A SURVEY 
 
 OF THE CITY SCHOOLS 
 
 OF 
 
 GRAND JUNCTION 
 COLORADO 
 
 DISTRICT No. 1 
 MESA COUNTY 
 
 r\j 
 LO 
 
 LO 
 
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 MAY - 1916 
 
GIFT OF 
 
 x? yJciA /i <:/ />^ V7?>ri7 
 
A Survey 
 
 of the City Schools 
 
 OF 
 
 Grand Jimdtion, Colorado 
 
 Di&rid No. 1, Mesa County 
 
 Survey Committee 
 
 FRANK L. CLAPP Director of the Survey 
 
 Assistant Professor of Education, University of Colorado 
 
 and Superintendent of Extension Work for 
 
 Western Colorado 
 
 WILLIAM A. COOK 
 
 Assistant Professor of Education, University of Colorado 
 and High School Visitor for the University 
 
 SAMUEL QUIGLEY 
 
 Dean of the Colorado State Normal School 
 
 BEN GRIFFITH . . . Chairman of the Survey Committee 
 HARRY B. JONES T. M. TODD 
 
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 The Daily -^^^> News Pqess 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 This study, while officially addressed to the Board of 
 School Directors, is presented to the patrons and friends of 
 the schools of Grand Junction with the hope that it may result 
 in better schools. While the Survey Committee has not been 
 unmindful of the immediate occasion of its work as indicated 
 in the Introduction which follows, yet it has ventured to keep in 
 mind and to discuss in a brief way some of the more general 
 problems of school organization and control as they confront 
 the people of any community. A common understanding of 
 some of the fundamental principles underlying public education 
 on the part of everyone concerned should make easier and more 
 pleasant the complex and difficult task of organizing and 
 administering an efficient and economical system of schools 
 adapted to the needs of the community. 
 
 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. 
 THE SURVEY COMMITTEE. 
 
 402921 
 
LETTER OF TRANSMISSAL 
 
 To the Board of Directors of School District No. 1, 
 Mesa County, Colorado. 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 The Committee recently chosen by you to make a survey of 
 the schools of District No. 1 beg leave to submit the following 
 report. 
 
 May we take this opportunity to express our appreciation 
 of the uniform courtesy and cooperation accorded to us by every- 
 one with whom we had occasion to work in the collection of data 
 and the preparation of our conclusions. 
 
 We trust that our efforts may result in the betterment of 
 the schools of Grand Junction : 
 
 Lay members 
 
 BEN GRIFFITH, Chairman 
 H. B. JONES 
 T. M. TODD 
 
 Professional members 
 
 FRANK L. CLAPP, Director 
 WILLIAM A. COOK 
 SAMUEL QUIGLEY 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Early in February the Director of this Survey was invited 
 by the Board of Directors of School District No. 1 to appear 
 at its next regular meeting and to discuss the general purpose 
 and character of school surveys. A similar invitation was 
 received later from the Board of Directors of the Grand Junction 
 Chamber of Commerce. The latter body attended the meeting 
 of the School Board and the subject was canvassed somewhat 
 thoroughly. 
 
 On March 4 the School Board adopted the following 
 resolution : 
 
 "Whereas, a petition signed by jrnany representative 
 citizens has been filed with this Board requesting that this 
 Board have a survey of our school system made, and 
 
 Whereas, there seems to be a general demand for such 
 survey and as the Chamber of Commerce has agreed to 
 defray the expenses of such survey in excess of One Hundred 
 and Fifty Dollars, 
 
 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that it be the 
 sense of this School Board that a financial and educational 
 survey of the school system of School District No. 1, Mesa 
 County, Colorado, be made by a committee of six men 
 consisting of the following: Dr. Frank L. Clapp and Dr. 
 William A. Cook of the University of Colorado, Dean 
 Samuel Quigley of the Colorado State Normal School at 
 Gunnison, Ben Griffith, Harry B. Jones and T. M. Todd 
 of Grand Junction, Colorado, and any member of the school 
 board may be a member ex-officio of this Committee, and 
 that this School District cooperate with the Chamber of 
 Commerce by paying One Hundred and Fifty Dollars 
 ($150.) toward defraying the expenses of such survey, 
 provided this School Board be furnished a complete type- 
 written report of the survey." 
 
 The immediate occasion for the survey was a demand on the 
 part of the people for a reduction in the public expenses and 
 the desire on the part of the Board of Directors to meet this 
 request without crippling the schools. 
 
 While the professional members of the Committee have 
 been responsible for the major portion of the study, the six 
 members have worked as one body. Detailed plans for the 
 work were discussed and agreed upon by the entire Committee 
 before being put into operation. Each of the three professional 
 members was primarily responsible for certain phases of the 
 work but consultations were held daily and the work of each 
 one was reviewed. The lay members were in constant touch with 
 the professional members and their advice and suggestions were 
 
acted ui>oii whenever ijiv the judgment of the entire Committee 
 such course seemed best. The report represents, with a few 
 minor exceptions, the unanimous judgment of the six members 
 of the Committee. 
 
 The professional members put in on the ground a total of 
 ten days each. The time spent by the lay members cannot be 
 accurately estimated but, as stated above, they were in constant 
 touch with the work at all times and some one or more of them 
 visited each of the buildings and many of the classes. 
 
 On the afternoon of the first day of the work a meeting 
 was held with the Superintendent, the School Board and the 
 teachers at which the general purpose and plans of the 
 Committee were explained. Later another meeting was held 
 with the Board at which many problems of the schools were 
 discussed informally. 
 
 The following letter was issued to the public when the 
 Committee began its work: 
 
 "To facilitate the work which the Committee hopes to 
 do an opportunity will be given to any person to bring to 
 the attention of the Committee such matters of general 
 criticism or constructive suggestion as should receive 
 consideration. In order that time may not be wasted by 
 either those desiring a hearing or by the Committee, it is 
 requested that any one who wishes to appear state in writing 
 the general character of the matter to be presented. Upon 
 receipt of such communications the Committee will arrange 
 a time and place for each hearing. All communications 
 will be confidential, and all hearings private. Communi- 
 cations should be addressed to 
 
 "FRANK L. CLAPP, 
 Director of the Survey." 
 
 No one appeared before the Committee in response to this 
 invitation. 
 
 in the beginning of the work twenty Colorado towns were 
 selected for purposes of comparison and blanks were sent to the 
 superintendents asking for information. Not all of these were 
 able to reply so that some of the comparative tables are not full, 
 and no one of them contains more than eighteen schools. 
 
 The members of the Committee received no compensation 
 except their actual expenses. The total expense of the study in- 
 cluding the printing of 500 copies of the report was $167.54. Of 
 this amount $150.00 was paid by the Board of School Directors 
 and $17.54 by the Chamber of Commerce. 
 
(9) 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 ORGANIZATION AND CONTROL 
 
 Location 
 
 School District No. 1 embraces the civic corporation of 
 Grand Junction, with a population of about 8,000, and outlying 
 territory to the extent of about 144 square miles, the total area 
 of the district being 147 square miles. 
 
 Grand Junction is the point at which two branches of the 
 Denver and Rio Grande railroad meet. It is the largest town in 
 Western Colorado, and is an important trading and shipping 
 center. The dominant industry in the immediate vicinity is 
 fruit raising, this being the name of the famous Grand Valley 
 fruit. 
 
 Census, Enrollment, and Buildings 
 
 The school census for February, 1916, was 2,007. The total 
 enrollment for the school year 1915-16 up to May 1, was 1926. 
 
 TABLE NO. 1. 
 
 Showing Number and Location of Buildings, Grades Accommodated and 
 Number of Teachers in Each. 
 
 Building Number 
 
 * Location Grades of Teachers 
 
 Bryant ..S.W 1,2 2 
 
 Riverside S.W 3,4,5 1 
 
 Emerson S.E 1,2,3,4,5,6 10 
 
 Hawthorne N.W .1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 8 
 
 Lowell Gen. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, Kindergarten 16 
 
 Franklin Cen 7,8,9 8 
 
 High _!_ N.E , 10,11,12 , 8 
 
 Whittier Gen Commercial, Domestic Science, 
 
 Special Supervisors 5 
 
 Total 58 
 
 *Part of city 
 
 Divisions of the School 
 
 The School system consists of the Kindergarten department, 
 the Elementary schools and the High school. The Elementary 
 schools do eight years of work, and the High School is of the 
 conventional four-year type. Children are admitted to the 
 Kindergarten at the age of five, and to the first grade at the 
 age of six, their ages being reckoned as of December 1 following 
 admission. Instruction and promotion is by grade in the Elemen- 
 tary school but by subject in the High School. 
 
 Pupils coming from other schools and applying for admis- 
 sion to the grades of the Grand Junction schools, are given an 
 oral examination by the Superintendent, and assigned to par- 
 ticular grades on the basis of this examination. Corresponding 
 examinations are not usually given to those coming from other 
 high schools with proper credentials. 
 
