.  If not, then we cannot.

We have more pupils in the county high school than has ever been before and the prospect is very bright.    I think the county high school is creating, and will continue to create, more interest in the rural school than any other one thing.

In conclusion, I wish to say that no decided changes have been attempted.  We have attempted and in fact have built houses, repaired those already built and furnished all buildings to such an extent that we have had little money for other things.  The school property of the county is worth many thousands of dollars more than it has ever been before.  Many wells have been dug and special attention has been given to the purity of the water supply for schools.  It will not be impossible, in the near future, to have supervision of the schools, which, I think, is absolutely necessary to the successful enforcement of the compulsory school law.

The clerical work of the office is enough for one man, and it follows that if one man has to do two men’s work, some will be left undone.

School work and school conditions are better, the people are demanding better things, indifference is disappointing; patrons, teachers and school officials are working together. Many things need to be done. We are doing them just as fast as we can."

By Henry Leach,

County Superintendent

Statistical Reports 1911-1912:

Rural students Ohio County census

White male 4,241, White female 4,032, Total 8,273

Colored male 170, Colored female 204, Total 374

Total 8,647

Ohio County Enrollment in School:

White male 3,469, White female 3,336, Total 6,805

Colored male 102, Colored female 166, Total 268

Total 7,073

Over 18 years old

Male 124, Female 150, Total 274

Average Attendance:

White male 2,141, White female 2,003, Total 4,144

Colored male 65, Colored female 103, Total 168

Total 4,312

Percent of census:

White male 50, White female 45

Percent of enrollment:

White male 61, White female 63

Graduates from Elementary Schools:

White male 31, White female 36, Total 67

Colored 0

Thanks to Helen McKeown