349 M SCHOOL SURVEY SUGGESTION ALFALFA COUNTY GRADY COUNTY WAGONER COUNTY 1918 Prepared by E. A. DUKE Rural School Supervisor Issued by R. H. WILSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction OKLAHOMA SCHOOL SURVEY SUGGESTION ALFALFA. COUNTY GRADY COUNTY WAGONER COUNTY 1918 Prepared by E. A. DUKE Rural School Supervisor Issued by R. H. WILSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction OKLAHOMA '^. of D. I/.N 30 1919 ^'iniic: itf ©klaJtatttct R. H. WILSON, Superintendent E. N. COLLETTE, asst superintendent May 15, 1918. TO THE PUBLIC : Agriculture is the principal industry in the three counties re- ported in this pamphlet. But conditions in these typical counties are not the same because of differences in crops, races, topography and taxable valuations. As a result, the problems of school admin- istration are not the same in each county. Educational opportunities are not equalized in the three coun- ties or in the several districts of the same county. The opportuni- ties as between counties and districts should be and could be equal- ized. It frequently happens that one district with few children and small taxable valuation has a well equipped school building, a long term of school and a high tax rate, while an adjoining district with a large valuation and many children maintains a short term of school in a poorly equipped building on a low rate of taxation; or vice versa. Different school boards and different school commu- nities have varying standards or ideals. The towns, villages and centralized schools afford high school training, while the one-teacher and two-teacher schools cannot offer accredited high school training. More than one half of the pupils cannot secure secondary or high school training in their home dis- tricts as they are organized at present. The purpose of this publication is to suggest a plan under which all children in the state may be provided with adequate school facilities. In order to make the plan easily understood, it has been applied specifically to three counties. But the publication is issued as a suggestion to all counties in the state. Many of the groups outlined have valuations higher than other consolidated and union graded districts in the state and could sup- port splendid centralized schools. The cities, towns, consolidated and union graded districts provide superior educational facilities for the children. Such 4 School Survey Suggestion schools can easily be standardized and improved. The develop- ment of these schools in the past has demonstrated that this is true. Our city school systems have made a wonderful growth during the past ten years. Educational opportunity in the country should be equal to that in the city. There is no valid reason why pupils living in homes separated by an arbitrary school district line should have such un- equal educational opportunities. The child who groAvs up in a poor district, or in a district where the people are niggardly and unprogressive, is just as important to this state and nation as is a child who grows up in a district where conditions are the reverse. Living in such a community, the child needs the protection of the law more. The only remedy for the conditions set forth in this bulletin is to follow the example of a great many other states by making the county the unit of school government in accordance with the plan which has been submitted to the last two legislatures and which was turned down by them because they said it was undemocratic. Everyone says that he wants to give the country child as good an education as the city child, but this cannot be done until you give him as good a school and teacher, and these cannot be had until you give him a f-'chool system as well organized and as well administered The present small school district school system compares with the county unit system just about like the old fashioned bull tongue plow compares with the modern cultivator. The farmer has sub- stituted riding cultivators for walking plows, throughbred for scrub stock, the automobile for the buggy, the cream separator for the chum, the tractor and truck for the team, but he has left his little one-room school as it Avas when his grandfather knew it. And we have not been able to get better school legislation for the rural children, because legislators have been afraid of their farmer con- stituents. R. H. WILSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction FOREWORD State Superintendent R. H. Wilson recently issued a bulletin entitled ''Rural, Centralized, Graded and Model schools'' in which attention is called to the fact that Avhere consolidated districts are organized without refrence to a general county-wide plan certain little weak districts ultimately find themselves cut off in such a way that they cannot consolidate. It has been customary in the past for the county superintendents to wait until the consolidation "spirit moves" in a community, or group of districts, and then to go forth and assist those districts to unite. As a result of this watchful Avaiting policy, we have in many cX)unties little districts that have been so hemmed in by consolidations that they are doomed to remain little and weak districts. School improvements should have in view the welfare of all the pupils in the county rather than the welfare of a chosen few. The child living in a poor district is entitled to as much consideration as the child living in a rich district. It is not neighborly, in fact is rather selfish, for groups of wealthy districts to consolidate in such a way as to make it impossible for the less prosperous districts to better their condition. A county wide plan carefully mapped out and fol- lowed will prevent such injustice as has resulted from sporadic con- solidation in the past. This School Survey Suggestion is printed and distributed, there- fore as a suggestion to all county superintendents and people in the state, as well as to the people in Alfalfa. Grady and Wagoner Counties. It is not expected that the suggestions contained herein will be acceptable to every one concerned, but if they lead to a better general plan of county- wide reorganization and redistricting in these three counties, or in other counties, the publication will serve its purpose. During the next school year, each county superintendent in the state should make an inventory of the equipment and needs of each scnool district at the time the school is visited. It is suggested that a county plan be worked out along the lines suggested herein. Each superintendent having an intimate knowledge of local conditions should be able to arrange a better plan for his county than any other person can arrange for it. The plan as worked out should be pub- lished and distributed to the people in the county, either in bulletin form or as a series of articles published in the county papers. Future consolidations should conform to a county-wide plan. REASONS FOR REPORTING THREE COUNTIES. In Oklahoma conditions vary to such an extent that a plan which would be feasible in one county would hardly prove successful S School Survey Suggestion in another section of the state. School districts were organized in Oklahoma Territory prior to statehood; in Indian Territory the school districts were organized after statehood. Topographical conditions are not the same in all parts of the state. The crops raised have an influence on school attendance and spirit. A mixture of races has its influence on the administration of the schools. The maintenance of the school is effected by the amount of non-taxable land in the district. The educational ideals of the people, influenced as they are by the states from which they came, are not identical. The amount of progress that has been made in organizing consolidated and union graded schools in the several counties is not the same. These are some of the reasons that led to the selection of three counties in the state to be used as a basis of this suggested plan of county- wide reorganization. The variations in the three counties are briefly as follows : Alfalfa County is in the grain belt where the crops do not interfere with school attendance. The school districts in this county M'^ere organized a short while after the opening to white settlement of the Cherokee Strip September 16, 1893. The county is generaly level and adapted to consolidation. There are no negroes in the county. The population of this county was drawn largely from the northern states. Practically all of the land is taxable. Three consolidated districts have been organized in this countv. The one teacher school predominates, there being only two rural common school districts in the county employing two teachers. At a rule, the school district bonds issued for building purposes have matured and been paid, and the school houses are about worn out. There is one teacherage in this county. Grady County is located near the central part of the state where cotton and grain are the principal crops groMTi. The cotton crop interferes with the school attendance. The western one-fourth of the county was formerly a part of Caddo and Comanche Counties, Oklahoma Territory, and the school districts in this section were organized prior to the time Oklahoma became a state, 1907 ; the east- ern part of the county was formerly included in Indian Territory and the school districts in this section were not organized until after 1907. The topography and valuation in the several districts of this county are such that all are not adapted to consolidation. The population consists of Whites, Indians and Negroes, drawn largely from the southern states. A great deal of the land is not taxable One union graded district and two consolidated districts have been organized in this county. Thirty-nine of the rural districts have two-teacher schools in which from one to two years of high school work is offered . High school instruction is provided for a large per cent of the pupils in this county. Not more than one-half Foreword 7 of the districts in this county maintain one-teacher schools arid less than one-fourth of the pupils in the county attend one-teacher schools. The school district bonds being of later issue than those in Alfalfa County have not as a rule matured and been paid off. The schoolhouses being of more recent construction are generally bet- ter and more modern than those in older counties, but the box car type of building predominates here. There are fourteen teacher- ages in the county. Wagoner County is located in the eastern part of Oklahoma where cotton and grain are the principal crops grown. As in Grady County, cotton interferes with the school attendance. This county was formerly included in Indian Territory and the school districts were not organized until after 1907. There is considerable rough territory in this county. The population consists of Whites, Indians and Negroes drawn from all sections of the country. A great deal of the land is not taxable. No union grade or con- solidated schools have been organized in this county. Only three of the rural districts maintain two-teacher schools. The school district bonds have not yet matured and been paid. The school- houses are in a poor condition, the box car type predominating. There is one teacherage in this county. Acknowledgment Supt. Chas C. Wolfe of Alfalfa County, Supt. Moman H. Shepard of Grady County, and Supt. Fern H. Sizer of Wagoner County, accompanied me at the time inspections of the schools in their respective counties were made. They co-operated with me fully by making it possible for me to secure the information upon .which this report is based. Each of these superintendents is striving hard to improve school conditions and is entitled to the hearty co-operation of every person living in the county. But in justice to these superintendents, I take pleasure in stating that they should not be held responsible for the suggestions made herein. I alone am responsible for them. The illustrations used in this bulletin were furnished |3y the respective counties. E. A. DUKE, Rural School Supervisor. 8 School Survey Suggestion ALFALFA COUNTY This county is one of the northern tier of counties almost equi- distant from the eastern and western boundaries of Oklahoma. It lies just south of the Kansas state line, east of Woods County, west of Grant County and north of Major County. The shape of the county is that of a rectangle thirty-seven miles long from north to south and twenty-four miles wide from east to west. With the ex- ception of 28 square miles waste land in the Great Salt Plains, the 888 square miles of area comprises splendid agricultural land. This county was formerly a part of Woods County, which was one of the counties organized from the Cherokee strip at the time it was opened for settlement and made part of Oklahoma Territory. Sept. 16, 1893. The present school districts were organized and many of the present schools buildings were erected shortly after the opening. Alfalfa County, as a separate municipality, came into existance at the advent of statehood, November 16, 1907. The federal census of 1910 credited the county with 18,138 souls. The population at this time is probably greater than 20,000. Only five negroes reside in this county and no Indian tribes have their domicile within its bounds. The population is almost wholly white. It is the type of a county where the population is homoge- neous and where there is no necessity for separate schools. To this extent, the conditions there are ideal. There are a few^ sand hills in the northeastern part of the county, the northwestern, central and southern parts consist of level prairie, with the exception of a narrow strip about two miles wide extend- ing across the county two miles north of Goltry and Helena. The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River enters the county from the west just twelve miles south of the Oklahoma-Kansas line and flows southeast to the point where it enters Grant County sixteen and one- half miles south of the state line. There are several creeks in the county but all are bridged so they present no obstacles to travel. The county is traversed by four railroads The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe (Santa Fe), the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific (Rock Island), The St. Louis and San Francisco (Frisco), and the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient (Orient). The following toMnis and villages are located on these railroads: Cherokee, wliieh is the county seat; Carmen, Helena, Jet, Lambert, Driftwood. Burlington, Byron, Ingersoll, Goltry, Aline and Amorita. It is strictly an agricultural county. Grain, hay and livestock are the products. There is no cotton to interfere with school atten- dance. A large proportion of the farmers OAvn their farms. The taxable valuation of all property in the county is as fol- lows: Alfalfa County 9 Real Estate $17,691,178.00 Personal 3,495,232.00 Public Service 3,923,215.00 Total $25,109,625.00 SCHOOL ORGANIZATION. The county is divided into 93 school districts. There are 285, or more, school district officers. In 79 of the districts, one-teacher schools are maintained. There are two districts that employ two teachers each, and twelve districts that employ three or more teachers each. These latter are consolidated, village, and town schools. No high school work is offered in 81 districts. The enumeration of scholastics in the county January, 1917, was 5,383. The enrollment in the schools during the year closing June 30, 1917, was 4,389 and the average daily attendance during the same time was 3,637. Of the scholastic enumerated, 2,341 live in consolidated, village and town districts where some high school work is offered and 3,042 live in districts that provide no high school training in the home school. The enrollment in the graded schools of consolidated, village, and town districts was 2,097 for the year closing June 30, 1917, and the average attendance was 1,770. The enrollment in the ungraded rural schools for the same year was 2,292 and the average attendance was 1,867. The consolidated, village and town districts have levied $80,778 to provide schools during the current year for 2,341 persons of school age and the rural districts will pay $62,140 during the same time to provide schools for 3,042 scholastics. In other words, the districts having graded schools have planned to spend $34.50 for each person enumerated, while the rural people have planned to spend .$20.42 for each person enumerated in the rural districts that provide the ungraded schools. The approved estimates for teachers' salaries are as follows: For the 83 teachers employed in rural districts, $41,139; for the 81 teachers employed in the consolidated, village and town schools, $53,870. The average monthly salaries paid teachers in the county as a whole is $69.10; the average in the graded schools being $72.93 and in the rural ungraded schools $65.24. District 17 pays the loM^est monthly salary, $40.00: District 46, Cherokee pays the highest, $125.00. Fifty-four of the rural teachers are serving their first year in their present positions and twenty of these had had no previous experience as teachers when their schools opened last September. There are no third grade teachers employed in the graded schools. Stella Friends Academy, located in a rural community five miles northeast of Cherokee, is the only private school of note in 10 School Survey Suggestion WASTED HuH:st:t'j\\hjH SCHOOL BUILDJa^ .aaL- ajI.ANS OF TRANSPORTATION. DISTRICT NO. 94. the county. This academy furnishes high school facilities for rural pupils in that section of the county. Under the present transfer law, pupils transferred from one district to another have their tuition paid by the district in which they reside. The provisions of this law were not generly under- stood at the time when transfers were made during June, 1917, and, as a result many pupils in the high school are forced to pay their CONSERVATION OF HORSEPOWER— TRANSPORTATION AT LAMBERT. Alfalfa County 11 own tuition this year. Next year these pupil, will no doubt apply for transfers in time to have their districts pay this tuition for them. During this school year the rural districts are paying $3,993 as transfer fees, or tuition, for pupils who were regularly transferred to districts maintaining graded schools. The enroll- ment in the high school grades of seven grade schools reported was 480 and 218 of these pupils were residents of other districts. The districts maintaining graded schools levy a higher millage tax, upon the average, than do the rural districts. It is interesting to note in this connection that the consolidated districts maintain their schools on a lower rate of taxation than that levied in the THE NEW WAY— TRANSPORTATION AT DRIFTWOOD. good town and village schools. The rates levied in districts employ- ing three teachers or more are as follows : No. District Town No. Teachers Rate of Levy 1 Consolidated, Burlington 4 4. mills. 2 Consolidated, Driftwood 5 7. mills. 3 Consolidated, Lambert 8 6.5 mills. 14 District, Amorita '. 3 4.8 mills. 23 District, Byron 4 5. mills. 40 District, Ingersoll 4 8. mills. 46 District, Cherokee 18 9.2 mills. 65 District, Jet 7 • 12.4 mills. 77 District, Carmen ...: 13 7. mills. 86 District, Goltry, 5 10. mills. 89 District, ' Helena ..: 8 15. mills. 97 District, Aline 5 15. mills. 12 School Survey Suggestion The three consolidated districts furnish transportation as required by law and maintain their graded schools on a tax rate low- er than that levied by the average village and town district. Any of the rural groups outlined in this survey-suggestion can do the same. The farmer can provide a good graded school for his children at a lower rate of taxation than the village and town districts must levy to support their schools. During the month of November, 1917, accompanied by the County Superintendent Charles C. Wolfe, I inspected 58 schools in the coimty, including 47 one-teacher schools, 2 two-teacher schools. 3 consolidated and 6 town and village schools employing three or more teachers. In addition to the pei*sonal inspection of schools in all sections of the county, reports were received from all districts not visited except one \allage school, Ingersoll, and 5 one-teacher schools in districts 48, 82, 91, 95 and 99. The teachers in the.'^o districts either did not receive the report blanks sent them by mail or they ignored the request for information. Several of the reports were incomplete as to certain items. In 10 graded Xovm, village and consolidated schools, and in 70 one-teacher rural schools the enrollment in the first eight grades was as follows: Grade 1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th. 6th. 7th. 8th. Total Town 292 161 158 165 178 159 142 198 1453 Rural 343 171 186 218 183 185 162 176 1623 Total 635 332 344 383 361 344 304 374 3076 The rural enrollment is greater than the town enrollment in all grades except the eighth. This is due to several causes: 1st. A large number of rural children go to the toAvn school to take the eight grade work ; 2nd. There being no high school in the district to act as an incentive, pupils do not finish course ; 3rd, Rural children outgrow the school before they complete the course of study; 4th, There is nothing in the little one room school to hold their interest. .The high school enrollment in 7 town, village and consolidated districts was 485, of Avhich number 218 were pupils Avho live in rural districts offering no high school facilities and who were paying their own tuition or Avho had been transferred and were having theii- tuition paid for them by their districts. There are 93 grades of one pupil each, 101 grades having only tAvo pupils each, 21 grades having eight or more pupils each, and only 3 grades having ten or more pupils enrolled in the rural schools of '.he county. The average number of daily recitations in the one- teacher schools is 30, the highest number is 37. Small classes, absence of rivalry and short recitation periods lead to an absence of school spirit and enthusiasm necessary to hold the interest of the adolescent child. Alfalfa County 13 28 of 70 one-teacher schools have 8 grades enrolled. 17 of 70 one-teacher schools have 7 grades enrolled. 14 of 70 one-teacher schools have 6 grades enrolled. 6 of 70 one-teacher schools have 5 grades enrolled. 4 of 70 one-teacher schools have 4 grades enrolled. 1 of 70 one-teacher schools has a teacher, but no pupils en- rolled. SUMMARY. The following general information was compiled from obser- vation notes and reports made at the time the schools were visited: 1. Fourteeia districts have no water supply on the grounds. Several have wells and cisterns with wood covers in such a state of decay that the water drains back into the well. A large number of wells and cisterns are provided with concrete covers. In the interest of health, concrete covers should be provided for all wells and cisterns. 2. Tw^enty-three of the school sites are fenced and trees have been planted on eighteen. 3. In only four districts are the outside privies provided with screens and in forty-six of the districts these privies have pits, but in no district inspected had the pits been treated to make them odorless or the privies made fly tight. Each school district board should take this matter up with the county superintendent, who -will instruct them how to take care of these outbuildings. 4. Practically all of the schools have some form of playground equipment. 5. There are 77 one-room school houses in the countv, 4 two- room houses, and 13 houses having three or more rooms. In two of the 4 districts having two-room buildings only one teacher is employed. There is one teaeherage in the county. 6 Only two of the 77 one-room schools are lighted properly. The building west of Cherokee in district No. 45. is the most moriern. The buildings in many districts will need to be replaced or repaired at an early date. Directors should consult the county superintendent before building new houses or repairing the old ones. Only eleven rural buildings have entrance halls and only ten have cloakrooms, several of them have both entrance hall and cloak- rooms. Only one buildiiiff in the county has a cupboard built and screened in for the protection of the childrens' lunches. There are in these schools many unused bookcases with doors broken off that could easily be converted into lunch cupboards be placing screen doors on them. 7. Five of these schools have no window shades. Many of them have no sash curtains over tho lower windows. 8. One district has recently bought adjustable desks. Sev- 14 School Survey Suggestion eral have non-adjustable desks too large for a number of the pupils enrolled and too small for others. Double desks are found in about three-fourths of the districts and single desks in the others. 9. Many of the schools have insufficient blackboard space and in many others the blackboards are so high that they are of not much benefit to the smaller children. 10. Twenty-two of the rural schools have modern heaters, the others are heated by stoves of the old type that furnish no ventil- ation or uniform temperature for all parts of the room. 11. Eleven districts have sanitary water coolers. 12. Fifty-five districts have maps, fifty have globes, forty- seven have agricultural charts, eight have reading charts, four have physiological charts, and two have bird charts. In several districts the boards have purchased expensive charts and nothing else in the way of equipment. 