(10) 
 Retardation and Acceleration (Age Standard) 
 
 Retardation and acceleration measured according to the age 
 standard have to do with the age of the pupil in relation to his 
 grade. Since a pupil enters the first grade ordinarily at the 
 age of six, he is known as an accelerated pupil, or as a pupil who 
 is young for his grade, if he is in the first grade and under six 
 years of age. Since many children do not enter the first grade 
 until they are seven, and consequently do not finish the grade 
 until they are eight, they are not classed as retarded pupils until 
 they are past eight years of age and still in the first grade. 
 Pupils between the ages of six and eight are known as normal 
 pupils. Corresponding age limits have been established for each 
 of the other grades. The following table will make clear the 
 basis on which pupils in the Elementary schools are classified as 
 accelerated, normal, or retarded pupils according to the age 
 standard. 
 
 TABLE NO. 2. 
 
 The basis for classifying Pupils as Accelerated, Normal, and 
 Retarded. 
 
 (Age Standard) 
 
 Grade Accelerated Normal Retarded 
 
 (Under) (Between) (Over) 
 
 Age Ages Age 
 
 1 6 6-8 8 
 
 2 7 7-9 9 
 
 3 8 8-10 10 
 
 4 9 9-11 11 
 
 5 10 10-12 12 
 
 6 11 11-13 . 13 
 
 7 12 12-14 14 
 
 8... ..13 13-15 15 
 
 TABLE NO. 3. 
 
 Snowing the number and ages of the Accelerated, Normal and Retarded pupils 
 
 in each grade. 
 (Age Standard) 
 Grades 
 
 12345678 
 Ages 
 
 5-6 3 
 
 6- 7 141 14 
 
 7- 8 36 98 14 
 
 8- 9 15 38 67 10 
 
 9-10 2 20 48 78 7 
 
 10-11 1 8 42 36 48 8 
 
 }g 1 I tt H 50* 2? 9/ 76 Accelerated, 6 per cent 
 
 S 2 1 *6 4 i 3 ? 2 2 9 9 33} Normal, 68 per cent. 
 
 15-16 1 4 5 22 23 1 
 
 {}* \ \ *t> 34 Retarded, 26 per cent 
 
 18-19 2) 
 
 Total 198 182 184 175 155 156 119 121 1290 
 
(11) 
 
 In the above table the pupils indicated in black-faced type 
 are normal pupils, those indicated by the numbers above the 
 black-faced figures are accelerated pupils, and those below are 
 retarded pupils. 
 
 There are two conditions indicated in the above table with 
 which we should be concerned, viz., the wide spread of ages 
 among the pupils in each grade and the large number of retarded 
 pupils. It will be noticed that in each grade there is a spread of 
 age of five or six years, the first grade for instance containing 
 three pupils under six years of age and one over ten. The dis- 
 advantage of this condition is to be found in the fact that the 
 teacher of each grade has under her instruction pupils whose 
 interests are greatly different. She is handicapped by the fact 
 that she must use different methods with the younger and the 
 older pupils. The retarded pupils, as explained above, are those 
 who are old for their grade. .These pupils tend to drop out of 
 school before they finish the common school course. In addition 
 to this they do not get ready for the active work of life so early 
 as children may. These facts demand that a school system be so 
 conducted as to prevent the presence of over-aged pupils so far as 
 possible. It is very evident that these conditions are not alto- 
 gether the fault of the school itself. A school cannot put pupils 
 through the grades on schedule unless they enter school at the 
 p roper tim^e and attend regularly. A large percentage of retard- 
 at'on should receive the very serious attention of both the school 
 people and the parents in a community. 
 
 The following table shows how Grand Junction schools 
 compare with certain other Colorado schools in the matter of 
 retardation : 
 
 TABLE NO. 4. 
 
 Showing the percentage of retarded pupils in thirteen schools 
 in Colorado 
 
 Percentage of 
 Towns Retardation 
 
 Cripple Creek 13 
 
 Boulder 14 
 
 Glenwood Springs 17 
 
 WaJsenburg 18 
 
 Colorado City 19 
 
 Leadvilie - 19 
 
 Delta 21 
 
 Salida 21 
 
 Montrose 23 
 
 Errand Junction 26 
 
 Rocky Ford 26 
 
 Fort Collins 28 
 
 Longmont 32 
 
 The above percentages are based upon the number of pupils 
 who belonged to school during the week beginning April 17, 1916, 
 and their ages are taken as of their last birthday preceding the 
 opening of school in September, 1915. These percentages must 
 not be compared with percentages of retardation found in other 
 survey reports since such percentages are as a rule computed on 
 
(12) 
 
 the basis of the number of pupils who belong to school at the end 
 of the year and their ages are taken as of June 1. This latter 
 method will increase materially the percentage of retardation, 
 hence we wish to repeat that the above percentages are com- 
 parable only with each other. 
 
 Grade Repetition 
 
 In any school system there are certain pupils who for 
 various reasons do not succeed in making one grade per year 
 during their actual school life. They may be called "repeaters." 
 Any school should avoid the presence of repeaters in so far as it is 
 at all possible. Not only does the repetition of a grade discourage 
 arid retard a child, but the total money co?t to the district of the 
 children who repeat is considerable. 
 
 Among the 1290 pupils who belonged to the schools of Grand 
 Junction during the week beginning April 17, 832 or 65 per cent 
 had at some time repeated one or more grades. These 832 pupils 
 may be divided into two classes as follows, 126 who had repeated 
 in other schools, and 606 who had repeated in the schools of 
 Grand Junction. It will be noted that practically 50 per cent of 
 the 1290 pupils had repeated one or more grades in Grand Junc- 
 tion. These 606 pupils in turn may be divided into two classes as 
 follows, those who failed in their work, and those who were 
 put back when they came from some other school. Those who 
 failed numbered 428, or 71 per cent of the total number repeating 
 in Grand Junction, while those who were put back when they 
 came numbered 178, or 29 per cent. To be sure some of these 
 pupils came from schools where the distinction between grades is 
 not marked and perhaps it is not exactly correct to say that they 
 were put back. 
 
 The number and percentage of "repeaters" in the schools 
 seem excessive. A school having a large percentage of repeaters 
 may defend itself on the ground that its course of study is more 
 extensive than that of other schools or that the quality of work 
 done is superior. A careful comparison of the course of study in 
 the schools of Grand Junction does not indicate that the work 
 required is more extensive than that in other schools. So far 
 as the standard tests described in Chapter III. reveal the quality 
 of work done in the schools, it cannot be said that this is superior. 
 
 The Batavian System 
 
 In order to prevent pupils from failing and being compelled 
 to repeat their grade the Lowell and Emerson schools are each 
 provided with a Batavian teacher to whom pupils are sent for 
 special assistance. Since these two schools are provided with 
 such teachers and the Hawthorne school is not a comparison of 
 the repetitions in these buildings on a percentage basis ought to 
 reveal the efficiency of the Batavian system. Reference to Table 
 No. 1, p. 9, will indicate that these three schools are the only 
 ones which would be comparable since they are the only ones that 
 
(13) 
 
 maintain a majority of the eight grades. The social and economic 
 differences among these three communities which cause differ- 
 ences in regularity of attendance, etc., may account in part for 
 the different showing. 
 
 TABLE NO. 5. 
 
 Showing Percentages of Failures in Batavian and Non- 
 Batavian Schools for Years 1914 and 1915. 
 
 Batavian Non-Batavian 
 Emerson Lowell Hawthorne 
 
 1914-15.... 7 6 10 
 
 1915-16* 8 9.5 7 
 
 Average.... 7.5 7.8 8.5 
 
 'Failures for this year approximated by the teachers. 
 
 An analysis of the above percentages would reveal that the 
 present Batavian system is not markedly efficient. The largest 
 percentage of failures is to be found in the Hawthorne school at 
 the end of the year 1914-15, but the Lowell school is only .5 of one 
 per cent, behind in 1915-16. The averages reveal only one per- 
 centage of difference between the lowest and highest. The 
 efficiency of the system would be more fairly indicated by figures 
 covering several years but records giving this information are 
 not kept. 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 The entrance examinations now given by the Superintendent 
 to pupils applying for admission to the grades should be discon- 
 tinued. The demotion of pupils as pointed out on page 6 is 
 responsible for 29 per cent, of the repeaters found in the schools. 
 The Superintendent informs the Committee that when a pupil is 
 assigned to a grade on the basis of this examination that he is 
 later promoted if the quality of his work indicates that he can do 
 the work of the next grade. This is not likely to be the case, how- 
 ever because of the fact that new text books are placed in the 
 hands of new pupils and they find plenty of totally new material 
 with which to busy themselves. Consequently their acquaintance 
 with the fundamentals is not at once evident. Added to this is the 
 fact that many teachers are not inclined to recommend the promo- 
 tion of particularly good pupils since such promotion deprives 
 their rooms of the presence and stimulus of these children. 
 
 As a substitute for the present Batavian system it is the 
 judgment of the Committee that there should be established at the 
 Lowell school an ungraded room, to which would be assigned 
 such pupils as, in the judgment of the Superintendent and the 
 different principals and teachers, cannot do the work of the grade 
 to which they belong with the rest of the class, and also those 
 pupils who for a time at least can make more rapid progress than 
 their fellows. To this room also may be assigned those pupils 
 who enter from other schools and whose knowledge of funda- 
 mentals does not enable them to "fit" into any one grade. These 
 pupils should remain in this room until they are ready to take up 
 
(14) 
 
 the work in a regular manner with some grade. This room should 
 be under the tuition of one of the strongest teachers it is possible 
 to obtain. Pupils should not be assigned to the ungraded room 
 until the regular classroom teacher has made special efforts to 
 keep them with the remainder of the class. When any pupil is 
 assigned to this room, whether because of slow or rapid progress, 
 his case should be talked over with his parents, the purpose of his 
 being placed there made clear, and the cooperation of the parents 
 secured if possible. 
 
 In order to prevent repetition in the upper grades and to 
 encourage pupils to remain in school the Committee recommends 
 the organization of an Intermediate school. This school should 
 embrace the work of what is now the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth 
 grades and should be housed in the Franklin building. 
 Reference to Table No. 1, page 1, will reveal the fact that prac- 
 tically all of the Seventh-, Eighth-, and Ninth-grade pupils are 
 already housed in the Franklin building. The new plan would 
 mean the transfer of a very few pupils from the Hawthorne and 
 Lowell buildings. This would not be serious since the former 
 building is only six blocks from the home of the proposed Inter- 
 mediate school while the Lowell building is on the same block. 
 
 The program of studies in this school should be in part 
 optional so that a pupil could take four, five or six subjects, ac- 
 cording to his ability, strength and outside duties permit. To 
 a certain extent he should also be allowed to select his work in 
 line with his particular interests. The selection of studies should 
 be under the supervision of the Principal of the school, and in con- 
 sultation with the parents and those teachers who are intimately 
 acquainted with the child. The instruction should be depart- 
 mental and promotions should be by subjects. 
 
 The pupils in this school should be seated permanently in 
 certain rooms presided over by one of the denartmental teachers 
 who should be responsible for the general welfare of the pupils in 
 her room in much the same way as is the teacher of the seventh 
 or eighth grade under the present system. The Principal of the 
 school should teach no more than three periods a day, in the 
 afternoons, the remainder of the time being devoted to super- 
 vision. 
 
 Grading and Examinations 
 
 In both the Elementary and High Schools examinations are 
 held at the end of each month. Scholastic marks are given 
 in letters with a corresponding significance in percentages. 
 Three days are set aside for the examination in the High School. 
 Pupils who make class records above a certain standard are 
 exempt from examination. An average of 75 per cent, in all sub- 
 jects with nothing below 60 per cent, entitles a pupil to promotion. 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 Examinations in High School should not be given oftener 
 than every six weeks. This is the prevailing practice. The 
 
(15) 
 
 present system means that twenty-seven days per year or prac- 
 tically one and one-half months are devoted to examinations. This 
 does not include the time devoted to finals. 
 
 The rule permitting the pupil who makes an average of 75 
 per cent, to pass in a subject in which his mark is as low as 60 per 
 cent, should be changed so that it applies only to required 
 subjects. 
 
 Very careful attention should be given by the Superintendent 
 and teachers to the distribution of marks among the different 
 values. Some teachers give high marks while others grade much 
 more closely. A study of the marks assigned by the High school 
 teachers at the end of March reveals the fact that 98 per cent, of 
 one teacher's marks were among the upper four values (A-f, A, 
 B-|-, B) and only 2 per cent, among the lower four (C+, C, D+, 
 D), while another teacher distributed only 57 per cent, of her 
 marks among the upper four values and 43 per cent, among the 
 lower four. Similar conditions were found in the grades. This 
 is not fair to either the pupils or the teachers. 
 
 Sanitation 
 
 Recent progressive school legislation says that the ratio 
 between the window space and the floor space of the school room 
 should be 1 to 6. Only fourteen out of fifty-three rooms reach this 
 standard. In many cases the transoms above the windows have 
 been painted over with dark paint and in one room the upper 
 half of each window had been darkened with the same material. 
 All shades are opaque. In spite of the fact that the lighting space 
 is as a rule inadequate, when all of the rooms were visited during 
 one afternoon, eight were found with the shades drawn so as 
 to exclude one-fourth of the light; eight others had one-half of 
 the light excluded; and five rooms had three-fourths of the 
 window space covered with opaque shades. In no one of these 
 rooms was there any possible reason why shades should be drawn. 
 All but eight out of fifty-three rooms violate the standard that 
 the height of the windows shall not be less than one-half the 
 width of the room. 
 
 A rough and ready judgment of the adaptability of the seats 
 and desks to the pupils who were seated in them indicated that 
 one-tenth of the pupils were improperly seated. Comparatively 
 few adjustable desks and seats were found. 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 In the erection of buildings in the future most careful atten- 
 tion should be given to their lighting and the very low standard 
 indicated above should not be violated. 
 
 The present opaque shades should be replaced at once with 
 shades that are translucent. No lighting area should oe made 
 permanently opaque under any circumstances. 
 
 None but adjustable seats and desks should be purchased in 
 the future. 
 
(16) 
 
 The third grade room at the Emerson building should be 
 remodeled so as to admit more light from the sides and the 
 present skylight should be removed. 
 
 The toilets at the Emerson building should be equipped with 
 a new flushing system at once. This antiquated toilet system 
 as well as that of the Lowell building should be replaced by 
 modern systems as soon as possible. 
 
 The Bryant and Riverside buildings should be replaced by 
 a new and modern building as soon as economic conditions 
 permit. 
 
 Lay Control 
 
 According to the school law of the state the District is of the 
 First Class having a school population of more than one thousand, 
 the actual school census in February, 1916 being 2007. 
 
 Lay control of the schools is vested in a Board of Directors 
 of five members. Two of these are elected each biennium for 
 a term of six years with the exception that only one director is 
 elected at each third election. Unexpected vacancies are filled 
 by the remaining directors. Very rarely does a member serve 
 more than one term. 
 
 It is to the advantage of any institution controlled by a Board 
 of Directors to be assured that at no time shall the majority of the 
 members of such Board be made up of new and inexperienced 
 men. Yet this often happens under the law governing first class 
 school districts in Colorado when a vacancy occurs by death or 
 resignation during a year in which two members are to be seated. 
 The law should be so changed as to provide for a five year term 
 and to permit only one new member to take his seat each year, the 
 other member who was elected at the same time using the time 
 until his installation in becoming acquainted with his duties. 
 
 The following table will make this plan clear, member "A" 
 being replaced by member "a" and so on : 
 
 Year Elected Seated Learning duties 
 
 1915 A&B A B 
 
 1916 no election B 
 
 1917 G&D G D 
 
 1918 no election D 
 
 1919 E&a E a 
 
 1920 no election a 
 
 1921 b&c b c 
 
 This plan avoids the expense of annual elections and provides 
 for no more than one new member of the board each year, except 
 in the case of unexpected vacancies. 
 
 The law further provides that the officers of the Board 
 shall be a President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Secretary 
 and Treasurer may or may not be members of the Jtfoard. In 
 District No. 1 the Secretary is a paid employee who is not a mem- 
 ber of the Board, and the Treasurer is also an outside man, but 
 receives no salary. 
 
(17) 
 Professional Control 
 
 The professional control of the schools of Grand Junction is 
 entrusted to a Superintendent, and to various principals and 
 teachers. The Superintendent is the head of the system and is 
 chosen by the Board of Directors for such term as they may see 
 fit. The present Superintendent was chosen in the spring of 1915 
 for a term of three years. At this time he had still one year of a 
 three-year term to serve but at his request the old contract was 
 abrogated and a new one made. 
 
 A three-year term for the Superintendent is quite common and 
 desirable. Generally speaking it is not good practice for the 
 Board to reelect a Superintendent before the expiration of his 
 term. This permits a school man to ask for reelection at aus- 
 picious times and thus to perpetuate his administration. 
 
 Relation of Lay and Professional Control 
 
 Educational thinkers agree that the function of school control 
 may be divided into four rather distinct phrases, viz., legis- 
 lative, administrative, inspectorial, and supervisory*. A definition 
 of these functions and a discussion of their division between the 
 Board and Superintendent should contribute to efficient and 
 pleasant working relationships between the two. 
 
 The legislative function has to do with questions oi general 
 purpose, policy, and finance. It does not concern itself with 
 details. It requires broad, general knowledge ol social and 
 economic conditions. It does not require special, technical 
 knowledge of ways and means. It determines, for instance, 
 whether the school shall have for its purpose vocational training, 
 technical instruction, or preparation for college. It does not 
 determine whether a course in German or in Spanish shall be a 
 part of the college preparatory work. It decides whether $50,000 
 or $75,000 shall be expended for school purposes. It does not 
 decide whether examination paper of quality A or quality B shall 
 be purchased. It rules whether or not pupils in general shall be 
 required to take physical training. It does not concern itself with 
 individual pupils who may claim exemption from the rule on 
 particular grounds. The legislative function belongs to the School 
 Board. 
 