13. Thirty-five districts have no library books, twenty-two districts have library books that are too far advanced for any of the pupils enrolled, therefore these libraries are of no value to the school. Only fifteen districts have provided library books for the primary grades. Directors should permit the teachers to select library books, in order to avoid such mistake;^, as liave i>een made in the past. For instance, seven of these districts had in the library nothing but expensive encyclopedias, three of them having as many as three expensive sets each bought from a persistent agent who would not take ''no" for an answer. 14. Eighteen rural schools do not own a United States flag. The flag was not displayed in seven districts that own flags. 15. There are a great many organs in the schools, a few pianos, and seven Victorolas. The musical instruments were usually found to be out of tune. It is suggestive that Victorolas or Grafanolas be purchased and a system of exchanging records be devised under which several' districts may buy a few records each and organize a circuit whereby each district may have an opportunity during the year to use all of the records belonging to the several districts. 16. In two rural one-room schools, domestic science equipment has been provided. In one such district manual training equipment has been provided. CONCLUSION. It is apparent that the rural schools of this county, which is more favorably situated and circumstanced than the majority of the counties in the state, do not meet the needs of the present day There are too many weak districts, too many district officers, too great a waste in duplication of equipment and in bad judgment shown in buying unnecessary equipment,^ while the school actually Alfalfa County 15 MAP OF ALFALFA COUNTY SHOWING SUGGESTED GROUPING OF DISTRICTS. GROUP FOURTEEN IS NOW CONSOLIDATED DISTRICT NO. 4. 16 School Survey Suggestion suffers for the want of a few of the essentials. Above all there is too great a waste of time both on the part of the teachers and pupils. The lack of high school advantages close at home cause too many of the pupils to drop out of school before they complete the eighth grade course. Too many of those who enter the town high schools are over-age showing that somewhere down in the one- room rural school they have lost several years from their school lives because of short terms and short recitation periods. The suggestions that follow should be given more than passing atten- tion, CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. No. 1 No 2. No. 3 Burlington Driftwood Lambert Area (approximate square miles) 221/4 25 401/2 Enumeration, 1917 141 151 268 Enrollment, 1917 133 158 223 Valuation of taxable property 1917-18 $836,337.00 $977,517.00 $1,442,073.00 Gen. Levy (mills.) 1917-18 4 7 G^U Total Est. approved, 1917-18 5,129.00 9,002.00 10,400.00 Est. for transportation, 1917-18 1,620.00 1,620.00 3,200.00 Est. for other expenses, 1917-18 3,509.00 7,382.00 7,200.00 Est. cost per child, 1917-18 38.39 56.97 46.64 Length of term in months 9 9 ' 9 Cost per month for each child Enrolled, 1917-18 4.26 6.33 5.18 Cost per mo. (not including transportation) 1917-18 2.92 5.43 2.98 Number of drivers employ- ed 1917-18 4 4 8 Average monthly salaries of drivers. 1917-18 45.00 48.75 46.50 Number of teachers employ- ed, 1917 4 5 8 Average monthly salaries of teachers, 1917-18 72.50 80.20 73.25 Enrollment Nov. 1917, Primary Grade 1 15 15 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 1st grade 13 11 19 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 2nd grade 11 10 17 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917. 3rd grade 13 8 14 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 4th grade 15 10 18 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 5th grade 15 8 17 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 6th grade 6 5 12 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 7th grade 11 8 12 Alfalfa County 17 16 7 26 8 12 25 6 13 19 8 5 7 6 127 123 190 9 9 7 En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 8th grade En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 9th grade En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 10th grade En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 11th grade En'lm'nt Nov. 1917, 12th grade Total November 15, 1917 Pupils from other districts CONSOLIDATED DISTRICT NUMBER ONE (BURLINGTON) This district has a four room schoolho.use located on a block or more' of land in the town of Burlington. There are two unscreened toilets on the schood site. These should be moved a greater dis- tance from the water supply and made sanitary. The building is improperly lighted, several of the rooms having windows on three CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL AT BURLINGTON. sides. There are no cloakrooms, window shades, curtains or equip- ment for agriculture, manual training and domestic science. The building is heated by furnace and cannot be ventilated except by means of the windows. The double desks, blackboards, teachers desks and chairs are in fair condition. The school needs more dictionaries and library books, lunch closets, water coolers, or drinking fountains. Two homemade wagons, one Ford truck and one Ford touring car are used to furnish transportation for the pupils. The Ford truck covers a route six miles long, making the trip in from forty to fifty minutes. Each driver in this district is paid a monthly 18 School Survey Si (.cestion salary of $45 . The touring car makes Iavo trips in the forenoon and two in the afternoon. Very little high school work can be done in this district as long as only four teachers are employed, because the enrollment in the lower grades is so great that at least three teachers must te as- signed those grades. The people of the district are making a great mistake in running a cheap school. Only fourteen pupils Avere enrolled in the high school on the date of my visit, November 13, 1917, and nine of these were from outside the district. This district should be enlarged and the people should attempt to provide a good school for their children, rather than a cheap school. CONSOLIDATED DISTRICT NUMBER TWO (DRIFTWOOD) This district has two school buildings, one with five rooms and one with one room, making six rooms in all. Five teachers are employed during the present school year 1917-18. The toilets are screened and provided with pits. There are no cloakrooms In the main building, but shields have been provided for coats and wraps. Four Waterman AVaterbury heaters provide heat and ventilation for four rooms, while a radiator stove is used in the other. This school has good blackboards, teachers' desks and chairs, maps, globes and single desks. The library has 312 books for all grades and these are in good condition. The school has three Encyclopedias. The school has spent $23 for subscription to cur- rent magazines for this school year. Five teachers are employed in this district, one being assigned DRIFTWOOD CONSOLIDATKD SCHOOL Alfalfa County 19 to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, one to the 4th, 5th and 6th grades, while three teachers teach the 7th, 8th and high school grades. In this way high school work can be done. The school is accredited i"or 15 units. The p\i])ils in the lower grades recite from one to two hours each day, while pupils in the 7th and 8th grades have aboW three hours of actual recitation work each day. The high school students have recitation periods of 45 minutes each. The enroll- ment in high school November 13, 1917 was forty, or one third of the entire enrollment in the school, eight of whom were transferred to this school from adjoining districts. A Ford truck, costing $710 complete, is used to haul about twenty-five children over a route IOI/2 miles long,making the trip in an average of fifty minutes. Two homemade wagons and one wagon purchased from the manufacturers of school vans furnish conveyance for children on the other three routes. The people of this district are trying to build their school up to a high standard and they Avill be able to do so. CONSOLIDATED DISTRICT NUMBER THREE (LAMBERT) This is the largest consolidated school in Alfalfa County, in area, school population, taxable valuation and number of teachers employed. It has a splendid school building, having eleven rooms and ranking among the best of the school buildings in the county. LAMBERT CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL. 20 School Survey Suggestion About three-fourths of the pupils enrolled in the high school ride to school in the vans showing that farmers' children in this section of the county take advantage of the excellent oportunity offered them to secure high school training. The primary grade pupils have a teacher who devotes the entire day to them. The pupils in the primary grades in the county cannot do independent and individual work in school, so it will be granted that such beginners working under the constant super- ■\asion of a trained teacher of primary pupils ought to do better work than can be done by such pupils in one-teacher schools where the teacher cannot devote more than one-half hour to them each day. The other teachers in the grade department have two grades each so the pupils in each grade have the benefit of the teacher's guidance during at least one-half of the day. Standard work is done in the high school department. A weekly paper is published by the pupils in this school. There is a parent-teacher association organized and a lyceum course was offered during this year. This school, as a community center, is a valuable asset to both old and young in the district. Four of the eight Avagons are driven by advanced pupils. The monthly salaries of drivers this year are as follows: $50, $55, $55 $50, $52. $44, $3(;. $30. The number of pupils hauled in each wagon are as follows: 26. 22. 25, 24, 22, 25, 8, 8. Alfalfa County 21 03 o o o t- to lO t- (M CO o -f^ o p o O l> co Oi o o O CO 05 I—" CO OJ tH 1-i co' r-H d CO t— t^ t- t- CO UO 1-H CD rH 1—1 lO" to , t- d oo Id CO ■^ tH CD CO rt^ rtH iS to ■¥^ CO CO o "* o tH (M 00 lO lO O • o p (M T— 1 O 1—1 o pq Oil ci "* CO d CO uo o ^ Ttn" o 1—1 , & ^ t3 •^ c M CO Tt< o o .2 o o CO CO o O O p id CO as o o o o 00 r-l ^ t- id CD CO lO CO CO lO (M CO o o id lO ei3 o 1— I ■6©- .-: 05 P^ S > o ^ 1— I as o <5 pi o ^ be a ^ OS «3 = I P. f>. s :c5 -s H C3 <5 t~ t- iH 1—1 as o^ t-^ rH 1-{ 1— 1 OS 1— ^ »s iH 4) a O ^ P! fl K p^ cS il' T) rt ^ O 22 School Survey Suggestion By cuting off that part of district 16 situated in Byron To\niship, the area of this group is reduced to 37 square miles and the valuation is reduced to approximately $450,000. The enumer- ation will also be slightly reduced. The group, as outlined, contains only 37 square miles. A union graded school can be located in this group so that it will not be farther than six and one-half miles from the most distant corner of the district. By moving to a central point the school houses now jsed by districts Number 2 and Number 17, and leaving the other schools on their present sites, it would not be necessary at present to employ more teachers than are now employed. The principal of the central school could teach the seventh, eighth and ninth grade pupils of the entire district and the assistant teacher could teach the pupils of the first six grades living near the central school. The schools now used by districts 1, 3, 16 and 18 could be kept open for pupils up to the seventh grade. At present, this type of school would cost very little more than the present schools are costing. While this group has sufficient area, valuation and population to organize a consolidated district, it is suggested that a union graded district would prove less burdensome because of the dif- ficulties involved in hauling pupils over sandy roads, GROUP TWO. Dist. 4 Dist. 5 Dist. 6 Total Area (sq. mi.) . OVs 6 7% 231^ Valuation, 1917 $149,207.00 $174,665.00 $235,180.00 $559,052.00 Gen. Levy (mills) 5 3.8 3 Approved estimate 840.00 735.00 855.00 2,430.00 Enumeration, 1917 41 25 58 124 Enrollm't, 1916-17 37 16 40 93 Estimated cost per pupil, 1917 22.69 45.94 21.37 26.13 Number of teachers employed 1113 This group is made up of three small districts and has an area of less than 25 square miles. But since the valuation is in excess of $500,000, a consolidated district may legally be formed. A union graded district, hoAvever would probally be best suited to this group at this time, as one extra room and one extra teacher at the central school in District No. 5 would be all the expense necessary to undertake the first year of high school work during the first two years. An additional teacher will be needed later, as the high school department becomes larger and more extensive. No child need be located more than six miles from the central school in this district. Alfalfa County 23 RIVERSIDE DISTRICT NO. 7. Mary Poison, Teacher Grounds and Outbuildings: Site one acre, sloping to front, two toilets not screened and without pits, fuel house in poor condition, no trees or shrubs on school ground, no walks to schoolhouse or outbuildings, water supplied from cistern with good concrete cover, a good giant stride is the only playground equipment, a stable with stalls for four horses, three horses and vehicles on ground November 13, 1917. School Building-: Painted, but not recently, good concrete platform in front, good foundation, no entrance hall or cloakrooms, improperly lighted by eight windoAvs, four on each side. Equipment : Non-adjustable window shades, sash curtains, good blackboards, 21 double and 12 single desks, teacher's desk and chair in fair condition, two good recitation benches, two chairs for visitors, an old style heater with jacket, thermometer, one case of maps, a good globe, dictionary in fair condition, four volumes of Practical Refrence Library, six volumes of Mc Cauley's History of England, and no other library books, reading, agricultural and physiological charts, bookcase with one door off, organ, no framed pictures, flag not displayed, basin for lavatory but no soap or towels, no screened lunch closet, no equipment for domestic science or manual training. Organization : One teacher, first year, 13 boys and 14 girls, six grades, no boys' and girls' clubs, twenty-five recitations daily no high school work. (See Group Three) FRIENDSHIP DISTRICT NO. 8. Helen Woodward, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : Level site on one acre (fenced), two toilets without screens or pits located too near the well which furnishes water, new wooden curb on well, good fuel house, no trees, no walks, a stable with stalls for six horses, three horses and three vehicles on ground day school was inspected, teeter-totter only piece of playground equipment. School Building: Painted, but not recently, good foundation, concrete plat- form, two doors in front, no entrance hall or cloakrooms, im- properly lighted by eight windows, four on each side. Equipment : Non-adjustable window shades, sash curtains, blackboards in fair condition but insufficient and too high from floor, double desks 24 School Survey Suggestion poorly arranged, teacher's desk and chair, two good recitation benches, modem heater, one case of maps, no drinking fountain or cooler, no globe, no library, no framed pictures, flag not displayed, organ, basin for lavoratory, bookcase, no screened lunch closet, a dictionary, agricultural chart, no equipment for domestic science or manual training. Organization: One teacher (first year) ; 12 boys and 18 girls ; thirty-three recitations daily ; all grades up to and including the eighth, no liigh school work. (See Group Three) CIRCLE DISTRICT NO. 9. Victoria Marsh, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : Level site of one acre enclosed w itli woven wire fence ; twenty- five black locust trees in uncared for condition; two good toilets; good coal house ; good barn ; no walks ; one horse on school ground the day school was inspected; all outbuildings painted. School Building: Painted ; good foundation ; cement platform ; no cloakrooms ; no entrance hall ; improperly lighted by six windows, three on each side. Equipment : Only two window shades; curtains; good blackboards; double desks well arranged; teacher's desk and chair; modern heater; thermometer; good globe; two cases of maps; dictionary in poor condition; agricultural chart; seven volumes Pupils and Teachers Encyclopedia; three volumes Lives of Our Presidents; about CIRCLE DISTRICT NO. Alfalfa County 25 seventy-five volumes of library books too advanced for the pupils in the school ; homemade bookcase ; several framed pictures ; flag and basin for lavatory. The school has no chairs for visitors ; no drinking fountain or cooler; no library books that can be used by the primary pupils; no screened cupboard for lunches; no equipment for domestic science or manual training. Organization. One teacher with four years of experience ; 11 boys and 8 girls, distributed in six grades; 36 daily recitations on teacher's prog- ram ; no high school work. (See Group Three) GROUP THREE. Dist. Dist. Dist. No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 Total Area (square mi.) IQi/o 101/2 IO3/4 31% Valuation, 1917 $278,333.00 $403,100.00 $491,434.00 1,172,867.00 Gen. levy, m., 1917 2.2 2.2 2 App'v'd Est., 1917 745.00 940.00 1,089.00 2,774.00 Enumeration, 1917 39 43 30 102 Enrollment, 1917-18 27 30 19 76 Length of Term (months) 1917 8 8 7 Cost per month per child 3.45 3.91 8.19 4.76 Number teachers employed 1113 Monthly salaries of teachers 65.00 65.00 70.00 200.00 Number years ex- perience as teachers 4 Enrollment Primary grade, 1917 2 3 6 11 Enrollment, First grade, 1917 „ 4 2 6 Enrollment, Second grade, 1917 Enrollment, Third grade, 1917 8 4 5 17 Enrollment, Fourth grade, 1917 3 4 18 Enrollment. Fifth grade, 1917 4 3 18 Enrollment. Sixth grade, 1917 4 6 2 12 26 School Survey Suggestion Enrollment Seventh grade, 1917 6 2 8 Enrollment Eighth grade, 1917 4 2 6 Total 27 30 19 76 Number Daily lie- citations 25 33 36 94 Number Horses driv- en to school by pupils day school was inspected 3 3 17 This group should include one square mile now in district 11, and three-fourths of a square mile in District 10, making a total area of 33I/2 square miles and increasing the valuation to about $1,200, 000. These districts are level, have good roads and bridges and a combined valuation greater than that of either the Burlington or Driftwood districts. A splendid consolidated or union graded school could be maintained by this group of districts. No child need be located more than six and one-half miles from the con- solidated school building. Enough horses are used to transport pupils to the little one-room schools to furnish transportation to the pupils in the district should they consolidate. The districts have no outstanding bonds. WATROUS, DISTRICT 10. Nan Sampson, Teacher. The level site contains one acre enclosed by fence. There are two toilets, a coal house, a barn, a cistern and a one-room school building on the site. The toilets are not screened and the pits are not cared for. The cistern has a good concrete cover. The barn has stalls for five horses. Three horses and three vehicles were used to transport pupils to the school the day the school was inspected. There is no playground equipment and there are no growing trees on the ground. The school building is painted white, has a good foundation, and a Avooden platform in front and is improperly lighted by six windows arranged three on each side. There is no entrance hall, no cloakroom, no screened cupboards for lunches, and no means of ventilation except windows and transom. The school is equipped with good non-adjustable window shades, sash curtains, double desks, an old style heater placed in center of room and affording no ventilation, teacher's desk and chair, a large clock, one case of maps, a good globe and globe case; a bookcase and an Agriculture chart. The library contains six volumes of Teachers and Pupils Encyclopedias, eight volumes of Alfalfa County 27 Universal Encyclopedias, three volumes of standard literature too advanced for the pupils in the school. There are no library books for pupils in the primary and intermediate grades, no chairs for visitors, no recitation benches, no thermometer, no drinking fountain or cooler, no framed pictures, no flag and no equipment for domestic science and manual training. A basin, soap, and paper towels furnish lavatory facilities for the pupils. One teacher is employed to teach the eight grades enrolled in this school. The teacher has had two years' experience as a teacher. Eight boys and four girls are enrolled. The school day is chopped up into 24 recitation periods. No high school work is done. (See Group Four) HARMONY, DISTRICT 11. Carrie Cook, Teacher. Site of one acre is level, unfenced, and without trees or shrubs. There are two toilets, a coal house, a bam with stalls for five horses, and a school house with annex enclosing cistern built on this acre The toilets are not screened and have no pits. The cistern has a good concrete cover. The playground equipment consists of basket ball goals and giant stride. There are no walks to the school or outhouses. The one-room school building is painted white, has a good foundation, a good cement platform, but has no entrance hall, no cloakrooms, no screened cupboard for lunch baskets, and no means of ventilation, except windows and transom. It is improperly lighted by six windows arranged three on each side. The equipment consists of non-adjustable window shades, HARMONY DISTRICT NO. 11. 28 School Survey Suggestion blackboards in fair condition, but too high for the pupils, double desks poorly arranged and too large for the small children,two good recitation benches, teacher's desk and chair, old type heater, water cooler, one case maps, a good globe. Agricultural chart, dictionary and stand, a flag, two large and three small pictures, four shelves for books and basin for wasliing hands. There are no curtains, no chairs for visitors, no books in library for the primary grades and few that are read by advanced pupils, no musical instrument and no equipment for teaching domestic science and manual training. The library contains two sets of Teachers and Pupils Encyclopedia, and about fifty books that are too advanced for pupils enrolled in the school. One teacher is employed, this being her second year as a teacher, both years having been spent in this district. The five boys and four girls are divided into four grades, making small and uninter- esting classes. The teacher has 18 recitations daily. No high school Avork is given. (See Group Four.) VALLEY CENTER, DISTRICT 26. Hannah Collins, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : Site one acre, level, not fenced; water supplied from cistern; three toilets, two of them provided with a screen ; good fuel house ; basket ball goals ; no trees ; no walks ; no shrabs on ground. School Building-: Needs repainting; fair foundation, two rooms, ventilated by modern heater, improperly lighted by windows arranged on two VALiLEY CENTE3R, DISTRICT NO. 26. Alfalfa County 29 sides, has no entrance hall, iio cloakroom, and no screened cupboard for lunch baskets. Equipment : Window shades; good blackboards placed too high; double desks well arranged; good teacher's desk and chair; good recitation bench; modern heater; case of maps, small globe, poor dictionary, Teachers' and Pupils' Encyclopedia in six volumes; no other library books ; two small framed pictures ; organ ; two flags : no sash curtains ; no thermometer ; no drinking fountain or cooler ; no book- case ; no library books suitable for children enrolled ; and no domestic science and manual training equipment. OrgaJiization : One teacher is employed to teach the 13 boys and 11 girls enrolled. The students are classified in eight grades, requiring 32 recitations each day. No high school work is given. (See Group Four) 30 School Survey Suggestion o ^ o O CO oc t^ ^ CO c» o o oo CO O O 00 O (N ,=3 . 00 IC rH OOOOtHOOOCO(M O oo o CO lO CO O CO (N id (M to CO id CD C5 CD CO 00 oq CO C C^i s '^ s ;3 „ _ _ ft o f-i ft o Alfalfa County 31 GROUP FOUR, Continued. By detaching 1% square miles from the north ends of Districts 10 and 11, and 2i/2square miles from the west side of District 26, the area of this group is reduced to 42 square miles, with little re- duction in valuation. Territory detached from districts 10 and 11 is included in Group Three, while that detached from District 26 is added to the Burlington consolidated school district. The location of the schoolhouse need not be more than seven miles from the remotest corners of the district. With the exception of a narrow strip of broken and sandy soil along the river that forms the southern boundary of this group, the territory included is level and has smooth dirt roads suitable for transportation. The i-ough land and sandy roads in the south do not make transportation im- practical. This group could easily maintain a good consolidated school, as it has more than $1,000,000 valuation, after detaching the territory that belongs in other groups. No more horses would be required to transport pupils to the central school than are now used to transport the children to the little one-teacher schools where the classes are small, recitations short, and course of study limited to eight grades. Districts 27 and 28 have more than enough money in the sinking funds to pay their bonds at maturity. Several of the buildings could be moved to a convenient site and used by the consolidated district, either as a temporary school plant or as a teacherage. The others are so nearly worn out that they could not be moved profitably. , : 32 School Survey Suggestion > O CO o OS o O tH CD CO O tH lO CO t^ CO CO CO lO O «D O rH 00 O CO CM Ci O Kt> O T^ CO rH CO — 1 q p CO o x' IC LiO 6 Tt^ Tt 1^ co" CD O O CO ^ T-i O ^^ (M or o o CO IC Tr^ UT c z IC C<] r^i 1^ C CO cd" X) o o o vtJ< O (M O rH "^ CO ,^0 -X O CO CM o 12; o IC .22 o -6^ :» o 00 c X C^l CD (M X t^ CO ce > f S ao .s _ 08 ;3 2^ CC ^ CD 2 S^ C5 ,-( eg OJ I? a: i-i CO ■g i tcco tt c > _o' « S S '^^ c .