 The administrative function has to do with ways and means 
 of carrying out the general purposes and policies of the Board. 
 It decides what shall constitute vocational training or college pre- 
 paration; what methods of instruction shall be employed; what 
 quality of paper is best suited to the needs of the school, etc. It has 
 to do with the internal life of the school ; with details of organiz- 
 ation; with examinations; with records, reports, etc. It requires 
 special, technical knowledge. The administrative function belongs 
 to the Superintendent and his professional assistants, the prin- 
 cipals and teachers^. 
 
 The inspectorial function has to do with determining whether 
 or not the purposes and policies of the school are being carried 
 
 'Elliott, E. C., City School Supervision, PP. 7-13. 
 
(18) 
 
 out, and with questions of efficient and economical organization 
 and control. It evaluates the results of the work of the school; 
 it measures sanitary conditions and studies systems of financial 
 management. It is in part a function of the Superintendent but 
 in LARGER part a function of the Board. However since it 
 requires technical knowledge the Board itself cannot perform this 
 function except in a limited way, but must employ specially 
 trained disinterested assistance for its share of this work. The 
 present survey is an example of inspectorial work performed by 
 outside parties as agents of the Board. This kind of work should 
 be done frequently and in a broadly constructive manner. 
 
 The supervisory function has to do with questions of service 
 rendered by assistants, principally classroom teachers. It 
 requires very special technical knowledge. It is not critical but 
 helpful. It coordinates and harmonizes the work of tfie different 
 departments and teachers. It determines the tone and spirit and 
 standards of the school. It sees that proper working facilities 
 and supplies are provided. It belongs to the Superintendent in a 
 general way but in a system such as that of Grand Junction there 
 should be more immediate supervision by principals. Super- 
 v'sion is one of the most vitally essential phases of schooi control. 
 
 It must be remembered in reading the above somewhat cate- 
 gorical and formal discussion of the general relations obtaining 
 between a Board and its Superintendent, that one cannot speak 
 in universally inclusive terms. The division of functions as 
 indicated above does not mean that the Board in the exercise of 
 its functions, or the Superintendent in the exercise of his duties 
 should proceed with no reference to the other controlling agency. 
 It does mean that in general the judgment of one agency or the 
 other should be the primary determining factor, according as the 
 matter in question is one of legislation, or administration, 
 inspection or supervision. For instance, in the selection of 
 teachers, which is an administrative function, the responsibility 
 is upon the Superintendent and his should be the determining 
 voice but he should not select a teacher of whose fitness he cannot 
 convince his Board. The Board on the other hand should realize 
 that the special, technical knowledge of the Superintendent should 
 make him the better judge. 
 
 Applications of the Above Principles to 
 the Schools of Grand Junction 
 
 As is often the case there is some evidence that the above 
 principles are not carefully observed in Grand Junction. 
 
 The Board should not permit the time of its meetings to be 
 devoted to individual cases of discipline, except in very rare 
 instances. This responsibility should be upon the Superintendent, 
 and he should not bring these matters to the Board except for 
 advice. 
 
 The making of courses of study should be in the hands of 
 the Superintendent and his professional assistants. 
 
 Teachers should be elected by the Board only after nomin- 
 ation by the Superintendent. 
 
(19) 
 
 At present the professional people connected with the school 
 have very little to do with the purchase or distribution of 
 supplies except to write out requisitions for what is needed. (This 
 is not true of text-books) . Supplies are purchased by the purchas- 
 ing committee of the Board, and distributed by its Secretary. This 
 man is without any technical training or experience in school 
 matters, yet the Superintendent and teachers must depend on his 
 judgment when they ask for an allotment of supplies such as 
 paper, etc. Numerous instances came to the attention of the 
 Survey Committee where the Secretary had refused the full 
 amount of supplies asked for by teachers at least until after 
 repeated requests. This results in a serious handicap of the 
 school work. The general supervision of the selection and distri- 
 bution of these supplies should be in the hands of the Superin- 
 tendent. However, the purchasing of supplies should be left in the 
 hands of the Board as at present. 
 
 In general the teachers should not bring matters to the 
 Board except through the Superintendent, since he is charged 
 with the responsibility for the schools as a whole. This rule 
 should not be emphasized, so that teachers feel that they will 
 incur the censure of the Board or Superintendent if they speak 
 to the Board concerning matters of vital concern to them. The 
 privilege, however, should not be abused by the teachers or used 
 without due appreciation of its significance. 
 
 Supervision of the Schools 
 
 The Committee was impressed with the fast that the schools 
 receive very little supervision. The supervisory function is per- 
 formed altogether by the Superintendent. He states that at least 
 one-half of his time is taken up with office work this year but 
 not so much in former years. This leaves approximately fifty 
 hours per month to supervise the work of fifty-eight teachers in 
 an immediate manner, and to consult with them regarding the 
 general purposes and methods of their work. Teachers report 
 comparatively few and brief visits from the superintendent. 
 
 Another evidence of an absence of supervision consists in 
 the fact that teachers of the same grade were using somewhat 
 different methods which left their pupils at the end of the year 
 in quite different conditions for the work of the next grade. For 
 instance, one first-grade teacher uses the phonic method of teach- 
 ing reading for most part while another uses the word method. 
 At the beginning of the present year a second-grade teacher 
 received pupils from both of these rooms. The result was that the 
 second-grade teacher found herself handicapped by the two 
 differently prepared groups of pupils. Supervision should not 
 impose upon a teacher a detailed method, but it should so co-ordin- 
 ate methods in a single grade that the product will be or a some- 
 what uniform character. Again the Committee found that there 
 was a lack of common understanding as to the purposes of certain 
 courses on the part of the Superintendent and those who were 
 doing the instructing. For instance, the Superintendent stated 
 
(20) 
 
 that the purpose of a certain department in the High School was 
 to prepare the pupils to do practical work. One of the teachers 
 in this department thought the work was. intended to give the 
 pupils simply a general training, while another was not at all clear 
 as to what the purpose was. Each of these three stated that 
 if practical efficiency was the chief purpose the character and 
 content of the course would be quite different from what they 
 would if general training were the end in view. No consultations 
 had been held to talk over this matter. Similar conditions were 
 found to obtain in other departments. 
 
 It is only fair to say that the same lack of understanding of 
 purposes would in all probability be found in most schools. The 
 committee does not wish to criticise the Superintendent or the 
 teachers in any department, but it does want to emphasize the 
 necessity for attention to this very important phase of supervision. 
 
 As stated above, the full responsibility for the supervision of 
 the schools is at present on the Superintendent. UDviously, it 
 is impossible for him to do this work as it should be done. 
 
 The Board employs a "principal" at each grade building who 
 is paid from $95 to $145 a year for acting in such capacity, that 
 is she is paid this sum above the maximum salary allowed grade 
 teachers. These principals teach full time. Their duties as 
 principals are chiefly disciplinary. 
 
 The principal of the High School and the principal of the 
 ninth-grade at the Franklin building bear practically the same 
 relation to their schools as do the principals in the grade build- 
 ings to the schools maintained therein, that is, they teach full 
 time and act as disciplinary officials. Yet, the principal of the 
 High School receives $1150 and the principal of the ninth grade 
 $670 above the maximum salary allowed high-school teachers. 
 
 The Board is not getting from these two men the services for 
 which it is paying, nor the services which they are capable of 
 Rendering. Both are men of training and of supervisory exper- 
 ience. 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 The principal of the High School should be relieved of at least 
 three-fifths of his teaching duties and be given the direct super- 
 vision of the school. He should have a voice in the selection of 
 the teachers; he should be primarily responsible for the courses 
 of study and for the schedule of recitations; he should supervise 
 the instruction of the teachers; he should conduct the general 
 exercises of the school ; he should be the central influence in the 
 social life of the school ; he should supervise all athletic activities 
 and relationships; he should have time to study in a general 
 and local way the problems of secondary education, and should 
 take up the professional study of educational problems with his 
 teachers in meetings which he himself conducts. 
 
 The principal of the ninth grade should be made the principal 
 of the Intermediate School, (p. 14) and should sustain the same 
 general relations to it that the principal of the High School does 
 
(21) 
 
 to his school under the plan indicated above. These principals 
 should be responsible to the Superintendent who should exercise 
 only a general supervisory control over the two schools. 
 
 This would leave the Superintendent free to supervise the 
 work of the first six grades, where the larger numbers of child- 
 ren and teachers are found and where the work needs closer 
 coordination and assistance and more expert supervision. He 
 should cut down his present office work and be in close touch with 
 the work of these grades while retaining his more general control 
 over the Intermediate and High schools. 
 