^ ^ ^ ^ " -^ ?f (M be .- ft S! =^ - „ - - — cT' — '-^ i-^ xn p^ o <>^ -^ -S ^ ? £ .2 ^ « S o rt "■ :- 05 « .-^ ■r ^ ■— ■ cc ■r <- K ■<- 2 E g S =« -. o O c c '-^ ^ _ii "^ 'd "^ ;- r-? 1 — +- H ;^ -^ +-' -^ (!■ i: o :i ^ a '3-' i~ O iJD c P -r =^ .^ «^' - 3 - .2 § s 5? ^ *- ^ ^^ rt+^-t-^ >'"^ v: cc K -^ '^ S ® S"-^ C ^ fee r-i <^ ^ ^ <• P^ -^ fi^ T* ■^=3 c "^ fee CD a: CO r- ei_, CO g TO c K rt c 54-1 oc ^ 0^ a-rS S'^'^^ti;' =! -« i «: 2 =«r-r r- "tX rS ^ S C ^'S -^ 0<1^W W ** oj .2 .2 .Si «2 .2 <^ '^ cupaJovpv:a^5 t: 5H tx.sfi ;= ? c3 c c > ^ c O T _2 CO <=; -CO.- o 5 c •7; c= c -tr C<1 «^ .;£ CO •'- OJ c re; K o 2 2 =^ r- X t- .2 Q .^ ,— ■ a; cs o X be o •>- '§ '^ 52 CQ c-i cs ?* o_ :; f- c •= cs « C 's 3 -^ ''§ S o =^^ ., ^ C '^ ■*' 'S -5 S M 5 == OP j: c ;= -^ ■tT '^ " »- 'X r^ ,^ f~ W -- 3 rt ts o 5 s 3 ^ ^^ a. X X CD ~ !7 ic CO ns X__ ^- r-= 10 X 5 (M CO .® CO -se- ;i Alfali-a County 33 GROUP SIX. Dist. Dist. Dist Dist. No. 20 No. 21 No.. 34 No. 35 Total Area, sq. mi. 6% 6 91/4 111/4 32-14 Valuation, 1917 $34,830.00 .$43,245.00 $71,990.00 $41,335.00 $191,400.00 General levy, 1917 8 14 5 6 Approved est. 1917 373.00 660.00 425.00 310.00 1,768.00 No. teachers, 1917 1111 4 Eiuniievation. 1917 30 38 34 11 113 Enrollment, 1916-17 18 18 28 7 71 This group of districts situated in the sand hill region has not sufficient valuation to organize a consolidated school. A union graded school located near the center of the group would provide high school facilities for the pupils in this section of the county at small additional expense to the taxpayers. No child in the dis- trict need be located farther than six miles from the school pro- vided all section lines are open and passable.. GROUP SEVEN Districts 36 and 48 are so situated that it will prove difficult to include them in any one of the groups. There is so much sand in this section of the county that it would hardly prove practicable to combine them with districts 34 and 35, on the north, or with Disti'ict 33, northwest, Avhile the river cuts them off on the south. It may be that a joint district could be formed, composed of Districts 36 and 48, and the districts lying east in Grant County. Districts 36 and 48 have a combined valuation of $159,590. By combining their schools, they could employ two teachers and thus secure the advantage of better gradation that would be Avell worth the extra effort the children would necessarily have to make in order to travel the added distance to the school. A union graded school located near the center of this group would be feasible, but it would make it necessary to raise the tax levy considerably above the present rate. 34 ScPiOOL Survey Suggestion FAIR VIEW, DISTRICT NO. 27. Mrs. Uertrude Fulliam. Teacher Grounds and Outbuildings : Site one acre, unfenced, no gi'OAving trees, no walks, two un- screened toilets with pits that are not kept cleaned or treated to make them odorless, fuel house, barn for eight horses, giant stride, outbuildings not painted. School Building: Painted, poor foundation, covered porch with concrete floor, no cloakroom, no entrance hall, no screened cupboard for lunches, one classroom, improperly lighted by six windows arranged three on a side. Equipment : Not enough window shades, good blackboards, double desks, good desk and chair for teacher but no chairs for visitors, one recitation bench, modern heater, one case of maps, a good globe, reading cluirt, good dictionary, library books (mostly readers) for all grades, 12 volumes Warner's Encyclopedia, 6 volumes of New Practical Refrence Book, bookcase, two small framed pictures, flag, water cooler, organ, six chairs for primary grades, and sand table. Organization : One teacher is employed to teach the 18 boys and 11 girls enrolled in the school. All grades up to and including the eighth are included in this enrollment. The teacher has divided the day into 25 recitation periods. No higher school work is given. (See Group Four) PLEASANT VALLEY, DISTRICT NO. 41. Leora Hale, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : The school site contains about two acres on which approx- imately 75 elm trees have been planted. The trees need to be cultivated and trimmed. There are two poorly kept toilets and a good fuel house on the site. There are no walks from the road to Ihe house or from the school to the outhouses, but there is a good hogtight fence around the school grounds. Water is secured from a Avell on the school ground. School Building: With the exception of the wooden platform in the front, the school building appears to be in good condition. It has two front doors, no entrance hall, no cloakrooms and is improperly lighted l)v six windoAvs arranged three on tAvo sides. Alfalfa County 35 Equipment : The blackboards are good, but too high from the floor. The single desks are in excellent condition but since only one size was provided, the feet of the small children fail to touch the floor A modern heater supplies heat and ventilation. Other equipment consists of a case of maps, a globe, a large U.S. Flag, a wooden book- case, a large dictionary, teacher's desk and chair, recitation bench, organ, adjustable AvindoAv shades but no sash curtains, and play- PLEASANT VALLEY, DISTRICT NO. 41. ground equipment, including an excellent slide, two swings and one teeter-totter. The library books, sixty in number, are too advanced for the children in the school and, as a result, are in splendid condition, although they have probably been in the school for more than ten years. An expensive Agricultural chart and a Physiological chart should not have been purchased until after some ■ of the more essential needs of the district were supplied. Organization : The teacher is teaching her second term of school, having begun lier professional career in this district last year. There are 12 boys and 6 girls enrolled. These are distributed into six grades . The school day is divided into thirty recitation periods. No high school work is given. (See Group Eight). SHORT SPRIXOS, DISTRICT NO. 42 L. C. Stogsdill, Teacher Grounds and Outbuildings : Site one acre, level, fenced; water supplied from a cistern; tAvo toilets not screened; good fuel house; elm trees in fair groAving 3(i School Survey Suggestion condition; cement walks iroiu road to school and I'rom school to outhouses. School Building-: Pamted; good foundation; good covered porch; no entrance hall; no cloakrooms; improperly lighted with eight Avindows, four on each side; shelves without screens for lunches and storage. Equipment : Good brown adjustable shades; no sash curtains; poor and insufficient blackboards; teacher's desk and chair: tAxenty single and twenty double desks in fair condition; modern heater; water cooler ; maps ; globe ; dictionary ; library books too advanced for pupils ; bookcase ; one framed picture ; no flag ; basin and soap ; organ; teeter-totter, slide and basket ball goals; reading chart; Agricultural chart. Organization : One teacher, twenty years' experience; second year in this district; 14 boys and 18 girls; eight grades; tAventy-seven daily recitations; no high school Avork. (See Group Eight) PLEASANT HILL. DISTRICT NO. 43. Harry Foster. Teachei- Grounds and Outbuildings : Rough site, one acre, not fenced ; Avater supplied from Avell on school groimd too close to toilets ; two very good toilets, not screened and not Avell kept; poor fuel house; a half dozen locust trees in fair groAA'ing condition; no Avalks to school or from school to out- buildings; no playground eqni]nnent. School Building: Painted; good foundation; good covered porch Avith concrete floor; no entrance hall; no cloakrooms; improperly lighted by six AvindoAvs, three on each side; no screened cupboard for lunches. Equipment : Non-adjustable AvindoAv shades; no sack curtains; blackboards good, but not sui^cient and too high; ncAv double desks; good teacher's desk and chair; tAVO good recitation benches; an old type of heater; no drinking fountain or Avater cooler; one case of maps; globe; dictionary and stand; no library books; no pictures, but an expen- sive Agricultural chart that is not especially needed: basin individual towels and soap; organ. Organization : One teacher, six years exi-)erience, three in this district : 10 boys Alfalfa County 37 and 18 girls; seven grades; 30 recitation periods a day; no clubs; no high school work; school nine miles from tiie nearest high school. (See Group Eight) ENTERPRISE, DISTRICT NO. 44. Sylvia St out, Teacher Grounds and Outbuildings : Level site, fenced hogtight; two toilets in bad condition, no screens to toilets and no pits ; fuel house in fair condition ; no walks from road to schoolhouse or from schoolhouse to outhouses; basket ball goals and teeter-totters; no trees or shrubs. School Building: Painted; no entrance hall; no cloakrooms; improperly and in- sufficiently lighted by six windoAvs, three on each side ; school room needs to be papered ; no cupboard for lunches. New school building will be required in the district before many years. Equipment : Adjustable Avindow shades, sash curtains; blackboards in poor condition and too high; old double desks; good teacher's desk and chair; two good recitation benches; modern heater; dictionary; five volumes of encyclopedia; no other library books; two framed pictures not standard ; flag ; organ ; no equipment for teaching agriculture, domestic science or manual training. Organization : One teacher, no previous experience ; nine grades, from primary to eighth inclusive ; 22 boys and 14 girls ; 26 recitation periods a day ; no high school work. (See Group Eight) 38 School Survey Suggestion ■+^ ^ ,^' cc CO o DO t-; ci CO o GC ■i^o ^-; CD i_o CO 1^ CO cr; co r 02 tH -I-' «4-i O '^ c ^ a; ^^ o ^ « w _a) S -i * ^ .^3 K Q^ w ?-i >T ^S X ' X 1— I X T-- T-H i^ 1—; c^ T— I a; T— I OS r-! X t;- tH T— L-~ 1— I a> o 2^ 0« 03 US O) I — I fH 03 <5> :^ id S ti? O a; r— r^ :3 S S 9 5 5 o 1^ S 1^ o o OSS o3 'X3 S3 1^ c3 J-: r W _, c/: H P^ -M -t-i -t-j s c s; oj a; oj ^ S J "c 'o 'o r-1 ^ oT rH • I— ^'S nr°C y" ^l- c O 2 =e ^c-S T— 1 4- X ^'5 Fifth Sixth Sevei Eight rades ly Re -^ -I-; -M ^^•s r^ ^ ^ « "^TT [.OCUST GROVK, DISTRICT NO. 4r). during the winter. Sand tables and primary helps are provided for the little folks. There are several things that needed to be done at the time the school was inspected, but, as the people in the district appeared anxious to have a real model school, they have probably remedied the defects by this time. For instance, the school needs a few library books that can be used by the primary and intermediate grades and the toilets needed some repairs and better attention. A drinking fountain or cooler would also add to the health conditions, while the appearance of the school would be improved by giving more care and attention to the grounds and trees. It is suggested that Boards of other districts visit this building and note what a progressive district can do. The building cost $1,700. CHEROKEE, DISTRICT NO. 46. F. N. Howell, Superintendent. This is an independent city or town district that maintains a standard fully accredited school. Eighteen teachers are employed. There are 383 pupils enrolled in the grades and 165 are doing high school work. The high school enrollment represents almost one- third of the total enrollment, which is a splendid shoAving. This is made possible by the fact that 46 pupils from adjoining rural districts are getting their high school tr^-ining in this school, 34 of them are paying their own tuition and 12 of them having their tuition paid for them by the tax payers of their home districts. Six 42 School Survey Suggestion SCHOOL BUILDING AT (;HER(JKLE. pupils from adjoining rural districts are attending the lower grades, of this city school and paying tuition. The teachers employed in this school meet all of the require- ments of teachers in accredited schools. The following should be compared Avith the corresponding items of suggested groups : Area 9 Square miles Valuation. 1917 —$1,353,416. C4eneral levy. 1917 9.2 mills Approved estimate -$16,780. Enumeration. 1917 Enrollment, Nov. 1917- -561, -548. Foui" years of high school work. Several of the groups suggested can maintain as good schools on their valuations as is maintained by the city of Cherokee provided the people in these groups are willing to pay the price the tOMm people pay. GROUP ELEVEN This group includes an independent city district, a rural district on the west and one-half of a rural district on the south. The city school is probably the best equipped school of its kind in the county, while the rural school is undoubtedly the best in this entire section of the state. It will be necessary either to build a new schoolhouse in District 53. south of Cherokee, in the immediate future, or to consolidate. The north half of the district naturally Alfalfa County 43 belongs with the Cherokee district and should be attached in order that all the children in that part of the district might have the benefit of the excellent school maintained by the city district. District 45 has a new building, one of the best in the state and well equipped. It will probably be a number of years before the people in that district will consent to abandon that building. In the meantime, the graduates of the school will be transferred to the high schools at Ingersoll and Cherokee for secondary training. Later, the territory now included in District 45 may be absorbed by the Cheroke and Ingersoll districts. KEYSTONE, DISTRICT NO. 57. MILDRED FOSTER, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : Two acre site, level and fenced with chain cable, water sup- plied from well on school ground, two dilapidated and poorly kept closets, twenty-five stunted locust trees in poor condition, fuel kept in fuel room in school house, playground equipment in bad condition barn and outhouses not painted, four horses on ground and teacher KEYSTONE, DISTRICT NO. 57. reports that seven are usually driven to school by pupils. Large church across the road just north of the school site. School Building-: A two story artificial stone building, the upper story of which is used as a lodge hall. The school district owns only the lower story, which is used for a school room. This building has been braced up to keep it from falling. It Avill no doubt be necessary to provide a new building for the children of this district in the 44 School Survey Suggestion near futuve. The building is improperly lighted, having eight small AvindoAvs arranged four on each side. No coat rooms, entrance hall or lunch cupboard. Equipment : Good adjustable desks Avere being placed in the school on the sixth day of November. 1917 the day the inspection Avas made. A modern heating system, Avater cooler, case of maps, a poor globe, a library containing several books for primary grades and several for the intermediate and grammar grades, Avith a large number for grades above those enrolled in the school, a broken bookcase, dictionary, reading chart, agricultural chart, four framed pictures, good teacher's desk and chair, flag, basin and tOAvels for children, no musical instrument, not sufficient hooks for coats and AA'raps, not enough blackboard space and that proA-ided is too high from floor. No equipment for domestic science or manual training. Organization : One teacher teaches 18 boys and 18 girls, diA-ided into eight divisions. Daily program provides for 36 recitations. No boys' or girls' clubs. Six miles to nearest accredited high school. Three pupils from this district in high school of adjoining district, although five completed the eight grade Avork last year. (See Group TAveh-e) MOI^NT ZION, DISTRICT NO. 58. Grace AVilson, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : The school site is not fenced and has no groAving trees. There are tA\-o poor toilets Avithout screens or pits, a good storm cave, good fuel house and a stable. "Water is supplied from a good cistern; basket ball goals doAA'n; no other playground equipment. School Building: Painted; brick foundation; cement platform in front: no entrance hall or cloakrooms; uo screened cupboards for lunches; improperly lighted by six AA-indoAA's, arranged three on each side needs repairing, using the same shades at present because they are good for both Avails and ceiling; one room. Equipment : BroAvn, adjustable AviudoAv shades; sash curtains; blackboards in fair condition, but too high from floor; old style heater: one good recitation bench; ucaa- single desks but poorly arranged; library contains i\ye A^olumes of Encyclopedia ; about one dozen books suitalfle for grammar grade pupils and about thirty too advanced for any pupils enrolled in the school ; dictionary in poor Alfalfa County 45 eonditioii ])iit now one has been ordered; three framed pictures; flag; basm for lavatory; organ; sand table; teacher's desk and chair in fair condition; no chairs for visitors; no thermometer; no drinking fountain or cooler; no library books for primary and intermediate pupils; no equipment for teaching domestic science or manual training ; no doors on bookcase ; no maps ;no globe. Organization : One teacher employed, 20 boys and 8 girls enrolled, eight grades represented, 29 daily recitations; no boys' or girls' clubs; 2^ miles to the high school at Da coma ; 5 pupils from this dictrict are attending high school in other districts this year. (See Group Twelve) ELM MOTT, DISTRICT NO. 74. Eunice Edwards, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : Site not fenced; water supplied from well with rotten wooden cover, makmg it both unsafe and unsanitary ; two poor toilets with- out screens and with pits uncared for ; good fuel house ; no trees ; shrubs or flower beds ; one swing and one teeter-totter. School Building : Painted but not recently ; good foundation ; cement platform in front; combined entrance hall and cloakroom; improperly lighted by six windows arranged three on each side ; only one room ; vent- ilation supplied by modern heater. The school has no means of pro- tecting the childrens' lunches from flies. Equipment : New brown adjustable Avindow shades; sash curtains; plenty of blackboard space ; boards in good condition but too high from the floor; old double desks poorly arranged; good globe; good teachers' desk and chair; one chair for visitors; modern heater; Agriculture chart ; good dictionary ; good sectional bookcase containing three books suitable for primary grades and about seventy suitable for the intermediate and grammar grades, others too advanced; flag; basin for lavatory; organ; clock. The school has no recitation benches, no thermometer; no drinking fountain or cooler; no maps; no framed pictures; no sand table; no equipment for manual train- ing or domestic science. Organization : One teacher is employed ; 10 boys and 5 girls are enrolled ; pupils are divided into seven grades; daily schedule provides for 33 ]-ecitations. There are no boys' and girls' clubs ; six pupils from this district are attending high school in other districts. This school is three miles from Da com a. fSee rjronp Twelve) 46 School Survey Suggestion GROUP TWELVE. Dist. Dist. Dist. Total No. 57 No. 58 No.74 Area (sq. miles) 8% 9 71/2 251/4 Valuation, 1917 $186,700.00 $241,990.00 $312,040.00 $740,730.00 Gen Levy (m.) 1917 5 3 1.8 Approved Est., 1917 1,080.00 755.00 630.00 2,465.00 Enumeration, 1917 ... 46 41 30 117 Enrollment, 1917 47 29 19 . 105 Enrollment by grades, November, 1917 : Primary 8 2 10 First 4 7 3 14 Second 4 7 1 12 Third 3 3 17 Fourth 16 7 Fifth 2 6 19 Sixth 2 3 16 Seventh 6 3 9 Eighth 3 2 5 Total 36 28 15 79 Number oi' teachers 1113 Number of grades 8 8 7 Daily Recitations 36 29 32 Months of School 1917-18 8 7 7 7 2-3 Number of Horses 4 2 2 8 This group of districts, bounded on the east by consolidated District No. 3 and on the west by Woods County, illustrates the disadvantage of sporadic consolidation. Should this group organ- ize as a union graded or consolidated district, the result would be a long narrow district in which the schoolhouse need not be located farther than 614 miles from any home. Transportation in this section of level and rolling prairie country would not be difficult. The roads are good and are being put into better condition each year. It would probably be better for these districts to unite Avith certain districts in Woods County around the little to\vn of Daeoma as a center. Enough horses were in the school barns on the day ttie schools Avere visited to furnish transportation to all pupils in 1lie district. Alfalfa County 47 o CO ;d O O ^ Thi o p O Cvl p 00 TfH CO O L^ CO O l^ co_^ Oi_ u:; c^i co' T-T T— I O L— ■^ 1— ! GO TjHOa5'*OOi:00005COrH r-l T— I I— I rH tH O H t— I a EH o O Q d -1-2 CD ^1 o O 00 DC o <0 00 o 00 O O (N O O 00 (>i o CO T-H Tin CD L— (M (>3 tH O V M t^ o:, lO 1— I CO rH"^ (M CO CO (M OOO^iHOGOt^OOCDCO O 05 O CO CO 03 (M T^H !>q LO v-i^ O 01 T. ^^ o o ^ p p (M_ LO LO T-i LO L- CO O ■*! CO O 00 t^ CD O O CD O (M -* CO (M O O t— O ^D O O t^ tH csi P q ^. • l^ Oi o 'X> rH tH CO (M (M O 00 00 CD CD CO lO O (M CO (M T— I o CD COr-HCOiHLOOUt'^T— ICO OCD'rt^COCVICMCOrHCDt^ rHOK::0'*-*rH!MCO lO Cvl (M UO tH O CD CO "* GC >^t; r- ^ ?; -of^ ^ ^^ o ~ ?^ ^ o o C r; o 05 tH . ,_( r— ] QW ;^ >, - ;^ iL^ j: S C ""Z ,— 1^ o b cs - S:; V; o '-^ o ^ 12; CO CO X o ^ o Q d X X Oi o 05 ^ o ^^ Oi ^ '■' r-i M o CO 3^ >-o" X 05 3^ (M t^ Ol C<1 X CO X (M tH O lO -^ (M t^ (M t^ O ■^ CO CO iH C~ lO CO IC rtH CO (M Ol — ^-— — T^r-^COCOrH i— lO oa CO ^ uo o c: cc oi CO t~ o o o c: CO -* t- LO CO CO CO CC — ^ r^ O O O — CO LO O O] X CO Ol (M (M O C O o O =c ;£ :3 a o > 'I' x 1, o 9 o — O O ;£ S S '-- S^ i^ !- JH — ' -i- 03 ^ c; a> -^ C« li^ P X! X' S3 S 1^ ^ a = -^ S^ -;:: s: r^ - 5 3 « ej (U Ph r-- — ' "^ c r-j ^ r^ ~ § _ a^ — t: -H ^• S K :2 < i5 O 1^ Alfalfa County 51 This group includes seven districts having a large area. The Great Salt Plains on the north and east and the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River on the north make it necessary that Districts 49 and 50 be included in this group. District 65, the central district, is also the center of population and has a splendid school located in Jet, a little town on the Santa Fe Railroad nine miles from the northeast corner of District 49. The school building at Jet burned recently. xV new building on a larger site should be pro- vided. A good high school is maintained at Jet. In this high school 65 pupils are enrolled, 44 being residents of surrounding districts. There are 47 non-resident pupils attending the grades below^ the high school. The adjacent rural districts are paying transfer fees to the amount of $1,692 to District 65 and , in addition, parents who did not apply for transfers for their children until after June 1st are paying tuition to the amount of $1,000, as estimated by the principal of the Jet school, making a total income of about $2,692 which District 65 collects from the other districts nearby. The bonded indebtedness of Disti'ict 65 requii'es that a sinking fund of $1,182 be raised each year. It is interesting to note that the out- lying districts are paying into the Jet district as transfers and tuition enough money to pay their sinking fund levy and to hire two teachers each year to teach the children enrolled from outside the Jet district. This group could be organized into a consolidated district or a union graded school district, the latter, perhaps, would be the moi'e feasible because of the large area. However, the roads are good and the country level, Avith the exception of a narrow strip on the south, so transportation of pupils is not impossible. MOUXT VERXOX, DISTRICT NO. 66, A TW^O- ROOM SCHOOL. THIS DISTRICT HAS COXSOLIDATED SINCE THE SURVEY WAS MADE AND THIS BUILDING WILL BE ABANDONED. 