(22) 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 INSTRUCTION 
 
 Testing Results, General 
 
 One purpose of instruction in the elementary grades is to 
 give the children mastery of the fundamentals spelling, reading, 
 writing, and arithmetic. Fortunately such men as Ayres, Thorn- 
 dike, Starch, and Courtis, and many others, have devised fairly 
 well perfected objective tests for measuring the achievements of 
 pupils in the common branches. These tests, moreover, have been 
 standardized by application to thousands of pupils, the country 
 over, so that it is now possible to tell approximately how much 
 may be expected of the normal pupils of a given grade. The 
 standing of each pupil, each class and the entire school system 
 can be found and compared with similar items in other school 
 systems. 
 
 In Grand Junction the Committee gave the Ayres spelling 
 tests, the Starch silent reading tests, the Courtis arithmetic tests, 
 and it scored the penmanship of the entire school system using the 
 Ayres scale. 
 
 The next few pages contain an explanation of the tests as 
 they were given and a tabulation of the results. 
 
 Spelling, Explanation 
 
 Under the direction of Dr. Leonard P. Ayres of the Russell 
 Sage Foundation a very long list of common words was given to 
 each grade of over seventy school systems, with the purpose of 
 finding out what words in the list were spelled correctly by 100 
 per cent of each grade, 95 per cent, 90 per cent and so on down the 
 scale. In this way it was possible to derive lists that approxi- 
 mately all in a given grade could spell perfectly, or another list 
 upon which they could make only 90 per cent or 85 per cent, etc. 
 
 The words chosen for the Grand Junction tests were those 
 which approximately 73 per cent of each grade might be expected 
 to spell correctly. In other words, if the grade average is about 
 73 per cent, the grade is up to standard. 
 
 The words of each grade list are given below. The same 
 member of the committee crave the test in all rooms; conditions 
 were identical and favorable. 
 
(23) 
 
 Sr^''as^ CJ* O CD t" CD CD D* P 3 O* ^ O P *^ P ~ I >/K" 
 
 Itpl^IIIP Plflp 
 
 *"3 P? M 5^* b* ^t ^* ^ 
 
 
 Grade 
 
 SPELLING SCORES BY GRADES. 
 23456 
 
 64 47 73 67 70 59 73 
 
 44 67 45 62 66 60 72 
 
 62 63 66 68 75 71 74 
 
 55 85 61 65 73 63 
 
 70 72 66 57 
 
 49 69 70 
 
 \verage . ...58.7 62.5 64 65.6 68.5 63 73 
 

 5 
 
 , 
 
 1 
 
 
(25) 
 
 Out of the seven grades taking the spelling test one reached 
 the standard. The average, however, does not reveal anything. 
 The excessive lack of uniformity among the pupils of every grade 
 should be noted. In the second grade four pupils made 100 per 
 cent; forty other pupils exceeded the standard; and all the rest 
 fell below. In the third grade two pupils wrote a perfect test; 
 fifty-six others exceeded the standard ; but thirty-nine received 50 
 or below, and a large number of others made less than 70. Eight 
 fifth graders spelled every word correctly, but fifty fell short of 
 50 per cent, and the rest of the class were unable to make up the 
 deficiency. The sixth grade had only two perfect pupils ; twenty- 
 two that spelled only half the words or fewer; and thirty-seven 
 others that did not attain above 70 per cent. Four seventh grade 
 pupils made a perfect score, but sixty-seven spelled but half the 
 words or less. Although the eighth grade had only three perfect 
 papers, it attained the standard score with but fifty-three grades 
 below the standard. 
 
 Penmanship, Explanation 
 
 Beginning with the third grade all the pupils in the elemen- 
 tary schools were requested to write for five minutes, repeating 
 the first four lines of "Mary had a little lamb." This familiar 
 rhyme was chosen so that it would not be necessary for the pupils 
 to puzzle over what they were writing. The specimens were 
 taken without any coaching whatsoever. 
 
 The Scale 
 
 The Ay res scale was employed in scoring the papers. This 
 scale consists of a chart containing twenty-four specimens of pen- 
 manship to which eight scores, from 20 to 90 per cent, have been 
 assigned. There are three types of penmanship of each grade; 
 for example, an almost vertical hand marked 30, a more slanting 
 type marked 30, and a still more slanting type marked 30. The 
 other seven ranks are composed of three types each in the same 
 way. 
 
 These specimens have been chosen and ranked by the co-oper- 
 ation of many individuals scoring each specimen independently. 
 Over 18,000 specimens were measured in developing the original 
 scale, and they were taken from 40 different cities; so that the 
 scale represents a consensus of opinion. It has been reprinted 
 fifteen times and employed to measure the penmanship of many 
 thousands of pupils. Thus it has become standardized and a fair 
 basis of comparison. 
 
 The Use of the Scale 
 
 The method of using the scale is extremely simple. The 
 examiner takes a specimen of the writing submitted by the pupil 
 and slides it along the chart until he finds a specimen of corres- 
 ponding kind on the chart. He then records the grade of the 
 chart specimen as that of the pupil. 
 
(26) 
 Scoring the Papers 
 
 The Grand Junction specimens were scored with great care. 
 From five to ten individuals scored each specimen and recorded 
 the grade without knowing what grade any other one of the 
 scorers would give the same specimen. Later all grades were 
 collected, and if in any case a disagreement of more than ten 
 was discovered, the paper so marked was taken out and scored 
 again by a new committee. For the most part there was close 
 agreement in the estimates of the original scoring committees, 
 but all disputed specimens received a new accounting. 
 
 The Standard 
 
 Due to causes which it is not possible to discuss here, there is 
 a wide variation in the writing of pupils of the same grade. Some 
 eighth grade pupils write no better than third graders. Occasion- 
 ally a pupil in one of the lower grades will write as well as the 
 best in grade eight. But in general there is a consistent pro- 
 gression in the improvement from grade to grade. 
 
 It is expected that pupils of the upper grades should attain 
 an average of about 50 per cent by the Ayres scale. 
 
 Results of Test 
 
 Since Grand Junction has had a special supervisor of pen- 
 manship and has emphasized the subject in the lower grades, 
 the test was applied to grades 3 to 8 inclusive. The following are 
 the averages: 
 
 STANDING OF EACH GRADE IN PENMANSHIP 
 
 Grade 3 29 
 
 Grade ...A 35 
 
 Grade .5 43 
 
 Grade ^ 6 56 
 
 Grade 7 55 
 
 Grade 8 59 
 
 Average of entire school 44.5 
 
 Average of four upper grades .53.2 
 
 Reading, Explanation 
 
 The Starch test for silent reading was employed in the six 
 upper grades. This test consists of descriptive or narrative prose 
 selections of graduated difficulty, a different selection for each 
 grade. The selections have been chosen carefully and standard- 
 ized by application to thousands of pupils. The first lines follow : 
 
 Grade III. Little Abe hurried home as fast as his feet could 
 carry him. Perhaps if he had worn stockings and shoes like yours 
 he could have run faster. But, instead, he wore deerskin leggings 
 and clumsy moccasins of bear skin that his mother had made for 
 him. 
 
 Grade IV. The red squirrel usually waked me in the dawn, 
 running over the roof and up and down the sides of the house, as 
 if sent out of the woods for this very purpose. 
 
(27) 
 
 Grade IV. One upon a time, there lived a very rich man, and 
 a king besides, whose name was Midas ; and he had a little daugh- 
 ter, whom nobody but myself ever heard of, and whose name I 
 either never knew, or have entirely forgotten. 
 
 Grade VI. In a secluded and mountainous part of Stiria 
 there was in old times a valley of the most surprising and luxur- 
 iant fertility. It was surrounded on all sides by steep and rocky 
 mountains, rising into peaks which were always covered with 
 snow, and from which a number of torrents descended in constant 
 cataracts. 
 
 Grade VII. Captain John Hull was the mint-master of Mas- 
 sachusetts, and coined all the money that was made there. This 
 was a new line of business, for in the earlier days of the colony 
 the current coinage consisted of gold and silver money of England, 
 Portugal, and Spain. 
 
 Grade VIII. The years wnt on, and Ernest ceased to be a 
 boy. He had grown to be a young man now. He attracted little 
 notice from the other inhabitants of the valley; for they saw 
 nothing remarkable in his way of life, save that, when the labor 
 of the day was over he still loved to go apart and gaze and medi- 
 tate upon the Great Stone Face. 
 
 Method 
 
 The selections, printed on one side of unfolded sheets, are 
 placed face downward on the desks, and each pupil writes his 
 name on his paper. At the signal the papers are turned printed 
 side up, and exactly thirty seconds are allowed in which to read. 
 Care is taken beforehand to make clear to the children that con- 
 centration is necessary because the time is so short. Exactly at 
 the expiration of the time the pupils are told to stop reading and 
 to write on the blank sheet as much of the story as possible. 
 
 Scoring 
 
 The papers are scored for speed and comprehension. Speed 
 means the number of words read in one second, and compre- 
 hension the number of significant words used in the reproduc- 
 tion. In estimating this, only the words are counted that give the 
 thought of the selection without deviation and repetition. The 
 pupils are allowed ample time for the reproduction. 
 