52 School Survey Suggestion PRAIRIE VIEW, DISTRICT NO. 84. GROUP FIFTEEN The little town of Goltry is in the center of a group of seven districts that naturally belong together in any scheme of county- wide consolidation. This group has a total area of 57 square miles, with a taxable valuation of $1,767,915, and an enumeration of 408 scholas- tics. The schoolhouse in Goltry is not more than nine miles from the most distant corner of this group. Few, if any, children would be required to travel as far as nine miles to the school in Goltry, This group of districts has an area less than that of the Amber district in Grady County and a higher valuation. The roads in this section are better than those around Amber. There is no rea- son why the children living on the farms in these districts should not have as good school advantages as the people in the Amber dis- trict have provided for their children. District 86. the Goltry district, has a splendid new building that can easily be added to as the needs require. This is tl\e type of building that the State Department of Education recommends for newly organized consolidated districts. A building of this type can be added to Avithout mucli expense and Avithout destroying the archi- tectural unity. A good consolidated school or a strong union graded school '""" ^""^ mainiaincd by this group of districts. (See map of Alfalfa Alfalfa County 53 THE GOLTRY SCHOOL BUILDING, FRONT AND REAR VIEW. GROUP SIXTEEN. District No. 80, Green Plain. District No. 81, Enterprise. District No. 82. District No. 88, Prairie View. District No. 89, Helena. District No. 90, Timber VieAv. District No. 101, Highland. This group of districts has a total valuation of $1,514,418, a population of 344 scholastics and an area of approximately 51 square miles. The allowance for maintaining these schools during the current year is $9,479. Districts 88, 90 and 101 have bonds outstanding, but there is more than, enough money in the sinking fund of District 90 to pay its bonds at maturity and there will be more than enough to the credit of the sinking fund of District 101 to pay its bonds at the close of the present fiscal year, while Dis- trict 88 Avill lack about $50 of having enough on hand to pay off its 54 School Sur\^y Suggestion bonds at the close of this fiscal year. These districts are prac- tically free of debt at this time, District 89 has a splendid school building worth approximately $80,000. This Avas formerly the Woods County high school building, more recently it was used by the State as a district Agricultural college, and it now belongs to the Helena district. The other districts in the group have unmodern one-room school buildings, poorly equipped, and several of them in a worn out and dilapidated condition. Only one of these out-lying schoolhouses has a cloak- room. The equipment consists of such as is found in the average one-room rural schools in Alfalfa County. THE SPLENDID SCHOOL BUILDING AT HELENA. High school work is done in the Helena district. There are 44 non-resident pupils enrolled in the high school this year. These pupils are charged tuition at the rate of $5 per month in the high school. There are nine pupils from other districts paying tuition in the lower grades this year. Next year these high school pupils should be transferred so as to relieve their parents of the burden of paying their tuition. There are probably several children living in the districts included in this group whose parents are unable or un- Avilling to pay their tuition and who, as a result, are not in high school this year. The transfer law offers relief to such pupils and parents. Eight teachers are employed in the Helena school and one in each of the other six schools in this group, making a total of fourteen Alfalfa County 55 teachers employed by this group of districts. Four teachers in the Helena school instruct the high school classes and the other four instruct the first eight grades ; while the teachers in the onc- rooni schools have an average of seven grades each and an average of 30 recitation periods per day. The teacher at Helena devotes one-half day, or 160 minutes, to the pupils in the first grade, while the teachers in the outlaying schools devote an average of forty minutes to the pupils of the first grade. In other words, the pupils in the first grade of the town school have four times the educa- tional opportunity that is offered pupils in. the same grade in the other schools of this group. Similar comparisons can be made for each of the other grades. The Helena district is small in area and valuation and large in school population, as compared Avith the other districts in this group, and, as a result, is levjdng this year 15 mills for general school purposes. Because of the large enrollment in the school, however, it is educating its children at a smaller per capita cost this year than any other district in the group with the exception of District 101. No transfers Avere made to the Helena district this year because it Avas not knoAvn that a high school Avould be maintained there. Next year Avhen the transfers are made, as they no doubt Avil] be, the per capita cost of maintaining the outlying schools Avill be greater in each instance than the per capita cost of maintaining the toAA'n school. This group of districts illustrates forcibly the fact that people living in the country can maintain a better school than that maintained by the people living in toAvn, if they Avill pay the price that the toAvn people are Avilling to pay. The people -in Helena pay 15 mills to maintain their school. Should these districts organize a consolidated district and levy 15 mills there Avould be a fund sufficient to provide a school second to none in the state. But it Avould not be necessary to IcA^y 15 mills in order to maintain the school so that it Avould equal the best in the state. Compare Avith the Lambert district reported in this surA'ey. The school building at Helena is paid for. is one of the best ])uildings in the state, and it Avould be sufficient for all purposes should this group consolidate. Probably there is no other place in the state AA^here consolidation is more practical than in this level section of Alfalfa County, and Avhere it can be undertaken at a smaller initial expense. A good union graded school could be maintained bj^ this group at a cost very little if any greater than the cost of the present schools. 56 School Survey Suggestion GROUP SEVENTEEN. District No. 71, Prairie Valley. District No. 72, West Clay. District No. 78, Sumiyside. District No. 79, Pleasant View. District District District District Total No. 71 No. 72 No. 78 No. 79 Valuation $259,668.00 $192,043.00 $241,808.00 $92,572.00 $786,093.00 Area (sq. mi.) 8I/2 lOVs 9 6I/4 3414 Enumeration 50 42 20 21 133 Enrollment by grades: Primary 5 3 8 First 7 2 9 Second 4 3 2 2 11 Third 4 4 8 Fourth 8 3 3 1 15 Fifth 7 7 2 2 18 Sixth 4 2 6 Seventh 11 1 12 Eighth 7 4 3 14 Total 37 37 16 11 101 Horses 3 2 2 2 9 Vehicles 2 12 16 No. recitation periods per day 28 33 25 28 The four districts in this group are providing no high school facilities for their children. Although a number of children who have completed the eighth grade in these district schools are attending high school in other districts, there are, no doubt, a PRAIRIE VALLEY, DISTRICT NO. 71. Alfalfa County 57 PLEASANT VIEW, DISTRICT NO. 79. great many who are being deprived of high school training because of the inability or uiiAvillingness of their parents to permit them to attend school in a town where they will be a^vay from the restraining and guiding home influence. A central union graded or consolidated school is needed in this section, and these districts are so situated that they belong in the same group. The schoolhouses now used in these districts are in fair condition, with the exception of the one in District 79, which is the poorest school building in the county. District 72 has a bonded indebtedness of $800 and more than $400 in the sinking fund with which to redeem the bonds at maturity. Three of the buildings could be moved to a convenient location near the center of the group and used temporarily as a school plant. The central school need not be located farther than six miles from the most remote corner of the district. This distance is not too great in this section of the county. Enough horses are now driven to the little schools by the children to furnish transport- ation to all the children living two miles from the center of the group. The schools in this group were inspected during November, 1917, but there is not sufficient space to allow a separate report of each school. They are equipped no better than the average rural school in the county. Two of the teachers employed have had no previous experience as teachers and one is teaching her second term. The children living in this group of districts are not getting a square deal unde):' present conditions. 58 School Survey Suggestion GROUP EIGHTEEN District No. 91 and one mile strip from east side of District No. 92 District No. 99 District No. 100 This group has an approximate valuation of $508,012, a scholastic population of about 190 and an area of 29% square miles Because of the fact that only one-third of District 92 is included in this group, it is necessary to estimate the school population of liiat part of the district. There are 178 scholastics enumerated in the three districts that are included as entire districts. This group can meet the requivemerir.s for a consolidated district, fully. The districts are level, making the i)roblein of transportation easy. Reports shoAv that the buildings and equip- ment in these districts are no hetter than tiie average buildings and equipment in the rural districts in the county. 'A consolidated school building can be located in this proposed district at a point where it Mill not be more than six miles from the remotest corner of the group. Districts 91, 92 and 100 have outstanding bonds, but there is almost enough money to the credit of the sinking fund of each district to pay off the bonds when they mature. It is only a question of a few years before the people in these districts will demand modern educational opportunities for their children. They should not make the mistake of erecting four new one-room schools on the present sites, but should consolidate. SCHOOL BUILDIXG AT CARMEN. Ai.FALi-A CoL:\r'' 59 GROUP NINETEEN. District No. 73, Pleasant Ridge District No. 75, Bellview District No. 77, Carmen District (part of) No. 93, Eagle Chief District (part of) No. 94, Fairview These districts and parts of districts are grouped around the independent district of Carmen in such a way that they form a strong group. District 73 will fit into no other combination, unless it should be divided between Groups Twelve and Seventeen. District 75 may be able to enter a combination of Districts in Woods County. Districts 93 and 94 could be included in Group Twenty, insted of being divided between Groups Nineten and Twenty. The arrangement suggested, however, seems to be the most reasonable. Consolidation of this group can be effected by District 77 extending its boundaries to include all districts and parts of districts in the group and providing transportation under the law permitting independent districts to furnish transportation. Twenty-nine pupils have been regularly transferred to District No. 77 and fourteen others are paying tuition in that district this year, making a total of 43 non-resident pupils in the school and showing that the town school is now serving in a limited way the children residing in the other districts of this group. District No. 93, Eagle Chief, presents a peculiar problem. All of the children in this district are attending the town schools at Carmen and Aline. One boy who lives in North Carolina and who visited in the district during the early fall attended the school four Aveeks. It evidently became too lonesome and he went back to North Carolina leaving the teacher without any pupils. The teacher spends each school day at the schoolhouse and the Board pays her .$60 ]')er month. Her contract calls for seven months' service. It is apparent that the people in this district are in favor of graded schools for their children, as they have had them transferred to the town schools. The schoolhouse at Carmen is not more than six and one- half miles from the most distant corner of this group of districts. The countrv is level, roads and bridges are in good condition and transportation of the pupils can be arranged without difficulty. GROUP TWENTY Parts of Districts 92, 93, and 94 and all of Districts 95, 96, 97. and 98. District 97, Aline, located near the center of this group furnishes high school facilities for the other districts and parts of districts in this group, as shown by the large enrollment of non- 60 School Survey Suggestion resident pupils, both in high school and grade departments. There are, for example, 34 pupils enrolled in the ninth grade, which is the first year of the high school course, and 25 of these pupils live in adjoining districts, while only nine of them live in the Aline district. It is interestiug to note that 14 of these pupils are over the average age of ninth grade students, several of them being old enough for the twelfth grade. These pupils have lost several years of opportunity from their school lives and the districts in which they live can never square accounts with them in this respect. The best that can be done by these little districts is to reorganize now so that the other children may not suffer this irreparable loss in the future. The Aline district, No. 97, has an area of one square mile. THE ALINE DISTRICT HAVING AN AREA OF ONLY ONE SQUARE MILE MAINTAINS THIS SCHOOL FOR THE CHILDREN IN GROUP TWENTY. It is preposterous to expect a district of such restricted area, such small valuation, and such limited school population to provide a strong high school for the pupils in that section of Alfalfa County. The fact that the people of the little district heroically tax them- selves to the limit in order to provide educational resources for their children is no reason why they should be required to do so in- definitely. If the people living in the neighboring districts desire a strong school for their childen, it will be necessary for them to consolidate or organize a union graded district along the lines suggested in Group Twenty. A consolidated district comprising the territory in this group Alfalfa County 61 would have a valuation of appoximately $1,055,995, a scholastic population of approximately 332 and an area of 38 square miles. The southAvest corner of this district is not more than eight miles from the school house at Aline. This is the greatest distance any person in the district would be from school. Inasmuch as the roads are good and being made better each year, this is not an unreasonable distance. Transportation of pupils can be managed easily in this section. No pupils were attending the school in District 93 at the time the inspection was made November 9th. Only one had enrolled during the year and he had gone back to his home in North Carolina, after remaining four weeks in this school. No other child was expected to enroll in this school during the school term, as all children living in the district were attending the schools at Aline and Carmen. Eighteen pupils were enrolled in the Fairview school, District No. 94, and five horses were being used to transport these children to that little inefficient and poorly equipped school. Two of these horses could easily trans- port all the children in the district to a good graded school at Aline. People in this group of districts and in other groups, including small towns such as Helena, Jet and Goltry, must soon awaken to a realization of the fact that the little town districts cannot by them selves provide schools of such strength and character as the rural boys and girls need. When this is realized fully the people will join together in a neighborly way and provide a good school for all the children in the community. 62 School Survey Suggestion GRADY COUNTY This county, located in the central section of the state, is bounded on the north by Canadian County, on the east by ?.IcClain and Garvin Counties, on the south by Stephens County and on the west by Commanche and Caddo Counties. The Ca- nadian River forms a part of the northern boundary . The county is forty-eight miles long from noi'th to south and twenty-four miles wide from east to west. It has an area of approximately 1,107 square miles including excellent farming and grazing land. The western one-fourth of (4rady County was formerly a part of Oklahoma Territory, while the eastern three-fourths was a part of Indian Territory. Therefore, the school districts in the western tier of townships were organized prior to 1907 and those GIRLS' BASKETBALL TEAM, AMBER CONSOLIDATED DISTRICT. in the eastern part were organized after Oklahoma became a state in November, 1907. The population of the county as shown by the federal census of 1910 was 30,309 consisting of 27,695 Whites, 882 Indians and others, and 1,731 Negroes. This has increased no doubt since that time. Because of the negro population, it is necessary to maintain seperate schools in six of the school districts. The northern half of the county consists of level and rolling- prairie land varied here and there with level creek and river bottoms. The southern part has considerable sand and black- jacks. As a rule, the roads are better in the northern part than in the southern section. Grady County 63 BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM, AMBER CONSOLIDATED DISTRICT. The Washita River meanders across the county pursuing a southeasterly direction. There are numerous creeks tributary to this river and the Canadian River on the north. The county is ti'a versed by three railroad systems and their l)ranch lines radiating from Chickasha, the principal town, county seat and railroad center. The main line of the Chieage, Rock Island and Pacific (Rock Island) Railwan crosses the county from north to south Avhile branches of this system run -west and southeast fi'om Chickasha. The St. Louis and San Francisco (Frisco) SENIOR CLASS AMBER CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL. 64 School Survey Suggestion Kaihvay crosses the county and a branch line of the Santa Fe tends from Chickasha in a southeasterly direction to the point where it enters McClain County. The folloAving towns and villages are located on these railroads: Alex, Amber. Bradley, Chickasha, Laverty, Middleburg, Minco, Ninnekah, Norge, Pocasset, Rush Springs, Tuttle and Verden. Bailey and Acme are little inland towns not located on a railroad. Grady County is strictly an agricultural county. Cotton, grain, hay and livestock are the principal products. The total valuation of all the property in the county is $22,919,- 693. School Organization. Grady County is divided into 95 school districts. There are 287 school district officers. Thirty Ave of these districts employ TYPE OF SCHOOIv WAGONS USED AT NINNEKAH. two teachers, forty-eight employ only one teacher, one employs three and eleven employ five or more teachers. These latter are city, town, village and consolidated schools. In 48 of the 95 school districts no work above the eighth grade is attempted. The enumeration of scholastics in the county January, 1917. was 11,782. and the enrollment in the schools during the year clos- ing June 30, 1917, was 11,059 and the average daily attendance during the same school year was 6,554. The enrollment in the graded schools of consolidated, village and town districts was 5,802 for the year closing June 30, 1917, and Gkadv County 65 the average attendance was 3,730 while the ungraded rural schools had an enrollment of 5,257 for the same period and an average daily attendance of 2,824. During the school year closing June 30, 1917, the consolidated, village, town and city districts spent $109,125.21 to provide schools for the 5,802 pupils enrolled, while the rural districts spent $72,045.52 to provide schools for the 5,257 children enrolled in these districts. In other words and figures, the districts having graded schools spent $18.80 for each person enrolled while the rural districts having the ungraded schools spent $13.70 for each pupil, a difference of $5.10 in favor of each child attending a graded school. The average length of the school term during tlie school year closing June 30, 1917, Avas as follows: Independent districts 9 months, Village districts 8 4-7 months. Rural districts 5-8 months. El Meta Bond College, a private institution, and the Oklahoma A REPUBLIC TRUCK USED FOR TRANSPORTING' PUPILS TO THE AMBER SCHOOL. Woman's College maintained by the state are located in this county. They are not included in this survey, however. The rate of taxation in districts employing three teachers or more are as follows: Town No. Teachers Rate of Enum- Levy mills eration Consolidated District No. 28, Amber 10 10.7 384 Consolidated District No. 51, Niimekah 9 15. 351 Union Graded District No. 131, Norge 5 9. District Number 1, Chickasha 60 8.7 3216 66 School Survey Suggestion District Number 56, Alex 7 11.6 277 District Number 63, Bradley 6 13. 230 District Number 11, Acme 3 7. 79 District Number 2, Minco 8 6.8 266 District Number 26, Pocasset 5 8. 152 District No. 68, Rush Springs 12 8.8 385 District Number 3, Tuttle 9 11. 324 District Number 130, Verden 7 12.3 284 The levies in schools employing one and two teachers vary from 2 to 15 mills. The county has only one city school, eight toAvn and village schools, two consolidated schools, one union graded school and 39 schools in which two teachers are employed. In all of these two-teacher districts some high school work is offered. Therefore, consolidation has proceeded farther in this county than in either Alfalfa or Wagoner County and high school work is available for more children here than in many other counties. As shown by the illustrations, the school buildings are of the conventional type, lighted on two sides and in many cases not provided with cloakrooms. They are better equipped as a rule than the schools in the other counties, however. This is probably due in a large measure to the efforts of Supt. Shephard in attempt- ing to standardize his rural schools. During the month of October, I spent three • days visiting schools in Grady County. I was accompanied at this time by Dr. J. C. Muerman of the National Bureau of Education, by State Superintendent R. II. Wilson who was the first county superin- tendent of Grady County and by County Superintendent M. H. Shepard. One week during February and two days during March were spent inspecting the schools in all parts of the county and looking up statistical information in the office of the county superintendent. Superintendent Shepard has on file in his office information such as I was seeking with respect to each school district, so it was not necessary to visit all of his schools in order to get a general idea of conditions. Inspections were made of five one-teacher schools, eleven tAvo-teacher schools, one three- teacher school, two consolidated schools, one union graded school and five town and village schools. The schools inspected are located in all sections of the county. SUMMARY. In addition to the twenty-five schools inspected in this county, reports were received from fifty-six others, making a total of eighty-one schools included in this summary. The schools are Avell equipped with musical instruments, there Grady County 67 being 53 organs, 31 victrolas, and 18 pianos owned by the 81 dis- tricts. More than one-half of the schools are safeguarding the water supply of the pupils, there being 47 sanitary drinking fountains or water coolers owned by 81 districts. ' Only five of the 81 districts report no U. S. flag. Ten of the 81 districts have no large dictionary. Nineteen of the 81 districts have no globes. Sixty-three of the 81 districts report libraries of from 5 to 800 volumes. But many of these libraries are not well selected, the books being too far advanced for the pupils enrolled in the schools. Several of the 18 districts reporting no libraries have encyclo- paedias. Twenty-two of the 81 districts have agricultural charts. There are more primary reading charts in the county than are usually found. The outside toilets are better cared for in this county than MODERN OUTHOUSE IN RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 84, GRADY CO. in either Alfalfa or Wagoner, due in large measure to the insistence of Supt. Shepard who demands that school boards and teachers shall maintain sanitary conditions around the school premises. A large number of these toilets are provided with pits and these are cared for in such a way as to keep down the odors and flies. Several are constructed in such a way as to provide ventilation through vent pipes. Health conditions in the state will be improved when the schools and homes are provided with outside toilets constructed like those now being built in Grady County. Reports of individual schools in Grady County are omitted 1)8 School Surv^ey Suggestion because of sameness and lack of space and time. The illustrations show in a general way the character of the grounds and buildings. The following recommendations are based upon the data gathered at the times these inspections were made, from the reports on fife in the office of the county superintendent, and from observations made with respect to topography and road conditions in all sections of the county. CONSOLIDATED GROUP. Amber Ninnekah Norge Consolidated Consodilated Union Graded Dist. 28 Dist. 51 Dist. 131 Valuation, 1917 $1,122,308.00 $899,375.00 $537,848.00 Area( sq. miles) 561/2 40 21 General Levy (mills) 8 15 9 Approved Estimate 11,960.00 13,183.00 5.477.00 Number of Teachers 10 9 5 Enumeration, 1917, 384 351 * Enrollment. 1917, 379 395 * Average Attendance, 1917. 256 220 * Enrollment by Grades, 1918 Primary 45 50 19 First 17 29 8 Second 19 26 14 Third 40 54 13 Fourth 34 36 7 Fifth 12 35 12 Sixth 12 37 10 Seventh 19 24 15 Eighth 10 26 11 Ninth 19 17 1 Tenth 13 15 Eleventh 12 9 Twelfth 13 4 Total 265 362 110 Length of term (months) 9 9 9 Number of wagons used 6 6 * Organized during June, 1917. Gkadv Colntv GRADY COWMTY {)9 9f e.K. ft. S OC 70 School Survey Suggestion The information given in tabulated form above may be used as a basis of comparison by the people of each group. Attention is called to the fact that in the consolidated districts the several grades are large, consequently there is more rivalry on the part of the pupils enrolled than in the smaller classes of schools AMBER COlSrSOLIDATED SCHOOL. employing only one teacher and the larger number of teachers employed makes it possible for each grade to receive more attention from the teacher. The enrollment by grades is based upon reports received by the county superintendent in December, 1917. The unior. graded district was organized during the summer NIXNEKAH CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL. Grady County 71 of 1917. The central building in this district has now been completed. This district is now prepared to build a strong hign school for its pupils. The December enrollment reported above liad increased materially at the time the school was inspected during February, 1918. Amber, Ninnekah, and Norge show the disadvantages of sporadic consolidation as each of these three districts has cut off one or more little weak districts from future consolidation to the best advantage of all the people and has made it necessary to UNION GRADED SCHOOL, NEAR NORGE. include them in groups that are not nearly so convenient or desirable as the groups in which they would have been placed by a county reorganization plan such as is recommended. (See map of Grady County.) Under a county unit plan of school administration, it would be possible to rearrange district lines in such a way as to suit the present needs of the people with respect to high school advantages for all. 72 School Survey Suggestion GROUP ONE. Dist. 116 Dist. 117 Dist. 118 Dist. 119 Total Area sq. mi. 71/2 9 8 71/2 32 Valuation $98,110.00 $102,246.00 $83,469.00 $112,250.00 $396,075.00 Gen. levy (m.) 6 6.2 6.6 8 Approved est. 663.00 788.00 846.00 1,023.00 3,290.00 No. Teachers 1112 5 Enum. 1917 44 43 52 77 216 Enrol., 1917 37 34 52 77 200 Av. Att. 1917 20 20 40 55 135 Enr. by grades, 1918: Primary 5 14 19 First 2 4' 8 4 20 Second 3 4 2 5 14 Third 3 3 9 7 22 Fourth 3 5 8 8 24 Fifth 3 9 5 17 Sixth 4 4 2 3 13 Seventh 4 1 8 11 24 Eighth 5 1 5 1 12 Ninth 3 3 Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Total 32 22 51 61 166 Length of term 8 8 7 9 No. of Pupils Transferred to other districts 4 4 3 1 12 Bv adding to this group the north half of Districts 124 and 125, the area is increased to approximately 40 square miles, the valuation approaches $500,000 and the enumeration will be about 250. The Broxton Consolidated District, No. 68 Caddo County, having an area of 40y2 square miles and a taxable valuation of $450,000 should be used as a basis of comparison by the people living in this group. The group can maintain as good a consol- idated school as that at Broxton. Also compare this group with the Ninnekah district reported herein. A schoolhous*^ located in the center of this group would be less than seven miles from the most distant homes. It is recommended that the people living in this group of districts visit the schools at Ninnekali and Norge and decide for themselves whether they prefer the union graded school district or the consolidated school. Either type will prove far better tnan the little schools now provided by the district. A union graded THE WING SCHOOL FOR FIRST SIX GRADES AND CENTRAL SCHOOL FOR SEVENTH, EIGHTH AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADES, UNION GRADED DISTRICT NO. 131. 74 School Survey Suggestion district could be maintained here at a cost very little greater than that of the present schools. This territory consists of rolling prairie land having good dirt roads except in the western section where some sand is found but not enough to make the transportation of pupils impos- sible. The children living on the farms situated in this group are not getting a square deal at present. GROUP TWO. Dist. 93 Dist. 94 Dist. 126 Dist. 127 Total Area sq. mi. 71/2 9 9 71/2 33 Valuation $160,940.00 $139,960.00 $154,155.00 $155;223.00 $610,278.00 Gen. Levy m. 8 5.4 7.5 9.2 Appvd. Est. 1,308.00 825.00 1,145.00 1,590.00 4,868.00 No. teachers ... 2 1 2 2 7 Length of school term mo 8 8 7 7 Enum. 1917 54 42 52 65 213 Enr'l'mt '17 78 40 51 64 233 Av. Att. 1917 52 17 37 39 145 Enrollment by Grades, 1918: Primary 10 7 3 9 29 First 1 7 6 6 20 Second 4 10 4 9 Third 3 6 5 4 18 Fourth 5 5 5 • 15 Fifth 8 1 4 5 18 Sixth 6 7 3 3 19 Seventh 5 2 7 7 21 Eighth 2 3 7 1 13 Ninth 11 Tenth 5 117 Eleventh Twelfth Total 49 34 42 46 171 Transf. to other districts 1 8 1 10 By including in this group the south half of districts 124 and 125 we have an area of approximately 41 square miles, a total valuation slightly in excess of $700,000 and an enumeration of about 350 scholastics. The center of the district is -v^athin less than seven miles of the comers so that a central consolidated school need not be located at an unreasonable distance from any home. The roads in this section of the county are good. Pupils can be transported to a central school where they will have such ad- Grady County 75 vantages as the Ninnekah and Amber children enjoy; or the upper grades can be consolidated as at Norge. All legal requirements can be met by this group of districts. The records show that ten children have been transferred from these to other districts. The amount of money transferred will be at least $500. This amount will increase from year to year as transfers become more common. As a result, the tax- payers will soon pay as much for the little schools now maintained as the additional cost of a centralized school. First class school work cannot be done under the conditions now existing in these districts with the limited teaching force and equipment that can be afforded, yet the boys and girls m the rural communities are entitled to as much opportunity and as much training as are the boys and girls of the city of Chickasha. SCHOOL HOUSE AT VERDEN. THIS IS NOW A CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL, HAVING ORGANIZED SINCE THE SURVEY WAS MADE. GROUP THREE. This group should consist of districts 13 and 130 to which should be added seven square miles of district 39, five square miles of district 10 and one or more districts in Caddo County. Because of the fact that part of this territory lies in Caddo County and only two entire districts situated in Grady County are given, a detailed statement of area, valuation, population and enrollment is not given. The Verden district, No. 130, has a property valuation in excess of $500,000; therefore, it can consolidate with any of the other districts or parts of districts included in the group, as an area of 25 square miles is not required for districts having more -than $500,000. 76 School Survey Suggestion A new school building has been erected in district 39. This is a splendid two-room and two-teacher school. The old building has been converted into a teacherage. It is very improbable that the people in this dsitrict will look favorably upon a consol- idation project until after they have demonstrated to their own satisfaction that they cannot maintain as good school in their new building as can be maintained at Verden. Because of its location, this district must depend upon the Verden district for high school advantages. District No. 10 has a very poor school building with practically no equipment except the furniture. This district should not perpetuate the ungraded school by building a new school house, especially since it is located so conveniently with respect to both SCHOOL. IX DISTRICT NO. 10. Verden and Chickasha. I am suggesting that the district be divided between Verden and Chickasha districts to suit the convenience of the people. A good school is now maintained by the Verden district. This district cannot by itself maintain as strong a school as the pupils in the adjoining districts are entitled to have. Only by enlarg- ing the district through the organization of a union graded or con- solidated district can the people in these rural districts guarantee a strong school for their children. The roads in this section of the county are very good. Trans- portation of pupils will not prove burdensome. The valuation of the proposed district will be found equal to or greater than that of the Ninnekah district and the area will not be so great. ^ A consolidated district is recommended for this group but a union graded district will prove much better than the present arrange- Grady County 77 ment under which no standard high school advantages can be offered the boys and girls li\dng in these little rural districts and at- tending the one and two-room schools. GROUP FOUR. Dist. 43 Area (sq. miles) 6l^ Valuation $103,696.00 General Levy (mills) 9.5 Approved estimate 1,132.00 No. of Teachers 1 Enumeration, 1917 80 Enrollment, 1917 76 Average Attendance, 1917 38 Enrollment by Grades, 1918: Primary 8 First 3 Second 6 Third 6 Fourth 7 Fifth 7 Sixth 3 Seventh 3 Eighth 2 Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Total 45 Length of Term 7 No. Pupils Transferred to Other Districts 3 No. Pupils Transferred to this District Dist. 44 61/2 $163,290.00 7 1,424.00 2 81 64 40 6 4- 6 7 7 2 2 4 5 3 46 10 Dist. 79 Total 21^ 15 $79,150.00 $346,136.00 4.3 530.00 1 41 35 18 7 4 9 3 6 3 5 2 39 7 10 3,086.00 4 202 175 96 14 14 16 22 17 15 8 12 9 3 130 13 10 By adding to this group three square miles noAV in district 39. the area, valuation and school population would be increased somewhat. This group does not have sufficient area to. organize a consolidated district but it could maintain a strong union graded school such as is maintained at Norge. By joining with one or two districts in Caddo County, however, a consolidated district may be organized. 78 School Survey Suggestion GROUP FIVE. Dist. 75 Dist. 76 Dist. 77 Dist. 78 Total Area, sq. m. 71/2 101/2 41/2 81/2 31 Valuation $100,630.00 $134,650.00 $82,650.00 $104,100.00 $422,030.00 Gen. levy m. 2.8 8.4 9.1 10 Approved est. 600.00 1,460.00 877.00 1,680.00 4,617.00 No. Teachers 12 12 6 Enum. 1917 70 79 70 53 272 Enr., 1917 50 52 53 50 205 Av. Att., 1917 32 40 23 24 119 Enrollment by Grades, 1918: Primary 7 11 5 5 28 First 4 5 5 3 17 Second 4 9 3 3 19 Third 4 5 10 19 Fourth 4 8 13 25 Fifth 3 6 4 8 21 Sixth "2 5 14 6 27 Seventh 4 4 8 3 19 Eighth 3 5 8 Ninth 2 2 Tenth Eleventh Twelfth 00000 Total 34 53 65 33 185 Pupils Transferred to other dist. 10 6 This group includes the four districts located in Chandler township. Territory in Caddo County belonging to districts 77 and 78 should be included in the total area. 16 NEW TWO-ROOM BUILDING- IN DISTRICT NO. 78, DUE TO THE IN- FLUENCE OF THE NORGE UNION GRADED DISTRICT. Grady County 79 A union graded school is recommended for this group at this time. This may be changed into a consolidated school later as the roads are improved and the valuation increased. However, consolidation would not be impracticable now, but it would be more burdensome than a union graded school. GROUP SIX. Dist. 8 Dist. 20 Area (sq. miles) 6I/4 '^V2 Valuation $ 76,200.00 $117,450.00 General Levy (mills) 15 5 Approved Estimate 1,323.00 971.00 Number of Teachers 2 2 Enumeration, 1917 68 103 Enrollment, 1917 49 68 Av. Attendance, 1917 47 44 Dist. 25 Total IV2 211/4 '$95,345.00 $288,995.00 3.1 650.00 2,844.00 1 5 63 234 59 176 27 118 SCHOOL IN DISTRICT NO. 20. This group of districts is eight miles long and two and one- half miles wide. A school can be located near the center of the group in such position that is will be not more than five and one- half miles from any corner of the larger district. The roads in this section of the county are not good enough at this time to make consolidation advisable but a good union graded school could be maintained by this group at a cost not greatly in excess of the cost of the present schools. This group of districts is rich in the number of children enumerated. Better educational opportunities should be provided for them. As the country develops and the roads are improved, it may be thought best later to consolidate Group Six with Group Seven. Buildings provided for the union 80 School Survey Suggestion graded districts should be erected with this prospect in mind. A good central school would contribute more to the developement of this part of the county and to the improvement of the roads than any other enterprise that might be established. GROUP SEVEN. Dist. 7 Dist. 11 Dist 19 Total Area (sq. miles) 71/4 9 9 251/4 Valuation $ 91,290.00 $184,262.00 $115,350.00 $390,902.00 (General Levy ,mills) 12 7 5.4 Approved Estimate 1,179.00 1,750.00 1,034.00 3,963.00 Number of Teachers 2 3 2 7 Enumeration, 1917 73 135 114 322 Enrollment, 1917 35 139 103 277 Av. Attendance, 1917 21 55 94 170 Enrollment by Grades, 1918: Primary 6 7 16 39 First 2 5 2 9 Second 6 8 4 18 Third 6 22 16 44 Fourth 5 7 3 15 Fifth 7 15 8 30 Sixth 8 11 19 Seventh 5 20 2 27 Eighth 1 12 1 14 Ninth 2 6 19 Tenth 2 2 Eleventh Twelfth Total 48 114 64 226 Transferred to other dist. 6 2 8 This group would form a long narrow district having the three room building now used by the Acme district, Number 11, near the center. By adding one additional room and one addit- ional teacher, a very good union graded school can be maintained at Acme during one or two years and until the high :-ichool grows. By leaving two teachers at the schoolhousec m districts 7 and 19 to teach the first six grades, a well graded system may be ap- proximated for each of these tAvo districts. The roads in this group are not good enough at this time to warrant consolidation ; therefore, a union graded district is recommended here. It may prove practical to consolidate Cxroups Six and Seven later. At present the cost of the union graded school would be very little more than that of the present schools. As the high Grady County 81 school jATOws in number of piipils and grades, the cost will be increased. But at no time need the cost prove burdensome. These districts are so situated as to make it very easy to provide as good a school for the children living in the group as has bee^i provided for the children living near Norge. THREE-ROOM SCHOOL IN DISTRICT NO. 11. TWO-ROOM BUILDING IN DISTRICT NO. 7. 82 School Survey Suggestion GROUP EIGHT Dist. 24 Dist. 83 Dist. 84 Total Area (sq. miles) 12 101/2 10^/2 33 Valuation $143,090.00 $67,385.00 $244,972.00 $455,447.00 General Levy (mills) 7 9 5 Approved Estimate 1,400.00 763.00 1,650.00 4,113.00 Number of Teachers 2 2 2 6 Enumeration, 1917 140 68 78 286 Enrollment, 1917 121 62 91 274 Av. Attendance, 1917 55 33 72 160 Enrollment by Grades, '18: Primary 4 5 9 First 6 12 9 27 Second 6 3 11 20 Third 10 6 12 28 Fourth 1 7 8 16 Fifth 4 6 6 16 Sixth 4 6 4 14 Seventh 5 2 8 15 Eighth 3 5 6 14 Ninth 6 6 Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Total 43 47 75 165 STOVER, DISTRICT NO. S4. THIS IS NOW PART OF A UNION GRADED DISTRICT. This group is ten miles long by three and one-half miles wide. A union graded school located near the center of the group would be not more than six miles from any corner. At present the Grady County 83 condition of the roads is not such that consolidation is not recom- mended, although it would not be impracticable to transport pupils over the greater part of the district. A union graded school should be established in this group. The valuation and enrollment is such that a strong central school can be maintained here. The boys and girls are entitled to the best. GROUP NINE This group consists of districts 2 and 90 and parts of districts 4, 5, 14 and 15. District 2, Minco, has already established a good high school. Inasmuch as only two entire districts are included in this group with parts of three others, no detailed information with respect to valuation and enumeration has been worked out. The SCHOOL, IN DISTRICT NO. 24. area of the proposed district, hoAvever, is less than that of the Amber Consolidated District and the valuation is greater. Under such circumstances, this group should be able to maintain a better school than that now maintained at Amber, on a smaller rate of taxation and at less inconvenience. The pupils now living in the Minco district have the advantage of a good graded school. That district would gain very little by consolidation but the adjacent rural districts would profit greatly by uniting Avith Minco and securing the advantage of the graded school already established. Should this group consolidate, a larger school site should be pro- vided in order that the pupils in the school might have practical work in Manual Training, Domestic Science, and Agriculture. The firm dirt roads in this part of the county are so good :that consolidation is not only practical but eminently desirable. District 15 is so situated that it should be divided among the Minco, Poc asset, Tuttle and Amber Groups. 84 School Survey Suggestion GROUP TEN. (Now a Union Graded District.) This group is composed of district 26, Pocasset, the south half of district 14 and the southwest fourth of district 15. The taxable valuation is approximately $700,000 and the area is ap- proximately 29 square miles. The splendid roads in this part of the county make consolidation entirely feasible. Should this group consolidate, it Avould probably be well to rearrange that part of the boundary of the Amber district in Pocasset township to enlarge this group by including in it the territory lying nearer to Pocasset than to AmlDer. SCHOOL BUILDING AT MIXCO. GROUP ELEVEN. (Now a Union Graded District.) Dist. 36 Dist. 89 Dist. 92 Total Area (sq. miles) 163/^ 614 I2V2 35% Valuation „ „ $334,483.00 $ 48,720.00 $129,155.00 $532,358.0© (xeneral Levy, (mills) 2 7 6 Approved Estimate 1,814.00 376.00 737.00 2,927.00 Number of Teachers 2 114 Enumeration, 1917, 61 27 31 119 Enrollment. 1917, 48 31 35 114 Av. Attendance, 1917 30 22 20 72 Grady County 85 Enrollment by Grades, 1918 : Primary 5 5 2 12 First 2 4 17 Second 3 3 2 8 Third 3 3 6 Fourth 3 3 6 Fifth 3 5 10 18 Sixth 3 5.0 8 Seventh 4 2 1 7 Eighth 5 2 2 9 Ninth 6 17 Tenth 10 1 Eleventh Twelfth Total 35 32 22 89 This group of districts can maintain a good union graded high school or a consolidated school on its valuation. Unless high school facilities are provided for the boys and girls in these districts, many of them will seek transfers to the Chickasha high school- As the number of transferred pupils increases from year to year the transfer fees will ultimately amount to as much as the extra cost of a good union high school. By establishing a union graded school somewhere near the center of this group, the boy and girl living in the northwest corner too far away to drive to Chickasha or Verden each day and unable to pay board in town will be' provided for. Also the people who patronize the school will own it and be in a position to dictate the course of study which their children are to take. A strong course in Agriculture and related subjects should be offered in this school. GROUP TWELVE. The city of Chickasha maintains a most excellent school with a large enrollment from adjacent districts. The boundaries of this district should be enlarged so as to include that part of District No. 10 which is nearer to Chickasha than to Verden. The public schools of the city of Chickasha rank among the best in the state. One progressive feature of this school system is the junior high school department in which pupils of the seventh, eighth and ninth grades are enrolled. A splendid new building has been erected and set aside for the use of the junior high school. The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades occupy the old high school building. The Chickasha high school offers the normal training course and in this way influences the rural education of Grady County. This high school is fully accredited. 86 School Survey Suggestion District No. 1, Chickasha, employs sixty teachers and has seven buildings. The rate of levy is 8.7 mills for general purposes on a vaulation of $8,079,521. This district is spending $30.68 per capita for the education of its children, the approved estimate being $68,735 and the enrollment in the schools being 2,240. The junior high school has enrolled 411 pupils in the seventh and eighth grades. There are 317 enrolled in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades; about 25 of these latter live in other districts. There are 28 teachers employed in the high schools, 14 in the Junior and 14 in the Senior. GROUP THIRTEEN. This group consist^ of District 58, the north half of Districts 12 and 59, the northwest one-fourth of District 60 and the western part of District 57. Since the group is composed largely of fractional parts of districts, no attempt is made to give in detail statistics of enumeration, area, valuation, etc. There is considerable sand in this section of the county; therefore, consolidation is not recommended for this district for the present. However, the territory should be re-districted to suit the present needs and a union graded school composed of the new districts should be organized in order that the children in this group may have such school advantages as they need. GROUP FOURTEEN. This group consists of Districts 68 and 69, the south half of Districts 12 and 59, the southwest fourth of District 50, and the west half of Districts 98 nnd 70. Because of the fact that this group is composed largely of fractional parts of districts, no detailed statis- tics are given. There is too much sand in the roads in this section to make consolidation advisable here at present, but a union graded school established at Rush Springs would provide educational facilities far superior to those enjoyed by pupils in the little rural schools at present. GROUP FIFTEEN Dist. 3 Dist, 6 Dist. 16 Dist. 91 Total Area sq. m. 121/2 11 9 51/2 38 Valuation $591,078.00 $150,723.00 $109,896.00 $155,932.00 1,007,629.00 T CiiJ. I.I.C4 I Xl^ii t^tJ Gren. levy m. 11 3.9 6 . 3.6 ' Ap'v'd Est. 7,613.00 813.00 752.00 847.00 10,025.00 No. Teachers 9 1 1 1 12 Enum.. 1917 324 65 32 46 467 Enr., 1917 364 46 17 47 474 Av. Att. 1917 259 29 9 21 318 Grady County 87 Enrollment by Grades, 1918: First • 39 18 4 7 68 Second 34 6 3 3 46 Third 38 14 7 59 Fourth 27 14 4 4 49 Fifth 40 8 5 3 56 Sixth 22 7 2 4 35 Seventh 33 2 5 40 Eighth 21 4 3 28 Ninth 10 10 Tenth 15 15 Eleventh 6 6 Twelfth 6 6 Total 291 73 21 33 418 This group is arranged around the town of Tuttle where a good graded school has already been established by the people living in District No. 3. By including in this group the wesst half of Districts 4 and 5 and the northeast one-fourth of District 15, the area will be increased to approximately fifty square miles and the valuation will be increased to more than $1,000,000. The school population will be increased slightly. Compare this group with the Amber school district. Should this group be organized as a consolidated school, the high school should be located on a site containing not less than ten acres and the school should be made to serve the entire district placing special emphasis on the teaching of Agriculture. SCHOOL BUILDING AT TUTTLE. 88 School Survey Suggestion WORLEY CREEK DIST. NO. 6. The Worley Creek School, District b, is overcrowded. One teacher cannot teach 73 pupils successfully. The school building is dilapidated, poorly lighted and lacking in every modern con- venience. This district should make it possible for its child^-en to attend a good graded school. Consolidation is their only salvv.tion. The Campbell School, District 16, and the Silver City School, District 91, are not crowded as badly as the Worley Creek School, and the buildings in these districts are not so dilapidated. But neither of these schools can do efficient work with the limited equipment and time available. Each of the teachers in these two districts has 28 recitation periods per day, while the teacher at Worlev Creek has 36 dailv recitations to conduct. The time CAMPBELL, SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 16. Grady County 89 devoted to each grade is necessarily short, ranging from twenty minutes to eighty minutes per day. In a consolidated school each grade would be large enough to require the services of one tea-eher and, therefore, each grade would receive attention during 330 minutes each day. The children in District 3 are already provided with a graded school, so they have less to gain through consolidation than have the children liAdng in the adjacent rural schools. Enough horses were on the school grounds the day the schools were inspected to furnish transportation for all the children in the group of districts. At present no satisfactory high school work can be done iji the little rural schools employing one and two teachers. The pupils in districts adjoining the Tuttle district will necessarily SILVER CITY SCHOOL, DISTRICT NO. 91. depend upon the Tuttle school for high school opportunities. But District 3 cannot by itself maintain as strong a school as the pupils in this section of the county need. Every parent in this group of districts is or should be interested in a stronger school for his children than can be had under present conditions. By consolidation it is possible to have such a school as is needed. A union graded school would be a decided improvement over the present system but this would not provide the relief needed. It would at best be only a partial solution. The conditions here are favorable to the organization of a consolidated school in which all pupils will be benefited to the same extent, and such is recommended. 