 Results 
 
 The results of the reading test are disappointing from the 
 standpoint of the comparative rank of Grand Junction pupils in 
 comprehension. The standings of the several grades show neither 
 a consistent progression of attainment from grade to grade, nor 
 are the scores attained as high as they should be. 
 
 It was obvious in giving this test, as all others, that child- 
 ren of the same grade, but different rooms, show a marked vari- 
 ation in the power to concentrate and respond effectively to any 
 requirement. The table following suggests this lack of uniformity 
 
(28) 
 
 in efficiency. Speed is marked "s" and comprehension "c" in the 
 table. The variations in the third grades are especially notable, 
 though there is one amazing case of a fourth grade that is out- 
 classed by all others in the system: 
 
 Silent Reading Scores by Separate Grades. 
 
 34 5678 
 
 sc sc sc so sc sc 
 
 1.5 28 2.1 9.3 2.3 36 2.0 29 2.4 33 3.1 35 
 
 1.6 12 2.2 27 2.5 31 2.5 26 3.2 46 3.2 47 
 1.8 20 2.2 24 2.8 25 2.8 25 3.5 43 3.7 37 
 2.1 11 2.3 26 3.3 32 4.0 33 3.8 44 
 
 2.1 23 2.8 24 3.6 32 4.3 19 
 2.5 10 2.8 24 3.9 34 4.6 21 
 
G/ W/C3 
 
 ?r6 C/e6 
 
 Grand Junction. 
 
 .. Standard 
 
 F/qure .showincj I1ie relation between silent ft acting 
 ftpc/e ty Grand Junction and other b laces 
 
(30) 
 Arithmetic, Explanation 
 
 The Courtis Standard Arithmetic Tests, Series B, were given 
 to the five upper grades. These tests consist of exercises in addi- 
 tion, subtraction, multiplication and division. They do not involve 
 fractions. Specimen problems from the test papers are given 
 below : 
 
 339 
 
 >76 
 
 m 
 
 $61 
 757 
 
 136 
 322 
 
 799 
 584 
 125 
 647 
 699 
 624 
 512 
 146 
 109 
 
 ADDITION 
 
 952 
 397 
 525 
 
 974 
 458 
 702 
 397 
 
 937 
 
 274 
 
 357 
 925 
 819 
 
 489 
 877 
 482 
 645 
 761 
 598 
 352 
 431 
 367 
 
 102142649 
 70428369 
 
 9237 
 27 
 
 SUBTRACTION. 
 
 91889637 87168558 
 
 78379474 28712470 
 
 MULTIPLICATION. 
 
 4568 6845 3297 
 85 63 49 
 
 78052979 
 53180508 
 
 7239 
 
 DIVISION. 
 
 74)66822 
 
 38)10640 
 
 95)88445 
 
 The same problems are given to all grades, the attainment 
 depending upon the speed and accuracy with which the work is 
 done, not upon a greater relative difficulty in the problems sub- 
 mitted to the different grades. 
 
 Methods 
 
 The problems are printed in folders, each operation on a 
 separate page. These folders are distributed but not opened 
 until the signal is given. Eight minutes each are allowed for 
 addition and division, six for multiplication and four for sub- 
 traction. All necessary directions, including the advice that the 
 pupils should work straight ahead as well as they can, are given 
 before the signal so that there can be no misunderstanding and 
 no interruption. As soon as the time is up for one operation, the 
 children are to rest at attention until the signal is given to pro- 
 ceed with the next. It is felt that the conditions were all favor- 
 able to the best work of the pupils. 
 
 The Scoring 
 
 The papers of this test were all scored under the direction 
 of the Committee and all computations were checked for accu- 
 racy. In considering the standards that should be used for 
 
(31) 
 
 comparison the Committee decided upon the actual median of 
 June scores made in various places throughout the country in 
 1915 the general standard. 
 
 The Results 
 
 The tabulation which follows shows the number of ex- 
 amples attempted, the number right, and the percentage of 
 accuracy for each grade. The general standard is given with 
 all these for comparison. The graphs show the same results in 
 a different manner. 
 
 A mere glance at the tabulation and graph show that Grand 
 Junction falls below the general standard. This raises questions 
 as to whether insufficient time is given to drilling in the funda- 
 mentals, as to the character of the course of study, the quality 
 of the teaching, and the special problems or conditions peculiar 
 to Grand Junction that may account for the shortcomings of 
 the pupils in arithmetic. Some of these questions are considered 
 in other connections in this report: 
 
 Attempts 
 
 4.3 
 5.2 
 
 5.6 
 6.2 
 
 7.4 
 
 5.9 
 6.3 
 8.4 
 9.2 
 10.2 
 
 ADDITION 
 
 Rights 
 
 1.6 
 2.1 
 2.8 
 3.4 
 4.1 
 
 3.2 
 3.6 
 5.4 
 6.3 
 7.1 
 
 Percentage of 
 Accuracy 
 
 O 99 
 
 P 
 
 I I 
 
 40 
 40 
 51 
 55 
 56 
 
 54 
 57 
 64 
 
 68 
 70 
 
 Attempts 
 
 SUBTRACTION 
 
 Rights 
 
 CD 
 
 Percentage of 
 Accuracy 
 
 5.7 
 6.5 
 7.8 
 9.1 
 10.6 
 
 6.2 
 
 7.8 
 
 9.2 
 
 10.7 
 
 <2.3 
 
 3.4 
 3.2 
 4.9 
 7.3 
 
 8.4 
 
 3.5 
 
 5.6 
 
 7.3 
 
 8.9 
 
 10.3 
 
 62 
 51 
 63 
 
 82 
 79 
 
 58 
 72 
 
 80 
 
 84 
 84 
 
Attempts 
 
 (32) 
 
 MULTIPLICATION 
 Rights 
 
 4.3 
 5.2 
 5.1 
 
 8.2 
 9.5 
 
 5.0 
 
 6.2 
 
 7.9 
 
 9.0 
 
 10.7 
 
 2.2 
 2.7 
 3.3 
 5.2 
 
 6.9 
 
 3.5 
 
 4.0 
 5.8 
 7.6 
 8.5 
 
 Percentage of 
 Accuracy 
 
 52 
 52 
 
 65 
 63 
 
 72 
 
 57 
 
 66 
 74 
 76 
 80 
 
 DIVISION 
 
 Attempts 
 
 ! I 
 
 Rights 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 cs 
 
 H- 
 
 
 
 
 o* 
 
 
 o' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 3.2 
 
 3.6 
 
 1.3 
 
 1.5 
 
 41 
 
 > 3.2 
 
 5.4 
 
 2.1 
 
 3.7 
 
 64 
 
 3.4 
 
 7.1 
 
 2.1 
 
 5.7 
 
 61 
 
 7.2 
 
 8.1 
 
 5.9 
 
 6.7 
 
 82 
 
 8.6 
 
 10.6 
 
 7.5 
 
 9.3 
 
 88 
 
 Percentage of 
 Accuracy 
 
 o 92 
 
 I I 
 
 42 
 69 
 80 
 83 
 
'dlfl 
 
 3/7. 
 
 "Off 
 
 a 
 
 hfr 
 
 7C/J 
 
 on. 
 
 Grade? 4 5 6 7 T 
 
 Results of Arithmetic Tesfs 
 
 fled ion -number of comet answers^fy grades, torn kofed with 
 standard scores 
 
 Crand^ Junction. 
 Standard 
 
l/ca 
 
 toff. 
 
 Grade? 4 
 
 67* 
 
 Grand Junction. 
 Standard 
 
(35) 
 The Curriculm, Explanation 
 
 It is the plan of this portion of the report to discuss the 
 curriculum in the face of the evidence afforded by the objective 
 tests just described. But in Grand Junction, as everywhere, 
 there are peculiar problems that demand a pause before any 
 sweeping conclusions are drawn. For example, how much are 
 late entrance and the inevitable complications that result there- 
 iTom to blame for Grand Junction's failure to score to standard? 
 Whatever is said about the curriculum or the quality of teaching 
 must certainly take account of the transient and irregular school 
 population. 
 
 Of 482 new students entering the Grand Junction schools up 
 to April 10 during the present school year, 441 were below the 
 high school. Of the 441 grade children, 285 enrolled late as 
 indicated by the following : 
 
 Kinder- 
 Grade garten 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 5 
 7 
 15 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 Not over one week late 
 
 ..12 
 
 43 
 5 
 3 
 1 
 2 
 11 
 13 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 2 
 6 
 14 
 
 6 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 10 
 10 
 
 6 
 i 
 
 i 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 3 
 
 I 
 1 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 I 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 i 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 1 week but not over 2 weeks late .. 
 
 ... 6 
 
 2 weeks but not over 3 weeks late 
 
 3 
 
 3 weeks but not over 4 weelts late 
 
 ... 1 
 
 4 weeks but not over 6 weeks late _ 
 
 2 
 
 6 weeks but not over 10 weeks late 
 
 7 
 
 Over ten weeks late . 
 