90 School Survey Suggestion District 87 Oak School This district is situated so that it does not fit into any of the groups as a whole but can easily be divided and distributed among the surrounding groups, part going to the Tuttle group, part going to the Amber district and part going to Group Twenty One on the east composed of Districts 17, 18, 21 and 22. TOP— REAR AND FRONT VIEW OF SCHOOL IN DISTRICT NO. 16— BOTTOM— TEACHERAGE IN DIST NO. 16. GROUP SIXTEEN. This group, composed of Districts 37 and 38 and the south half of District 34, has a property valuation of approximately $650,000, an area of approximately 30 square miles and a school population of about 250. Districts 37 and 38 maintain two teacher schools and offer such high school work as can be done in schools of this type. Only one teacher is employed in District 34. It is Grady County 91 suggested that the north half of District 34 be attached to the Amber Consolidated District, but it would not be impracticable to include all of this district in this group. This group of districts could easily maintain a good con- solidated school, as transportation would not prove burdensome in this section of the county. Since Districts 37 and 38 have good school buildings, however, it would probably be best to organize a union graded district out of the territory included in this group. Later, the union graded school can be transformed into a good con- solidated school. A school can be located in this group not more than six and one-half miles from the farthest home. GROUP SEVENTEEN. This group consists of Districts 47 and 48, having a combined area of 28 square miles with a taxable valuation of $487,796, and an enumeration of 204 scholastics. A strip one mile wide should probably be detached from District 52 and added to this group. The taxable valuation would then be approximately $500,000 and the area about 32 square miles. Two teachers are employed in each of these two districts at present and two years of high school work is offered in each school. Eleven pupils are enrolled in the high school grades and eleven are in the eighth grade in these two schools, this being a splendid showing for these rural districts. Next year there will be three high school grades in each school, or it will be necessary to transfer pupils to districts offering work in the eleventh grade. It is very evident that the parents and pupils in these two districts are progressive and ambitious. They are to be commended. A strong school can be maintained by these two districts com- bining either as a union graded district or as a consolidated district. GROUP EIGHTEEN. All of District 46, All of District 52 All of District 52, One mile strip from west side of District 55, The east two-thirds of District 57. This group of districts has a total area less than 50 square miles and a valuation in excess of $800,000. The scholastic population of the proposed district is approximately 475. The area of this group is rather large for this section of the county, but a consolidated district can be maintained by the people living in this territory. Compare with the Amber and Ninnekah districts. A strong union graded school would be better than the &2 School Survey Suggestion present system and would form the basis of a future consolidation. Because of the fact that fractional parts of districts are included in this combination, no detailed statisticts are given. Persons interested can secure the necessary statistics from the office of the county superintendent. By detaching a strip one mile wide from the north of District 52 and attaching it to Group Seventeen, no home need be at an unreasoneble distance from the consolidated schoolhouse. GROUP NINETEEN. All of Districts 60, 61 and G6, Parts of Districts 65, 71, 72 and 99. Because of the small valuation and present condition of the roads, this group of districts should not attempt to consolidate at present. However, a union graded school might be arranged. Such school could be maintained at a cost very little greater than that of the present schools. GROUP TWENTY. All of Districts 81 and 82 Parts of Districts 70. 71. 72 and 80, At present this group has such a limited valuation that con- solidation is not advised. A union graded high school is possible, however, and should be provided for the pupils in this section of the county, since many of them are now 18 miles from the nearest high school. A union graded district managed on a modest scale would not entail a cost very much greater than the cost of the present schools in this group. The county superintendent can funiish detailed statistics concerning this group of districts to any person interested in reorganization. District No. 9. This district located in the northeast corner of Grady County can enter a combination of districts in McClain County. Or. a group consisting of Districts 6. 9. 17 and 18 could be formed. It is also possible for this district to enter the Tuttle Group, or Group 21. AA*ith which it is included on the map. but this is not recommended on account of the distance unless auto-busses are used to transport the children from this district to Tuttle. Grady County 93 GROUP TWENTY-ONE. Dist. 17 Dist. 18 Dist. 21 Dist. 22 Total Area sq. m. 101/2 IQi/o 101/2 9 401/2 Valuation $ 53,760.00 $ 65,200.00 $ 74,480.00 $ 38,915.00 $238,355.00 Gen. levy m 7 11.3 10 10 38.3 App. Est 443.00 883.00 877.00 441.00 2,643.00 No. Teachers 1 1 2 1 5 Length of School term 7 8 8 7 Enum., 1917 53 87 101 45 2S6 Enr., 1917 55 62 100 44 261 Av. Att., 1917 32 42 47 22 143 This group has a relatively large area Avhen compared to the valuation. There is considerable rough ground in the southern part of this group. Under the circumstances, consolidation should not be undertaken by these districts at this time, but a union graded school can easily be maintained by them. Only one pupil is reported as doing high school work in the three districts of this group, from which reports were received. This is a very poor showing. A union graded school located near the center of this group ^rould not prove burdensome to the taxpayers and would be a great incentive to pupils to complete the eighth grade and do high grade work. Such a school would be worth immeasurably more than it would cost. Districts 30 and 31. A petition praying that District 30 be attached to the Amber Consolidated District was being circulated in District 30 during March, 1918. People now residing in District 30 but who formerly resided in Amber district were in charge of the petition. If attached, the northeast comer of the district will be ten or more miles from the Amber school. The people who are circulating the petition realize that this is true, yet they are very anxious to get into the con- solidated district. This is one of the best arguments that can be found for consolidation. Since Amber is introducing the auto-bus as a means of transportation, this distance will probably not be too great. District 31 should be included in Group Twenty-two. Because of the roads, pastures and canyons in this section of the county, it ^\ill be difficult to include these districts in other groups. GROUP TWENTY-TWO. Districts 31, 32, 33, 40 and 86. This group has an area of approximately 40 square miles and 94 School Survey Suggestion a valuation of $382,766. The scholastics enumerated number onlv 228. Because of the rough terrain, it is suggested that a union graded district would be best for this group of districts at present. It would not be advisable to assume the obligations of transportation while this part of the county has such road conditions and low valuation as it now has. But a union graded district organized now may prove the basis of a good consolidated district in the future. GROUP TWENTY-THREE. Districts 45, 53, 54 and 67. This group has an area of approximately 40 square miles with a taxable valuation of only $243,740 and an enumeration of 346 scholastics. The same conditions are found here that are found in the districts included in Group Twenty-two. A union graded school can be maintained by this group at present and steps should be taken to organize one in the near future in order that the large number of scholastics may be afforded better educat- ional advantages than they can have under the present plan of or- ganization. GROUP TWENTY-FOUR. Districts 63 and 64 and parts of 55 and 56. The Bradley District, No. 63, was enlarged recently by the an- nexation of District 62. The town of Bradley is near the center of this group. The valuation of taxable property included in this group is in excess to $500,000. the enumeration of scholastics is approximately 475 and the area is about 36 square miles. This group of districts could easily maintain a good consol- idated school in which all pupils would have the advantages of close gradation. The pupils in this group of districts are entitled to better school than the Bradley district alone can maintain. Inasmuch as the pupils living in outlying rural districts must depend upon Bradley for high school advantages, it seems wise for these districts to unite and co-operate in building a strong school rather than remain as they are and maintain several relatively weak and inefficient schools. A union graded school would afford some relief, but consolidation is recommended to the people of this group. Grady County 95 GROUP TWENTY-FIVE. Districts 73 and 74 and parts of Districts 64, 65, 72 and 80^ This group of districts has a combined property valuation of about $200,000 and an area of 40 square miles. It is apparent that a consolidated school cannot be maintained on the present valuation and with the present area. As the county developes, however, this territory will become a potential consolidated district. At present a union graded school located at the center of the group would be seven miles from any corner of the district and would provide high school advantages for the children living in this section. In order to include all of this territory in the group, so that a union graded district may be organized, it will be neces- sary to readjust the western boundaries. 96 School Survey Sugges fjon WAGONER COUNTY Wagoner County is situated in the eastern part of Oklahoma and is bounded on the north by Rogers and Mayes Counties, on the east by the Clrand River which forms the dividing line between Wagoner and Cherokee Counties, on the south by Muskogee and Okmulgee Counties, the Arkansas River forming a large part of the boundary between Wagoner and Muskogee Counties, and on the Avest by Tulsa County. The Verdigris River which forms part of the boundary between Rogers and Wagoner Counties flows across Wagoner County dividing it into two parts almost equal in area, the larger part being west of the river. The Arkansas River meanders across the southeastern part of this county also. Near these streams some hills are foumd and native timber thrives, but the major part of the county consists of rolling and level prairies or level bottom land. As a rule, the roads are not so good in those districts near the streams as they are in districts on the prairies, but considerable improvement of the public highways has been made during the past year and rapid improvement will be made henceforth, now that the people are thoroughly aroused to the economic value and importance of good roads. The principal town is Wagoner, the county seat located in that part of the county between the Verdigris and Grand Rivers. North Muskogee in the southeastern part of the county is a small village having tAvo railroads. CoAveta is the principal or largest toAvn Avest of the Verdigris. Porter, in the southern part of this section, is a village almost as large as CoAveta, and Stone Bluff in the southAvestern corner of the county is a ncAv toAAOi that has groAA'u recently because of the discoA-ery of oil in that part of the county. Red Bird and Tullahassee in the southern part of the county are villages populated principally by negroes. Two main lines of the Katy railroad (M, K, & T.) cross this county, one line crossing from south to north and the other from southeast to nortliAvest. The Iron ]\rountain (St.L. I. M. & S.) and the Missouri Oklahoma and Gulf Railroads also cross the county from north to south. The Midland Valley Railroad crosses the southAvestern corner of the county passing through Stone Bluff toAvnship. Unlike Alfalfa County. Wagoner has a mixed population. ,It AA-as formerly a part of Indian Territory. The Federal Census of 1910 credited the county Avith a population of 12.338 whites, 987 persons of Indian descent and 8.761 colored, or a total of 22.086. This population has. no doubt, increased. The school enumeration for 1917 shoAvs 4.292 Avhite and Wagoner County 97 Indian scholastics and 2,608 colored scholastics, or a total of 6,900 3diieatable children- Oil and gas have been discovered in the western part of the county around Coweta and Stone Bluff. Some shallow deposits of coal are also found, but the principal industry of the county is Agriculture and Stockraising. With the exception of Stone Bluff, the towns and villages depend upon .the farming industry for their prosperity. The interests of the people living in the to\^Tis and villages and those living on the farms are identical. Cotton and grain are the principal crops raised in the county. The county has an approximate area of 568 square miles ; the total assessed valuation of taxable property located in the county is $14,032,980. SCHOOL RESOURCES The school districts of "Wagoner County were not organized until 1907, and practically all of the rural school buildings in the county were erected after that time. As a result, the bonds that were issued for the purpose of building and equipping these schools have not yet been redeemed. The bonds issued by 53 of the districts are twenty year bonds that will not mature before 1928. During December I inspected 33 rural and 3 town schools in "Wagoner County and received reports from 17 rural districts that were not visited. The schools inspected are located in all sections of the county and are attended by white children. The following facts and figures are based upon the inspections and reports of these fifty rural schools visited and reported. Only nine of these schools have playground equipment. Only ten of the buildings have entrance halls or cloakrooms. Nine of the fifty schools have no wells or source of water supply ; fifteen secure drinking water from open wells on the school ground; twenty-one have wells protected or closed with cement curbs ; and five did not report on the water supply. None of the privies has pits and only two districts have built screens about these outhouses. Trees have been planted on eleven school sites, the others are bare or have native trees growing on them. Nineteen districts have some books for the libraries, but only five have books suitable for primary pupils. Thirteen of the schools have some books that are too advanced for the pupils enrolled in the schools. Twenty-two districts have bought expensive charts that are of little use, seventeen of these districts have as many as two of these charts. Thirty of the districts have a musical instrument, twenty-seven having organs and three having Grafonolas or Victorolas, Several of the schools have sets of reference books, encyclopaedias, etc., 98 School Survey Suggestfon sold to the school boards by agents, and no other library books. Forty-two of these schools have U. S. flags, four reported no flags owned by the school and four did not report this item. All of the schoolhouses are lighted by windows on at least two sides, while several have windows on all four sides. In this respect there is not a modern rural school building in the county. Mrs. Sizer, the county superintendent, reports that she is having a modern building erected for one of the separate schools in the county. There are fifty-two classes having only one pupil each in the fifty rural schools inspected and reported. Seventeen of these fifty rural schools have no pupils enrolled in the eighth grade. This is not to be wondered at since the schools are so poorly equipped and so crowded that healthy boys and girls cannot be attracted and held by them. They either go to the town schools or drop out of school altogether after they pass the sixth grade and the compulsory education age. State Supt.. R. H. Wilson in his address before the State Teachers' Association last November called attention to the fact that the time has passed when four walls, a few desks, and a stove can be called a school. Measured by this modern standard there are few schools in Wagoner County. There are 65 school districts in the county. In 49 of them the whites are in the majority and control the schools. Negroes have a majority in 16 of the districts and they control the district schools in such districts. No negroes are enumerated in 12 of the districts in the county and no whites are reported in four districts. As stated before only schools for whites were inspected and reported. During the school year of 1916-17 the enumeration, enrollment, and attendance by races were as follows : Whites. Colored Total Enumeration 4292 2608 6900 Enrollment 3798 2340 6138 Average Daily Attendance 2228 1325 3553 There are 127 teachers employed in the county, not including those teaching in the city of Wagoner which is an independent district. These teachers hold the following credentials: two are university graduates; nine are normal school graduates; one holds a state high school certificate ; one holds a state primary certificate ; one holds a temporary certificate issued by the state superintendent; forty-five are holders of first grade county certifi- cates ; thirty-seven hold second grade county certificates ; twenty-flve have third grade county certificates; and six hold only temporary county certificates. Wagoner County 99 MAP SHOWING SUGGESTED COMBINATIONS OF DISTRICTS IN WAGONER COUNTY. ^ •^ ^ ! A j4''^ n o d ■$)-«> V s T -a X ,'5\.s It will be seen from the foregoing that the problem of school betterment in Wagoner County is more complex than m Alfalfa County since Wagoner is cut up by large streams, has a het- erogeneous population making it necesary to have separate schools for the races and has a cotton crop to interfere with school at- tendance. There are no consolidated schools in this county. The following suggestions and reports concerning the schools 100 School Survey Suggestion are offered in hope that they may be of value to those who are striving for better conditions. VICTORY DISTRICT NO. 20. Mrs. Nettie Zellner, Teacher. A well with cement curb and pump, a board fence, a fuel house, two new toilets without screens or pits, a teeter-totter, and a one room schoolhouse are on the level acre site in this district. No trees have been planted. The school house has been painted, has a very good foundation and a porch. It has no entrance hall or cloakrooms, or closets for storage p^j.t'po>e.-i and no screened I'.rpboard for liniel-ies. It is improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on each side. The equipment consists of window shades, sash curtains, poor and insufficient blackboards placed too high from the floor, double desks improperly arranged, an old style heater, water bucket, case of maps, globe, reading chart, agricultural chart, wash basin and toM'els, a flag, seven volumes of reference works, and a dictionary but no other library books. This school has also about twenty-five dollars worth of domestic science equipment consisting of a small oil stove, dishes, utensils, cupboard and supplies. Since there are no cloakrooms, this domestic science equipment has been set up in one corner of the schoolroom. One teacher is employed to instruct the twenty-eight pupils enrolled. The teacher has taught five years in this district but not consecutively. The pupils are divided into 7 grades, and the school is divided into twenty-six recitation periods. No high school work is offered. One pupil from this district is attending the Ca- toosa high school. I was told that no pupil from this school has ever completed the eighth grade. This district needs to provide high school work for its pupils. (See Group One) CONKLIN, DISTRICT NO. 21 Miss Dollie Harrison, Teacher. This large school site slopes gently to the rear. It is not fenced. Two toilets painted, a coal house unpainted and in poor condition, a well with cement cover and the schoolhouse constitues the improvements that have been added to the site by the district. No trees are groAving on the school grounds. The foundation of the school house needs attention. The building has been painted. The entrance hall is enclosed on three Wagoner County 101 sides only. There are no cloakrooms, no closets for storage purposes and no screened cupboards for lunches. The large schoolroom is lighted improperly by twelve windows arranged six on each side. The equipment consists of good window shades, old double desks and new single desks for pupils, teacher's desk and chair, good new recitation benches, an old style heater too small for the room, a case of maps, a globe, a reading chart, about twenty-five volumes of library books some of which are suitable for pupils in the school, a good dictionary, a good bookcase, an organ, a flag and a washbasin. There is no drinking fountain or water cooler in this school. The library furnishes a fine illustration of the unbalanced library. There are thirteen large volumes of excellent poems, about one dozen smaller books for grammar grade students, and no reference books except an unabridged dictionary. Needless to say, the large volumes of poetry are still clean showing that they have not been read. One teacher instructs the forty pupils enrolled in the school these pupils are classified in six grades and the school day is divided into twenty-seven recitation periods. No high school work is offered. Only fourteen pupils were present the day the school was inspected. Five horses are used to take pupils to this school. (See Group One) RIDGEWAY, DISTRICT NO. 25 Miss Ethel Ridgeway, Teacher. The school site of this district is rough. Several native oak trees are growing on it, a well without curb or cover supplies water for the pupils, two poor toilets without screens or pits, a poor fuel house, and a school house in bad condition constitute the improvements on the site. The school house was painted once. It has a foundation in poor condition, two front doors and no steps leading up to them. No entrance hall or cloakrooms, and is improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on each side. Several window panes were out which led to the suggestion that wire screens should be placed on the outside of these windows. The window sills are decaving and the school house is about worn out. There are no window shades to keep out the glare of the sun and no curtains. The blackboards are poor and too high from 102 School Survey Suggksiion the floor. The furniture consists of double desks for the pupils^ a good teacher 's desk but no chair, an old style heater, a washbasin and an old organ out of repair. The school has a flag, case of maps a dictionary in fair condition, and six volumes of reference work. The school needs a water cooler, library books, window shades, bookcase, framed pictures, sash curtains, domestic science and manual training equipment, recitation benches etc. A new and modern building must be provided in this district within a few years unless the district consolidates with some of the adjoin- ing districts. One teacher is employed to teach the forty-five pupils enrolled. Those pupils are classified in eight grades. No high school work is offered. Part of this district is rough and part is rolling, but the roads are not so bad but that they can be put into a state making transportation of pupils practical. (See Group One) TALONAL DISTRICT NO. 26 Miss Ruth Parker, Teacher. The improvements on this one acre school site consist of a cement covered well, fence, two poor toilets without screens or pits, a fuel house in poor condition and a one-room school house without cloakroom, entrance hall, or closets for storage and lunch baskets. A new porch has been built recently. The foundation is open at places. This school room is improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on each side. The equipment consists of old window shades, sash curtains, a painted plank blackboard, old double desks and new single desks, an old style heater, one case of maps, an agricultural chart, a poor SCHOOL IX DISTRICT NO. 26. Wagoner County 103 •dictionary, a bookcase with door off, two framed pictures, three flags, an organ, seven volumes of reference Avorks and about fifty volumes of library books, half of them suitable for children of the age and advancement of those enrolled in the school. The teacher in this school has four shelves in the corner of the room for lunches and has made them as nearly flytight as possible by using mosquito netting. One teacher is employed to teach the twenty-four pupils enrolled in this school. This teacher is now serving her fourth year in this district and the general organization and grading of the school show the advantages of keeping a good teacher a number of years. No high school work is offered in this school. Three pupils from this district are in the Broken Arrow higli school six miles away and one pupil who completed the eighth grade work last year is still in the school because her mother does not wish to send the child away from home to school. The district should furnish high school training for its pupils. (See Group One) GROUP ONE. Dist. 20 Dist. 21 Dist. 25 Dist. 26. Total Area (sq. miles) 9 12 9 9 39 Valuation $166,263 $136,085 $ 82,729 $133,069 $518,149 Enumeration (whites) 27 63 80 42 212 General Levy (mills) 3.4 4 5 Approved Estimate, 1917 1,085 860 798 1,115 3,858 Outstanding Bonds 1,200 1,400 1,500 500 4,600 In Sinking Fund 608 474 428 233 1,743 Number of Teachers 11114 Length of Term 8 8 8 9 Enrollment, 1916-17 30 45 50 44 169 Av. Attendance, 1916-17 16 16 26 25 83 Enrollment by Grades, Dec. 1917 : Primary 6 15 5 26 Eirst 3 5 13 1 22 Second 7 6 3 2 18 Third : 3 8 .6 3 20 Fourth 12 2 4 9 Fifth 7 1 11 3 22 Sixth 6 2 8 Seventh 3 3 2 2 10 Eighth 2 13 High School Total 30 40 45 23 138 Number of Grades 7 7 8 8 Number of Recitations 26 27 32 35 104 School Survey Suggestion The school buildings in this group are strictly one-room schools having no cloakrooms. It will be necesary for many years to have one-teacher schools in many districts in Oklahoma, but it is not necessary to have one-room schools anywhere. The buildings are not modern in any respect although modern buildings would not have cost any more money than these buildings cost the respect- ive districts at the time they were built The area of 39 square miles is all level prairie land. The cost of transportation in this group need not be great. No high school work is offered in any of these districts and none can be given under present conditions. Only four pupils living in this territory are reported as attending high schools in other districts. The need for better and more advanced schools is very acute here. This group of districts meets all the requirements of the consoli- dation law in area, valuation and enrollment. It could meet the requirements for state aid. A union graded school would be a decided improvement over present conditions. The enumeration report shows that all of these districts except number 21 have some negro children as residents, there being a total enumeration of 69 colored scholastics in this group. No inspection of the separate schools for colored was made. GROUP TWO. District 24, District 36 This group has an approximate area of 20 square miles, a tax- able valuation of $204,850 and a scholastic enumeration of 74 whites and 11 negroes. The Verdigris River on the east separates this territory from the districts in Rogers County. This group cannot now meet the requirements for consol- idation. The rough topography and poor roads would make consolidation inadvisable for these districts even if they could qualify in other respects. All of the negro children are enumerated in District No. 24. A union graded school for the whites can be organized in this section, but this should not be done until the roads are improved. Because of the difficulties involved in transporting pupils over the hills in the eastern part of this group, is would hardly be- practical to organize a consolidated district from Districts 21, 24, 25 and 36 ; but it would, no doubt, be advisable to detach sections 6, 7 and 13 from the eastern side of District 21 and attach same to this group composed of Districts 24 and 36. Should Districts 21, 24, 25 and 36 unite it would then be necessary for Districts 20 \VAGONER County 105 and 26 to consolidate with territory in Tulsa County or remain one-teacher districts. Considering the topography of the county and all other el- ements of the problem, I am of the opinion that the arrangement of these districts as Croup One, composed of districts 20, 21, 25 and 26, and Croup Two, composed of Districts 24 and 36, is logical. Should Group One organize now, pupils in Group Two ready for high school work could be transferrer to Group One for the present. EVANS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 27. Miss Josephine Sprague, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : The acre school site is rough, due to erosion. There are two poorly kept closets without screens or pits. No trees grow on the site and there is no fence around it. There is a good cistern with €ement cover. No playground apparatus was on the grounds the day the school was inspected. Three horses and vehicles were used to transport pupils to school. School Building: The school house has two rooms but only one teacher is employed to teach the sixty-four pupils enrolled. The building needs a coat of paint and needs to be made substantial. At present one can stand in the middle of the room and shake the floor of the entire building. Each room is improperly lighted by windows placed on three sides. It has an entrance hall and two cloakrooms. The walls and ceiling are painted blue. Equipment : The school has window shades, poor blackboards placed too SCHOOL IN DISTRICT NO. 27. 106 School Survey Suggestion high, pupils' double desks improperly arranged, a fair teacher's desk and poor chair, one poor recitation bench, a new heater with, jacket that had not been put up on the day the school was visited, a water cooler that was out of order, one case of maps, dictionary in fair condition, ten volumes of Home and School Reference Work and one New Century Book of Facts and sixteen library books suitable for intermediate and grammar grade students, a bookcase with the doors off, and an organ. It has no sash curtains, no chairs for visitors, no thermometer, no library books for primary pupils, no framed pictures, no flag, no lavatory facil- ities, and no equipment for domestic science, manual training or agriculture. Organization : One teacher, thirty-five boys, twtenty-nine girls, thirty-two recitations, eight grades, boys' and girls' clubs, and no high school Avork. (See Group Three) ONETA, DISTRICT NO. 28. Mrs. Mary Orcutt, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : The level acre site is enclosed with a good woven wire fence. A good well with a concrete cover is the source of the water supply for the school. The outbuildings are poor but better ones are planned and vnll be built soon. No trees or shrubs have been planted on the site. School Building: The wooden building has one classroom in the two rear corners of which triangular closets have been built for cloakrooms and in another corner a rectangular closet has been built to serve as a bookcase and supply closet. The building is improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on each side. Equipment : New shades for the windows, library books, maps, dictionary, and flag have been ordered as a result of the county superinten- dent's plan for standardizing her schools. The equipment on hand consists of double desks for the nunils. a teacher's desk and chair, recitation benches, and an old stvle heater. The teacher and board in this district are making an effort to bring their school up to the standard set by the county. Organization : One teacher is emploved to teach the sixteen bovs and sixteen girls enrolled. Eight grades are represented. No high school* work is offered. (See Group Three) Wagoner County 107 NEW STATE, DISTRICT NO. 29. Miss Dona Jones, Teacher. Orounds and Outbuildings : The rough unfeneed site contains about one and one-half acres. Two poor closets without screens or pits and a fuel house in poor conditions are on the site. These outbuildings are unpainted. Water is secured from a well with concrete cover. There are no trees, no shrubs, no walks, and there is no playground equipment. School Building: The woden building has a very good rock foundation, uncovered platform in front, entrance, two cloakrooms, and one large class- room improperly lighted by ten windows arranged five on each side. Equipment : The school has two window shades for the ten windows, black- boards in fair condition, teacher's desk and chair in very good condition, three poor recitation benches, an old style heater, one case of maps in poor condition, a good globe, an agricultural chart, good bookcase, and twenty-six volumes of reference books but no other library books, ten framed pictures and a flag. It has no sash curtains, no chairs for visitors, no drinking fountain or cooler, no dictionary, no lavatory, no musical instrument, no equipment for teaching manual training agriculture or domestic science. Organization : One teacher is employed to teach the ninety-nine pupils enrolled, forty-two boys and fifty-seven girls. It is not necessary to add to this statement as very little effective teaching can be done under such circumstances. (See Group Three) SCHOOL IN DISTRICT NO. 29. 108 School Survey Suggestion BLUE SPRINGS, DISTRICT NO. 30, Frank Johnston, Teacher. This school is located on a very rough site that was probably chosen because the acre was not good for any other purpose. Two toilets mthout screens or pits and ^\dthout roofs, a poor fuel house and an open well constitute the only improvements that are found on the site except the schoolbuilding. Several native oak trees are growing on this acre. The one-room wooden school building needs paint, has a good stone foundation, no entrance hall, no cloakrooms, and no closets for lunches or storage purposes. The room is lighted by eight large windows improperly arranged four on each side. There is not suf- ficient floor space for the pupils enrolled. The school is equipped with three window shades for the eight -windows, double desks, a teacher's desk and chair, very poor recitation benches, a good globe, six volumes of reference books, and about twenty-five volumes of library books, several of which can be used by the pupils, the others being unsuited for school libraries. This school also has a flag, a bookcase, an organ, a water bucket and a wash- basin. One teacher is employed to teach the fifty-two pupils enrolled in the school. These pupils are classified in seven grades. The- teacher has had no previous experience. No high school work is given. The district needs a two-room modern building on a good site,. more complete equipment and at least two teachers. The fact that three pupils from this district are now attending the Coweta, high school also suggests that the district should pro%dde high school training for its pupils who cannot go away to school. This can be done most effectively by enlarging the area and valuation of the district. (See Group Three) , GROUP THREE Dist. 27 Dist. 28 Dist. 29 Dist. 30 Total Area (sq. miles) 9 9 9 9 36 Enumeration (whites) 76 71 90 102 339 Valuation „ $207,580 $130,730 $205,710 $223,196 $767,216 General Levj (mills) „ _ 4 4 3.7 3 Approved Estimate - 1,252 1.090 895 823 4.060 Outstanding Bonds 1.400 1,200 1.200 1.000 4.800 In Sinking Fund _..„ 758 456 344 554 2.112 Number of Teachers 1111-4 Monthlv salarv^ _ ^..._ 90 85 75 75 32& Wagoner County 109 Grade of Certificate State Length of Term (months) 9 Enrollment, 1916-17 74 Av. Attendance, 1916-17 40 Enrollment by Grades, December, 1917 Primary 12 First 12 Second 10 Third 8 Fourth 9 Fifth 7 Sixth : Seventh 6 Eighth High School Total 64 Number of Grades 8 Daily Recitations 32 Number of Horses Driven to School by Pupils 3 Enumeration of Colored Scholastics First First Third 9 8 8 35 98 67 274 25 41 54 160 4 10 26 4 31 5 51 4 5 10 29 2 14 6 30 5 13 9 36 1 10 4 22 6 15 4 25 2 4 12 4 11 15 32 99 52 247 8 8 7 33 35 28 1 1 1 6 12 3 15 This group of districts having an area of thirty-six square miles of level prairie land can easily maintain a splendid consoli- dated school. There are only fifteen colored scholastics residing in these districts; therefore, there is practically no racial division ■ to complicate the organization of a central school. The separate schools are practically consolidated at this time. By refering to the present enrollment in these schools, it will be noted that at least three of them should have two or more teachers each at this time. These three or more teachers would almost double the present cost of the schools, $4,060, and the cost of additional rooms that would be needed would go a long ways toward building a good central school in the district. A consoli- dated school formed of this group would have large classes and would make it possible for the rural boys and girls to secure high school training at home equal to that offered in the best high schools ef eastern Oklahoma. A union graded school would not suffice for these districts because the lower grades would still be overcrowded in three of the outlying schools, but a union graded district would prove superior to the present small districts that offer no high school opportunities for the children in this section. 110 School Survey Suggestion SUNNYSIDE, DISTRICT NO. 31, Grace Elder, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : The level unfenced school site has a cement covered cistern, two toilets in a very poor condition without screens or pits, a fuel house, one piece of playground apparatus, and no trees. School Building: The wooden school building has a combination entrance hall and cloakroom built on the front of the house apparently as an afterthought. The classroom is improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on a side. Equipment : Shades for several of the windows, sash curtains, poor black- boards, double desks properly arranged, teacher's desk and chair, an old style heater that affords no ventilation, one case of maps in fair condition, a good dictionary, a bookcase and about twenty library books suitable for intermediate and grammar grade pupils, but none for the primary grades, a washbasin, and organ, constitute the equipment. A grafonola has been purchased but was not received at the date of inspection. The school has no chairs for visitors, no drinking fountain or cooler, no globes or charts, no framed pictures, no flag, and no equipment for teaching domestic science, manual training or agriculture, and no screened cupboard for lunches. Organization : One teacher has enrolled fourteen boys and fifteen girls. These pupils are in seven grades and the teacher has twenty-four recitations on her daily schedule. No high school work is given. (See Group Four) STONY POINT, DISTRICT NO. 32, Arthur Secrest, Teacher. The equipment of this school is about equal to that of the average district in the county. Fourteen pupils were on the roll at the time the school was inspected, but the teacher reported that only three has attended regularly during the preceding six weeks. Only three pupils were present December 5th, although the weather conditions were favorable. Since the people in this district evidently do not believe in a one-teacher school such as they have, they should unite with other districts to form a strong graded school where their children Wagoner County 111 may secure educational advantages such as their parents desire for them. (See Groups Four and Eleven.) GROUP FOUR. Districts 31 f Sunny side), 33 (Hidden Valley), 34, and the North Half of District 32, (Stony Point)... The area of this group is approximately thirty-five square miles, the valuation it about $354,124 and the enumeration of v^hite scholastics is 162, more or less. There are not to exceed forty-five colored scholastics in this group of districts. The Verdigris River forms the eastern boundary of Districts 33 and 34, making it necessary to include a larger area than should be consolidated in a section having as many hills and bad roads as are found in the riparian districts of Wagoner County. But a consolidated school located somewhere near the center of this group would not be inaccessible. The center of population is west of the central part of the proposed consolidated district. Each of the districts has a bonded indebtedness at this time, and about one-fourth enough money in the sinking fund to redeem the bonds at maturity. A union graded district would probably be less burdensome to these districts at this time than a consolidated district, as it would call for a smaller initial expenditure for building and would not entail the expense of transportation over bad roads. After the valuation increases and the roads are improved the union graded school can easily be converted into a good consol- idated school where all of the pupils from the first grade up through the high school may be taught satisfactorily. FAIRVIEW SCHOOL, DISTRICT NO. 3. Hazel Best, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : This school site is not fenced and has no trees growing on it. There are two poor toilets without screens or pits. Water is supplied from a well with a concrete cover. There is no play- ground apparatus on the ground. School Building: This building has been braced to strengthen it. It is painted, has a good foundation, a covered porch with cement floor, no cloakrooms or entrance hall, walls and ceiling of plaster and untinted, and is improperly lighted by eight large windows arranged four on a side. 112 School Survey Suggestion Equipment : This school has eighteen volumes of reference works and a good dictionary but no other library books. It is furnished with good single desks, a desk and chair for the teacher, an old style heater, has a flag, one small framed picture, an organ, and an agricultural chart. The teacher has covered an unused desk with oil cloth and placed it in. one corner of the room for service as a washstand. The blackboards are good but placed too high from the floor. There are no maps, globes, recitation benches, and there is no drinking fountain or water cooler, no screened cupboard for lunches, and no bookcase. Organization : One teacher is employed to teach the seven boys and six girls enrolled. These pupils are divided into six grades. The teacher has twenty-six recitations each day. High school work is not offered and three pupils of this district are attending the high school in other districts. Although the weather was very bad on the day this school was inspected, every child enrolled was present. Two horses and one vehicle are used to transport the pupils to this school. (See Group Five) BULL CREEK, DISTRICT NO. 4, Edith Biles, Teacher, Grounds and Outbuildings : The level acre site has on it a dilapidated fuel house used also as a stable, two poor closets without screens or pits and located too near the concrete covered well from which water is secured. There are no trees on this site and there is no playground equip- ment. School Building: The single classroom is improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on each side ; it has no cloakroom or entrance hall ; the walls and ceiling are painted blue. Equipment : This school has an unusually good library consisting of about 175 volumes, about 75 of which are not suited to the age and advancement of the pupils in the schoool, but are excellent for the older people in the community. It has a ease of maps, a globe, window shades double desks for the pupils, an old style heater, reading chart, agricultural chart, bucket and basin for lavatory, an organ, and a flag. It has no drinking fountain or water cooler, no framed pictures and no equipment for teaching agri- culture, domestic science or manual training. Wagoner County 113 Organization : One teacher is employed to teach the eighteen boys and eleven girls enrolled. The pupils are divided into seven grades, and the teacher has thirty recitations each day. No high school worK is offered for the pupils in this school. (See Group Five) GROUP FIVE. District 3, Fairview, District 4, Bull Creek, District 5, (North part) Rosebud, District 6, Combite, District 7, Pleasant Valley. Dist. 3 Dist. 4 Dist. 6 Dist. 7 Total Area 9 12 9 9 39 Enumeration 28 41 20 26 115 Valuation $233,021 $217,897 $140,867 $291,699 $883,484 General Levy 1.3 1.9 4.3 2.5 Approved Estimate 729 800 788 752 3,069 Outstanding Bonds 1,500 2,000 1,700 1,500 6,700 In Sinking Fund 483 1,313 726 787 3,309 Number of Teachers 11114 Monthly Salary 60 60 65 55 240 Length of Term (months) 8 8 8 8 Enrollment, 1916-17 22 21 25 12 80 Av. Attendance, 1916-17 18 15 16 10 59 Enrollment by Grades, December, 1917 : Primary 2 4 1 3 10 First 0.4 1 2 7 Second 8 6 2 16 Third ....: 2 2 3 18 Fourth 3 2 2 3 10 Fifth 4 4 Sixth 2 3 4 2 11 Seventh 2 10 3 Eighth 2 2 4 2 10 High School Total - 13 29 22 15 79 Number of Grades _... 6 7 7 6 Daily Recitations 26 30 31 27 By adding the northern part of District No. 5 to this group the area, enumeration and taxable valuation would be increased to approximately 47 square miles, 136 scholastics and $965,000. The other items would be increased in abouts the same ratio. The meandering course of the Verdigris River which forms the 114 School Survey Suggestion western boundary of this proposed district makes it appear more awkward on the map than it really is in fact. Very few, if any, white families live near the river. With the exception of a strip of timber land near the river the entire territory is level upland prairie having good dirt roads. A school located at the center of Districts 3, 4, 6 and 7 would not be an unreasonable distance from the remotest white family in the northern half of District 5. The northwestern sections of District 4 should be attached to a dis- trict in Rogers County if there is a school conveniently near. The territory located in this tier of congressional townships and situated between Verdigris and Grand Rivers should, under other circumstances, be divided into three consolidated districts. Should this be done, hoAvever, it will be observed that the middle district Avould have the benefit of practically all the public service corporation property and, as a result, we would have one strong INTERIOR VIEW, DISTRICT NO. 7. district and tAvo weak districts in that part of the county. There- fore, I have thought best to suggest that territory be organized into two districts following the present district lines as nearly as possible for convenience in organizing. A better arrangement perhaps would be to detach from group five and add to group six a strip one mile wide, thus decreasing the area of group five to approximately forty-one square miles and increasing the area of group six to approximately forty square miles. There are about sixty-three negro children located in Districts 4, 5 and 7. It may be that a better arrangement would be to group Districts 3 and 4 with districts in Rogers and Mayes Counties and Districts 1 and 2 Avith districts in Mayes County, but such would break into this suggested reorganization of districts in Wagoner Wagoner County 115 County and would necessitate a rearrangement of the groupings south of these districts. Other combinations can and should be formed, however, if the interests of the districts require. But any proposed arrangement that does not take care of each district in the county will be faulty to that extent. This group with a valuation of almost one million dollars and a small scholastic population in proportion to its valuation and area could easily maintain a strong school in which its pupils could be given training suitable to their future needs and far superior to the training they are now receiving in the little one-room one- teacher school. SCHOOL IX DISTRICT NO. 5. FLAT ROCK, District No. 2, J. E. McElary, Teacher. The school site in this district should be made level and improved otherwise. There are two poor toilets without screens or pits located about one hundred feet from the water supply, and a fuel house in fair condition. There are no trees or shrubs and there is no playground equipment on the site. The school house is improperly lighted with six windows ar- ranged three on each side. There are two large cloakrooms and a nice entrance hall, making this one of the most modern buildings in the rural districts of Wagoner County. The school has window shades, good blackboards, double desks, a teacher's desk and chair, two good recitation benches, an old style heater, globe, ten volumes of reference books, a dictionary, reading chart, agricultural chart, washbasin, flag and organ. It has no sash curtains, no chairs for visitors, no drinking fountain. 116 School Survey Suggestion no bookcase, and no equipment for teaching agriculture, domestic science or manual training. One teacher is employed to teach the twelve boys and fifteen girls enrolled. These pupils are divided into eight grades, and the school day is divided into twenty-nine recitation periods. No high school work is provided. (See Group Six) GODDARD SCHOOL, District No. 8, Charles Comstock, Teacher. Grounds and Outbuildings : The school site includes one acre that is enclosed by a fence. Two very poor toilets without screens, pits, or roofs and one fuel house in poor condition are on this site. Water is obtained from a well with stone cover. There are no trees and no playground equipment is on the schoolground. School Building: The one-room schoolbuilding was painted on the outside several years ago. It has no entrance hall or cloakrooms. A small triangular closet has been built in one corner of the room and is used for storage purposes. The building is lighted by ten windows, four on each side and two on the rear end. ■ The pupils face the doors. AVhen the doors are kept open during the warm weather, it is impossible to arrange the seats so the children will not face the light. This condition should be remedied by remodeling the building. Equipment : There are eight window shades for the ten windows, no sash curtains, double desks for pupils, good teacher's desk and chair, no chairs for visitors, a very poor recitation bench, blackboards in fair condition, one case of maps, a good globe, a good dictionary and seven volumes of reference books^ but no library books suitable for pupils enrolled in the school, four large framed pictures, a flag, washbasin and organ. Organization : One teacher is employed to teach the nine boys and four girls enrolled. The pupils are divided into seven grades and the school day is divided into 27 recitation periods. No high school work is given. (See Group Six) Wagoner County IIT GROUP SIX. Districts 1, 2, 8 and 9. These districts situated in the northeast corner of AVag'oncr County are bounded on the east by the Grand lliver. Districts 1 and 9 are irregular in outline and rough in topography. Districts 2 and 8 are regular in outline and are level. The total valuation of the group, as outlined, is $803,417 the area is approximately 34 spuare miles, and the white scholastic popula- tion is 213. A strip one mile wide detached from Group Five and attached to this group would equalize the area of these tAvo pro- posed districts and would increase the valuation and school popula- tion of this group slightly. Should Districts 1 and 2 combine mth the districts lying north in Mayes County, District 9 could enrer the combination of districts lying south. Group Seven and District ^ could be divided between Groups Seven and J-^ijiht or eutei* Gi'oup' Eight as a whole. On account of the hills and broken nature of the land surface in the eastern part of Group 6, it would probably be best for this group to organize a union graded district at this time. Later as the roads are improved this imion graded district can be changed to a consolidated district in whien all pupils in the- district will have the benefit of a graded school. However, consoli- dation would not be impracticable for this group at this time, but the transportation would probably be rather expensive in the beginning. Each district has a bonded indebtedness and each has in its- sinking fund enough money to pay off approximately one-half of the indebtedness. Forty-seven negro children reside in the districts included in this group. M-.