 9 
 
 40 78 30 32 41 19 20 15 10 
 
 Time Allotment 
 
 It is possible to give only the most general idea of the amount 
 of time allotted to each subject in each grade in Grand Junction. 
 E,ach teacher is a law unto herself as to her time schedule, and 
 she may modify her program of study and recitation to suit what 
 she regards the special demands of her room, except in so far as 
 she must meet the schedule of the special instructors. This is a 
 splendid system, as long as the schools are blessed with excellent 
 teachers and adequate supervision of the constructive kind. 
 
 It must be understood, then, that the following tabluation of 
 the time allotment shows only an approximation. It is based on 
 a comparison of the programs of the various teachers having the 
 same grades. 
 
 The towns used for comparison with Grand Junction on 
 this point are the selected Colorado towns from which returns 
 had been received before this report went to the printer. 
 
(36) 
 
 -! -^ Q-t r-l 
 
 ^J^2 ^ 
 
 lid 
 
 O rK IC3 f G^/ (7^ 
 
 Oi D O 
 
 If3 lO trt 
 
 c^ t* t- 
 
 O 
 
 8S8 
 
 O O 
 
 10 o 
 
 lO O lO O O 
 
 $5^52 
 
 S55 
 
 oS 
 
 8 
 
 s g 
 
 g 8 
 
 8 
 
 :g : 
 
 S 
 
 O xO tO i lO O lO 
 lO t"" (N < t lO t" 
 
 885||^ 
 
 io r- o ' o ko t 
 
 rt i ^^ -*H 
 
 8885888 
 
 c 'S S 
 
 3 ^3 
 
 F" 1 ^ f-t 
 
 '_ "rt 03 CC ft 
 
 lO i i C5 
 
 G^J i i C> 
 
 8 ! ! \ 
 
 O O i O 
 
 lO M i C> 
 
 S. .o 
 
 i i r 
 
 8 
 
 <-'u 
 o 
 
 * o 
 
 c .2 s g a 
 
 -2 -2 & S S -g 
 
 .22 -r- ^l! 'S <D O 
 
 ffi u d, M o o 
 
(37) 
 
 A glance at the tabulation shows that Grand Junction gives 
 more than the average time to Reading in the first four grades, 
 but less than the average in the last three. To Writing she gives 
 much more than the average allotment in all grades. A test of 
 the Penmanship in these other schools would reveal the fact 
 as to whether the larger apportionment for Grand Junction is 
 worth while. Grand Junction gives more time to Numbers and 
 Arithmetic. This comes as a surprise in the light of the Courtis 
 tests. She is also more liberal with time for formal Spelling than 
 most of the towns, and she shows a greater devotion to English 
 Grammar. In most grades Grand Junction exceeds the average 
 in Music. Other towns have a little the better of Grand Junc- 
 tion in time devoted to Calisthenics in the lower grades. Drill in 
 Phonics is more persisted in by other places, and Geography and 
 History are given on the full year plan rather than on a division 
 of time within the year. The allotment for Hygiene seems to be 
 more regular in other schools than in Grand Junction. 
 
 Making and Administering the Course 
 
 Grand Junction has not printed the course of study since 
 1910. Naturally the modifications that have been made since 
 that time leave the old printed course a poor index of conditions 
 as they are. 
 
 To supplement the earlier outline, therefore, the Superin- 
 tendent and teachers co-operate each year in preparing a type- 
 written outline which names the text-books and gives by pages 
 or by topics such work as each grade is expected to cover during 
 the year. There are no suggestions in the printed or typewritten 
 outlines as to aims, principles, or methods. Teachers are per- 
 mitted the utmost opportunity of expressing their initiative and 
 individuality. If there is such a thing as a general policy con- 
 trolling the purpose and methods of any division of the course, 
 absolute reliance must be placed upon the supervising agencies 
 of the school to see that such policy is made clear to the teachers 
 and respected by them. 
 
 There is some evidence of a wasteful lack of co-operation 
 among the first grade teachers. This is shown by the fact that 
 pupils passing from different first grades into the same second 
 grade room have difficulty because certain and different 
 subjects and methods have been exaggerated in the various first 
 grades. Beyond the second grade, independence in curriculum 
 planning cannot work so obvious a hardship ; nevertheless, there 
 should, where all schools are facing the same problems, as in 
 Grand Junction, be a better appreciation of the common needs, 
 and this appreciation should find expression not merely through 
 co-operation in planning the course of study at the beginning of 
 the year, but also in administering it the year round. 
 
 One emphatic lesson to be drawn from the tests in the funda- 
 mentals is the fact that to belong to a certain grade may mean 
 more or less, depending upon which division of the grade it is. 
 Nor must it be assumed that the teacher in charge is entirely to 
 blame for the condition. Unless she is good $ for nothing, she 
 
(38) 
 
 may be a better follower than leader; in which case her most 
 effective work would be brought out by frequent conferences 
 between her and the other teachers of the grade, and by per- 
 sistent constructive supervision. The more complex the problems 
 of the school the greater is the necessity for a constant working 
 together for the adjustment and re-adjustment of the course 
 of study. If each teacher is left to the isolation of her own think- 
 ing, there will be no common purpose to lend vitality to the 
 instruction. 
 
 Reading 
 
 The supply of readers and classics in the Grand Junction 
 schools is abundant almost to the point of extravagance. In the 
 midst of such generosity the pupils should get not only the tech- 
 nique but the habit of reading. In the silent reading test the 
 failure of the pupils to equal the standard in thought getting 
 was therefore unexpected. Among other things which account 
 in part for the deficiency, is the failure to give sufficient time, 
 consciously, to silent reading and to testing for results. 
 
 Spelling 
 
 The results of the spelling test again emphasize the futility 
 of attempting to store up words for future use. M^ny teachers 
 spoke of the "everyday" character of the words in the test, but 
 they feared that the children might not spell them because recent 
 lessons had not contained them. The Grand Junction course is 
 trying to give too extensive a vocabulary, and it is giving so many 
 words in a lesson that not much more than three reviews are pos- 
 sible. No spelling becomes a habit with so little practice as 
 this. In some grades the spelling lessons are assigned in the 
 old indiscriminate way. In others the difficulties are studied care- 
 fully in the assignment. 
 
 Arithmetic 
 
 The school furnishes two of the best texts available in the 
 subject. Many teachers are developing real power in reasoning, 
 but there is a general weakness in the fundamentals. Until this 
 is removed by frequent drills for speed and accuracy, it will be 
 impossible for the schools to take high rank in arithmetic. 
 
 Grammar and Language 
 
 In accord with the reaction that is becoming general 
 throughout the country, Grand Junction has adopted a book that 
 places at least four years of technical grammar in the grades. 
 This may be no worse than the hodge-podge of material which 
 formerly passed as "language," but it involves a needless waste 
 of time unless modifications are made in the use of the text. 
 Grade children should have the privilege of far more oral and 
 written composition than they are getting. 
 
(39) 
 Geography 
 
 The fact that many teachers are annoyed by the texts that 
 they use in geography, emphasizes the desirability of emancipat- 
 ing this subject from text-books and making it a great socializing 
 factor in the common schools. The study of the community, 
 commerce, internationalism, current events, public health, etc., 
 through geography or in correlation with it, makes this subject 
 worthy of the best caliber in course making. Every school 
 system should work out a consistent and attractive problem 
 course in Geography, so rich that it would be worthy of universal 
 use by the teachers of the system. It is too big a subject to limit 
 to one text book and too important to entrust entirely to the indi- 
 vidual initiative of the teachers. In Grand Junction the possi- 
 bilities of Geography are not being realized. The geographical 
 readers and the text should be supplemented by physiographical 
 laboratory work and industrial, commercial, and civic exhibits. 
 Such exhibit material could be put into circulation throughout 
 the grades. 
 
 Civics 
 
 Some teachers are meeting the great problem of civic 
 instruction in their own way, but there seems to be no authorized 
 and well worked-out plan of teaching community civics and gov- 
 ernment. This is another subject that is big enough for the best 
 brains of the teaching corps. It should probably be worked out 
 in correlation with other subjects, but (It requires conscious 
 planning. 
 
 Science 
 
 "Science" is the name given to nature study in the grades. 
 The plan for it consists of short categories of miscellaneous 
 topics for each grade. There is little continuity or logic in the 
 arrangement of the course for any grade. Yet the subject might 
 include important topics, rationally put together. 
 
 Hygiene 
 
 There is danger that this subject become either too inci- 
 dental or too perfunctory in the lower grades. The books in use 
 are good, but unless this work consists of more than an occas- 
 ional reading of a topic with little comment and no laboratory 
 work, it cannot mean all that it should. The regular courses in 
 physiology in the 7th and 8th grades are good, but many children 
 do not reach those grades. 
 