^^'}". SCHOOL BUILDING IN DISTRICT NO. 15. 118 School Survey Suggestion GROUP SEVEN. Districts 13, 14 and 15. These districts have an aggregate taxable valuation of $387,102, a scholastic population of 176 and an area of approximately 23 square miles. By detaching two square miles from the east end of District 16 and attaching it to this group the valuation and population will be increased and the area will be made large enough to enable the group to consolidate. No separate schools for negroes are necessary in those districts there being only four negro children of school age residing in the entire territory. District 15 has a well built but poorly planned brick school- building, consisting of one room with windows arranged on all four sides. There are no cloakrooms or closets in this building. The area of this group as outlined is large enough for a good consolidated district in this section of the county where there are hills and poor roads. A union graded school would be a decided improvement over present conditions, but a consolidated school is recommended for this group of districts. GROUP EIGHT. District 19 and three-fourths of No. 16. District 19, the city of Wagoner, is an independent district. The schoolhouse in District 16 situated south of Wagoner was burned recently. These two districts belonging in the same group as District 16 cannot provide high school facilities equal to those provided for the chilldren in the toAvn school. The schoohouse being rebuilt in District 16 should ultimately become an outlying school in the Wagoner district or the independent district No. 19 should ultimately absorb District 16 and transport the pupils to the graded schools in town under that provision of the law which allows independent districts to furnish transportation. Under the present arrangement, those pupils residing in District 16 must be transferred to Wagoner after they reach the high school grades. Good work was being done in the temporary school quarters of District 16. As the board was planning a substantial new building, it is very probable that a number of years vnW elapse before the people in that district will consent to attaching them- selves to the town district for school purposes. The Wagoner district has an assessed valuation of $2,755,245 upon which a tax levy of eight mills has been made this year for general purposes and a levy of two mills for the sinking fund. The approved estimate of expenses for the current year is $22,600. Wagoner County 119 Forty-three pupils have been transferred to this district from adjoining districts in Wagoner County and several pupils have been transferred from the "Wagoner district to the high school at Mus- kogee. The high school enrollment during December was 138 The transferred pupils are charged at the rate of $38.00 per year of nine months for high school tuition and $18.95 per year in the grades. Only four rural schools in the county having white majorities levy as high a rate of tax as the Wagoner district levies. If the people in the rural communities would consent to pay as high a WAGONER CITY SCHOOL. rate as the people of Wagoner pay willingly, each community or group of districts in the county could maintain its own high school equal to the best town high school in the county. Under a county unit system of school administration Wagoner County rural property would all be taxed at the same rate and equal educational facilities would be provided for the children in all districts. Under such a plan a good high school could be pro- vided for each community. 120 School Survey Suggestion GROUP NINE. Dist. 11 Dist. 12 Dist. 18 Total Area (square miles) 9 6 12 27 Enumeration _ 56 18 74 148 Valuation $139,378.00 $220,583.00 $168,776.00 $528,737.00 General Levy (mills) — 5 3.1 1.8 Approved Estimate 900.00 730.00 872.00 2,502.00 •Outstanding Bonds 1,600.00 1,500.00 2,000.00 5,100.00 In Sinking Fund 600.00 1,054.00 764.00 2,418.00 Number of Teachers 1113 Monthly Salary 75.00 65.00 65.00 205.00 Grade of Certificate 1st 2nd 2nd Length of Term (months) 8 8 8 Enrollment, 1916-17 40 27 47 114 Av. Attendance, 1916-17 25 9 21 55 Enrollment by Grades, December, 1917: Primary 5 9 14 First 1 2 3 14 19 Second 8 4 2 . 14 Third 5 4 4 13 Fourth 9 7 10 26 Fifth 2 3 2 7 Sixth 112 Seventh 4 12 16 Eighth 112 4 High School Total • 36 32 47 115 Number of Grades 7 7 8 Daily Recitations 32 30 28 Enumeration of Colored Scholastics 12 10 22 These districts are located near Wagoner and a number of the pupils enter the "Wagoner high school after they complete the common school course in the home district. Should these districts consolidate the several classes would be large enough to insure rivalry and competition among the pupils enrolled. The work could be divided between the three teachers now employed, giving one teacher the primary, first and second grades, another the third, fourth and fifth, and the other the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Under this arrangement, the primary teacher could devote two hours to the pupils in the primary grades as compared with the half hour devoted to them according to the daily schedules at tne present. In other words, the pupils in these lower grades would re- ■eeive about four times as much attention as it is possible to give them in the one-teacher school. By making the proper combinations of Wagoner County 121 SCHOOL IN DISTRICT NO. 18. classes, pupils in the other grades would receive from three to four times as much time and attention as they receive under present con- ditions. It is costing $2,502 to operate these one-room schools this year. It would not cost twice as much to provide a good graded school for these common school pupils. If the present schools are worth what they are costing, it would seem that a good graded school offering from three to four times the educational opportunity now provided would be a rare bargain even if the cost should double. By adding the high school work, the cost %vill be increased proportionately. This group of districts can main- tain a good consolidated school on a lower millage tax than that levied in the Wagoner district. Because of the level country and good roads in this section of the county, transportation of pupils would prove neither difficult nor expensive. CLARKSVILLE District No. 53 B. Grounds and Outbuildings : The sloping school ground is fenced and has on it two toilets, but no fuel house or trees. The toilets are too far from the building. The playground has on it teeter-totters and basket ball goals. School Building: This building differs from others in the county to the extent that one end of the covered front porch has been converted into a cloakroom which is large and convenient. The classroom 122 School Survey Suggestion is improperly lighted by six windows arranged three on each side. Equipment : The equipment consists of double desks for pupils, teacher's desk and chair, window shades, an old style heater, agricultural I chart, organ, one case of maps, a good globe, a very poor diction- arj'', about thirty volumes of library books too advanced for the pupils enrolled in the school, and a bookcase. There are no framed pictures, no drinking fountain, no screened cupboard for children's lunches, no curtains, and no equipment for teaching agriculture, domestic science, or manual training. Organization : One teacher is employed to teach the thirty-seven pupils enrolled. There are eight grades and thirty-three daily recitations. No high school work is offered in this district. The district has a small area and low valuation but is rich m the quality and quantity of children. It should consolidate and offer high school advantages to its pupils. GROUP TEN. Districts 51, 52, 53B, 56 and 62, having a total area of approximately 44 square miles, form the basis of this group. The aggreate valuation of these districts is $1,073,078. The enumeration of white scholastics is 316. There are 213 colored children in this territorv. The nine white children enumerated SCHOOL, AT PORTER. Wagoner County 123 in district 57 should be transferred to this consolidated district when it is formed and the territory now included in district 57 should later be absorbed as conditions change because that district belongs in this group by reason of location. This group is laid off around the little town of Porter as a center. This little town is now maintaining an excellent school for the children living in District 52. As a result, children living in the other districts are seeking transfers to this district. If District 52 (Porter) can maintain such a good graded school for its children on its valuation of $510,359, it is reasonable to suppose that this entire group could maintain a much better school on its large valuation. The roads in this section are good and transportation could easily be arranged. While the group appears large on the map, I was told that no child would be farther than six miles from the school at Porter. The only difficulty here is due to the racial divi- sion of the population, making it necessary to maintain majority and minority schools. GROUP ELEVEN. Coweta, District No. 17, is the center of this group. A srood graded school is now maintained by District 17, and the Jiigh school work there attracts pupils from the surrounding districts. All of Districts 17, 41, 42 and 63 are included i]i this SCHOOL AT COWETA. 124 School Survey Suggestion group, also the south half of District 32 and a one mile strip from the east end of Districts 38 and 39. This gi'onp has an area of approximately 43 square miles and a valuation of $1,250,000. Should these districts combine, the consolidated district would be able to provide a stronger school than District 17 can provide alone. Inasmuch as the school now draws largely from the adjacent tlistricts, the people in these districts should take an interest in tleveloping at Coweta a school sufficiently strong to meet the requirements of all the children in this group of districts. The people in the small district Avith a limited ■\'aluation, such as the Coweta district, cannot by themselves provide a school of such strength and character as their own children and the children of adjoining districts need, however hard they nuvy try to do so. Transportation in this section would be entirtly practical and Avould not entail unreasonable expense. GROUP TWELVE. By refering to the map it will be observed that this group of districts does not have enough area to organize as a consolidated district. A union graded school could be organized here, however, or these districts could consolidate Avith one or more districts in Tulsa Count3^ Consolidation should not be attempted by this group until the roads are improved. ROTHHAMMER, District No. 43. Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Hamiltion, Teachers. The school site has been improved by building on it tAvo toilets Avith board scvoons but no pits, a cistern and a tAA'o-room school- rothha:m:mer school, district no. 4; Wagoner County 125 house. The site is not enclosed by a fence and no trees have been ijlanted on it. Pecan trees would probably thrive if planted on this site. Teeter-totter boards and basket ball goals constitute the playground equipment. A new room has just been added to this building. The original building is improperly lighted by windows on both sides and both ends. This building was evidently planned for a church instead of for use as a schoolhouse. The room recently added is improperly lighted by windows arranged on two sides. It is unfortunate that at least this room was not made modern. There are cloakrooms in the large room but there is none in the new room. The equipment consists of good single desks for pupils, one case of maps, a dictionary in fair condition, a flag, a washpan, an old style heater, two poor recitation benches, two chairs for teachers, two old style heaters without jackets, ten volumes of reference books and three library books. Two teachers are employed to teach the 63 pupils enrolled in the school. No high school work is given. The high school at Haskell is four miles distant from this school. A rig has been placed near the line of the school site and a well will be drilled for oil. (See Group Thirteen) DISTRICT NO. 44. This district maintains three one-room schools, Gibson, Libertv and Stone Bluff. All of these schoolhouses are on unenclosed and unimproved sites. The Gibson school is of the conventional type, improperly lighted by eight windows arranged four on each side. It has two good cloakrooms and is by far the best school- TEMPuRAKY Si'HUUl. AT STONE BLUl^'t' 126 School Survey Suggestion building in the district. Thirty pupils classified in seven grades are enrolled in this school. The equipment consists of double desks, an old style heater A\-ithout jacket. Avindow shades, black- boards in fair condition, a teacher's desk and chair, -water cooler, one case of maps, a good globe, a good dictionary, a flag, wash- basin, ten volumes of reference Avorks and eight Geographical readers.- The Liberty school is in a temporary building located in the little oil town. Stone Bluff. This is a box-car type of building such as are found in mining centers and must be replaced at an early date by a better and larger building. Fifty-eight pupils are enrolled in this school. The Stone Bluff school is located in the old tovni of Stone Bluff about one and one-half miles from the Liberty School. This is a very poor building without equipment and with an enrollment of only twenty-two pupils and an average attendance of perhaps less than ten. No high school work is offered in any of these schools. (See Group Thirteen.) GROUP THRITEEN. Districts 43 and 44 belong in the same group. Conditions in the future may be such that these districts can consolidate, but the roads are now too poor for the people to assume the obligation of hauling children to a central school. Two teachers are employed in the two-room school now maintained by District No. 43. An- other teacher in this school would make it i^ossible to give one or two years of high school work there. District 44 has three one-room, one-teacher S'-hools. One of the buildings is in fair condition and the other two are unfit for school purposes, so that it AA'ill be necessary for this district to provide new buildings soon. It would be best for the board to consolidate these three schools, locating a three or four room building near the center of population in the districr. and employ three or four teachers to provide a well graded srhool for the children. One of the school-houses now used by the district could be converted into an excellent teacherage. In-as-much as oil Is found in this district, the valuation wiH ooufinnc to inci'ense and prove sufficient to sui>port a good school. Later, after the roads are improved and the coimtry is settled up, this central school could become the union graded school for Districts 43 and 44. HAYES CHAPEL. District 61, IMary Henderson, Teacher. This school is situated on an unenclosed site of one acre. There are two new toilets without screens or pits and a new coal Wagoner County 127 house on the site. One of the toilets should be moved as it is too near the well from which the pupils are supplied with water. The school site should also be fenced and trees planted. It is very probable that pecan trees or other nut bearing trees would thrive on this low site. An attempt should be made to grow such trees here. It is unfortunate that the school board in this district has spent so much money building a school-house that is noL modern. The cloakrooms are too small and the building is not properly lighted. So much has been learned in regard to school architecture, the effect of cross lights on the eyes, the necessity for ventilated schools, the necessity of pure water, and the need of having the lunches protected from flies, that a school board should not build a school-house until assured that it is planned properly and will conserve the health of the pupils. A building embodying all the features of a modern one-room school could have been erected in the district at a cost not in excess of the cost of the new building that was erected in this district last summer. This district has no window shades, curtains, water cooler or fountain, charts, flag, musical instrument, or playground equipment. The library contains about seventy-five volumes of good literature too advanced for the pupils enrolled and about twenty-five suitable volumes selected by the teacher. These twenty-five volumes have been read by the pupils. One teacher is employed to teach the thirty-seven pupils. These pupils are divided into seven grades and the teacher has twenty-six recitations daily. SPRING HILL, District 59. The school for white children in this district is the separate school and as such is maintained by the county. The school- house is built and equipped about as the average school in the county, A fuel house should be provided as a matter of economy as well as of convenience. The county health officer should be required to inspect the separate schools and make such recom- mendations as are necessary to place the toilets and premises in a sanitary condition. The equipment for the separate school should be bought by the county next year, the county superintendent making the purchase. If possible, the separate school should be furnished better than it is. GROUPS FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN AND SIXTEEN. By refering to the map it will be observed that these groups are located in the southern part of Wagoner County. With the exception of District No. 61 these districts have colored majority 128 School Survey Suggestion schools. The land is generally level in this part of the county and the valuation is sufficient to support good consolidated schools, but the roads are not yet improved to that state of condition where trans- portation Avould be practical, -with the possible exception of the roads in Group Sixteen. Several of these districts have no -white children enumerated. NORTH MUSKOGEE, District No. 49. Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Abney. Teachers. This brick school-house is located on a site of one acre which is not fenced although located in a large pasture. The cattle in the pasture find the schoolbuilding very convenient as a wind- break. An open well on the ground should not be used as a source of water for the school. Water is carried from a distance in a TV\'0 ROOM SCHOOL BUILDING AT NORTH MUSKOGEE bucket and served to the pupils in a common drinking cup. There are two poorly kept unpainted toilets without screens or pits, but no place to store the fuel. On December 4tli. the day the school was inspected, a large pile of coal was on the schoolground. No trees have been planted on the schoolground and none should be planted there until a good substantial fence is provided. The playground equipment consists of a giant stride, swings, and basket ball goals all in a bad state of repair. The school building is of brick and has an entrance hall and two classrooms but no cloakrooms. The walls and ceilings are green and unattractive. The primary room is improperly lighted by win- dows on three sides and the other room is improperly and insuffi- cientlv lighted bv four windoAvs arranged two on a side. Wagonkr County 129 The equipment consists of window shades, no curtains, black- hoards in fair condition, two very good teacher's desks and chairs, two chairs for visitors, one case of maps, a basin for lavatory- purposes, a large flag, a piano, eight volumes of a History of the World and twenty-five volumes of "Standard Encyclopedia", a reading chart, a dictionary in fair condition, poorly ari-anged double desks for pupils, two old style unjacketed stoves, and recitation benches in fair condition. There are no sash curtains, no drinking fountains or coolers, no framed pictures, no ther- mometers, no globes and no library books except the refrence books and dictionary. There is no bookcase, no equipment for teaching agriculture, manual training or domestic science, and no screened cupboard for lunch baskets. The enrollment consists of twenty-three boys and thirty girls. The teachers have divided the wor-k equitably so that each child secures the maximum of time and attention possible under the circumstances. The topography of the district is rolling prairie, the roads and bridges are in fair condition and are being imi)roved gradually. No satisfactory high school work can be done in this and adjoining disti'icts under the present plan of organization. Since it is situated eight miles from the Wagoner high school on the north and eight miles from the Muskogee high school on the south, the people should combine Math the people in adjoining districts to maintain a good high school of their own for their own children. GIBSON STATION, District 67, Lullian Shinn, Teacher. The white school in this district is the minority school and as such is maintained by the county. The site consisting of one acre is fenced with a plank fence. Water is supplied from an open well on the school ground located not more than one hundred feet from one of the two poor outdoor toilets, A fuel house in poor condition is located on the site. The outbuildings are not painted. No trees are on the site and there is no playground apparatus. The school building was once painted a dull brown on the outside and a dark red color on the inside. It has a covered porch. A combined cloakroom and storage room has been built in one corner of the room. The classroom is improperly lighted by six windows arranged three on a side. The building rests on stone pillars. The equipment consists of green window shades, sash curtains, ])la('khoai'(ls in fair condition but placed too high from the floor, pupils' double desks poorly ai'i-anged, a teachei''s desk and chair in 130 School Survey Suggestion good condition, one cliair for visitors, several poor recitation benches, an old style heater, one case of maps, a broken globe, a reading chart, an agricultural chart, seven volumes of Teachers' and Pupils' Reference work, ten volumes of Home and School Ref- erence Work, an organ, one framed picture, a washbasin, a water bucket, and one section. of bookcase. There is no dictionary, no water cooler or fountain, although I was told that a fountain was ordered some time ago and would be installed soon, no library books that the children can use, and no equipment for teaching manual training, domestic science, or agriculture. One teacher is employed to teach the seven boys and four girls enrolled in the school. The pupils are divided into five grades and the teacher has twenty-four recitation periods per day. No high school work is provided for the children in this district. GROUP SEVENTEEN. Districts 23. 45, 49. 50. 66. 67 and 70. This group has a large area but no child in the district would be located farther than seven miles from a central school at North Muskogee. This part of Wagoner County is level and the roads are very good, so the longest distance any child would be forced to ride to school would not be too great. Although district 66 is located on the west side of the Verdigris River, pupils from that district can easily cross the bridge at North IVIukogee every day during the average school year. While a consolidated school would be better for this district and Avould prove entirely successful, no doubt, a union graded high school would be much better than the present system. This group is located about half way between the city of Wagoner on the north and the city of Muskogee on the south. There are good high schools in these tOAvns. The districts in Group Seventeen could maintain as good high school for the country children as the town districts maintain for the town children. I suggest that the people in these districts consider both the union graded and the consolidated type of district and select one or the other in order that their children may not be handicap- ped later by lack of education.