 Music 
 
 The definite and regular teaching of vocal music in all the 
 grades is one of the excellent features of the course. The pupils 
 are taught to sing for the pleasure of it, as children should. Even 
 the upper grade boys get the theory and will be ready to sing 
 again when their voices settle. 
 
(40) 
 Drawing 
 
 Drawing is left entirely to the room teachers. Some of them 
 have developed excellent plans, and have on exhibit consider- 
 able work that proves the value of their theory. 
 
 Penmanship 
 
 Penmanship is as well taught as in most schools. It is as 
 thoroughly supervised as the limited time of the director has 
 made possible. But four-fifths of the work of teaching penman- 
 ship must be done by the room teachers, and only such teachers 
 as take, retain, and practice the instructions of the supervisor 
 are likely to get excellent results. All through the school there 
 should be more insistence upon good penmanship in all written 
 work. Practicing penmanship is futile unless there is some 
 transfer of the gain thus made, to all written work. It is con- 
 ceivable, too, that some pupils are allowed to waste time by prac- 
 ticing when they do not need to. The plan of a "penmanship 
 hospital" to which all pupils are remanded who begin to show 
 carelessness might be both more salutary and economical. 
 
 Manual Training 
 
 Manual training in the lower grades consists of the paper 
 folding, weaving, and other hand work such as any normal 
 graduate should be able to give. Beginning with the fifth grade 
 and extending on up, the boys have had manual training (wood 
 work) and the girls domestic science and art. The equipment 
 and accommodations for the boys' work are inadequate for a 
 town like Grand Junction. Conditions are more favorable for 
 the household arts. 
 
 Summary 
 
 No attempt has been made to give exhaustive comment on all 
 aspects of the curriculum, and lack of space forbids sufficient 
 constructive suggestion, but the most urgent demands are for 
 co-operation in curriculum making; the better standardization of 
 the courses in geography, nature study, community civics, and 
 hygiene; specific attention to silent reading; more drill in spell- 
 ing and placed on fewer words; more drill for speed and accur- 
 acy in the fundamentals of arithmetic perhaps through time 
 devoted to mental arithmetic; modification of the grammar and 
 language course to provide for more oral and written composition 
 four years is too much technical grammar, even though part 
 of it is diluted ; a reduction of the time given by some^ pupils to 
 drill on penmanship and insistence upon careful writing in all 
 daily work. Above all things the careful and continuous study 
 of all aspects of the curriculum, by all who are concerned in 
 administering it. 
 
(41) 
 The High School Course of Study 
 
 The present course of study in the high school is fairly 
 broad, but lacking in balance, according to the usual program of 
 studies in the high school. The principle of continuity is violated 
 by placing two units of Science in the third year and none in the 
 second. When four units are offered in one field, as Science 
 or History, they should usually follow each other consecutively 
 through the four years. One student, slightly irregular to be 
 sure, had a daily schedule of three classes in Science and one in 
 English. The arrangement of the subjects might also be improved 
 in several other respects to conform more closely to current 
 practice. 
 
 It is Recommended 
 
 (1) That the work in History be reorganized and strength- 
 ened by placing Ancient History in the first year, Medieval and 
 Modern or English, but preferrably Medieval and Modern, in 
 the second or third, and American History and Civics in the 
 fourth. 
 
 (2) That the course in Science consist of General Science 
 (or General Science and Physiography), Biology, Physics, and 
 Chemistry. The proper sequence of the last two is by no means 
 agreed upon. 
 
 (3) That German be limited to the third and fourth years 
 with the object of eliminating classes containing students of 
 markedly different amounts of training. 
 
 . (4) That the home-reading list for English be enlarged to 
 give the student larger range of selection. The number of books 
 read is sufficient except in the fourth year. 
 
 (5) That the attention directed to oral composition be 
 increased materially. Book reports, now given privately to the 
 teacher, might be made the basis of valuable oral work. 
 
 (6) That a small amount of commercial work be permitted 
 in the second year. 
 
 (7) That Domestic Science be opened to the third and pos- 
 sibly the second year, even though this should necessitate drop- 
 ping the subject to two times per week in the fourth year. 
 
 (8) That no student be allowed to gain over one-fourth unit 
 per year in Physical Training, and that the basis of credit in this 
 subject be reduced to the same as that in laboratory work of all 
 kinds. 
 
 The requirements for graduation are normal in amount, but 
 they might well be made less specific. The concensus of practice 
 is not to require Chemistry for graduation. And Physics, almost 
 universally required a few years ago, is rapidly losing its domin- 
 ant position. Until the latter shall have been largely reorgan- 
 ized, the advisability of requiring it from girls is seriously 
 doubted by this Committee. 
 
 The amount of work prescribed by the printed or type- 
 written outlines of the course of study is standard and is covered 
 
(42) 
 
 during the year. In Physics the laboratory work done is small in 
 extent because of the limited space. In second-year German 
 classes made up of upper-, and lower-grade pupils have lowered 
 the standard. Biology is hampered by a lack of apparatus of the 
 simpler sort. 
 
 The Quality of Teaching 
 
 The Committee saw too little teaching during its ten days 
 in the Grand Junction schools. It was convinced, however, from 
 the response given to the objective tests by certain of the rooms 
 that Grand Junction has many excellent teachers. Opinions not 
 substantiated by facts are worthless ; therefore, it was gratifying 
 to the Committee to discover that the pupils of those whom they 
 had guessed were good teachers, made the highest scores in the 
 tests. Alertness, power of concentration and efficiency of 
 performance tell the tale. When these qualities are present in 
 the pupils, the teacher is usually to be given the credit. 
 
 Discipline 
 
 In general the discipline is excellent. The pupils are courte- 
 ous and they seem serious-minded about their work. In marked 
 contrast, therefore, to the general condition are a few cases of 
 poor discipline. 
 
 The Study Period 
 
 Those teachers having but one grade find time for super- 
 vision of study. The good teachers are making the most of this. 
 They secure just as much purposeful mental activity during the 
 study period as in the formal recitation. Only occasionally was 
 the teacher failing to secure excellent results from this exercise. 
 
 Conclusions 
 
 It is clear that the teachers of Grand Junction might help 
 one another if they were to exchange visits for observation. 
 These visits should be made at the suggestion of the Superintend- 
 ent and for the specific purpose of helping the teacher improve 
 in some particular. The condition of the curriculum, demanding 
 for good results, as it does, that the teacher be a master educator, 
 throws an unusual responsibility upon each teacher. Only the 
 superior ones rise fully to the situation. 
 
 A cooperative study of the problems of the school, using 
 the various classes for laboratory material would benefit the 
 teachers more than the formal study of some text on education. 
 Directed and systematic study of their own problems and the 
 frequent application of objective tests are suggested as the best 
 means of improving the quality of teaching. 
 
(43) 
 Preparation and Training of Teachers 
 
 The requirements named below are approximately the 
 standard for teachers in schools of recognized efficiency through- 
 out the country. The summary following will show the status of 
 Grand Junction with reference to most of the items : 
 
 1. Sound health. It is feared that Grand Junction has not 
 always exercised the precaution of exacting from the teachers a 
 certificate of health. 
 
 2. Good mental balance and other less tangible qualities 
 that, combined, make up personality. Of these the ones employ- 
 ing the teachers must use their personal judgment. 
 
 3. Thorough training in the elementary and high schools. 
 
 4. For elemjentary teachers, at least two years spent in pro- 
 fessional preparation at a reputable normal school or in the 
 educational department of a university or college. 
 
 5. For high-school teachers graduation from a standard col- 
 lege or university, fifteen or twenty hours in pedagogy, and 
 special emphasis upon the subjects which they hope to teach in 
 the high schools. A year of post-graduate work in pedagogy and 
 the special subjects to be taught is desirable. 
 
 6. A reasonable amount of study while in service. Corres- 
 pondence and group-study plans are useful in this connection. 
 
 7. Experience after adequate preparation and under care- 
 ful supervision adds to a teacher's ability ; but if had without ade- 
 quate previous preparation and without proper supervision, 
 experience may be a handicap. 
 
 8. The opportunity to travel, at home and abroad, should 
 increase the teacher's power. 
 
 In scholastic preparation and teaching experience the teach- 
 ers of Grand Junction are nearly up to standard, as is shown by 
 the following tabulation : 
 
 TRAINING OF TEACHERS. 
 
 Elemen- High Spe- 
 Points Considered tary School cial 
 
 Total number of teachers reporting 38 12 2 
 
 Number of Grand Junction High School 
 
 graduates . 6 1 
 
 Number of graduates from other high 
 
 schools 28 11 1 
 
 Normal School graduates two or more 
 
 years in residence 28 3 1 
 
 Normal attendance less than two years 
 
 in residence 7 1 
 
 Number having 10 or more hours credit 
 
 for non-residence courses 3 2 
 
 University or college attendance of less 
 
 than 144 weeks 6 1 
 
 University or college graduates 111 
 
 weeks or more in residence 2 11 1 
 
 University graduates with 10 or more 
 
 hours of pedagogical work 2 9 1 
 
(44) 
 
 TRAINING OF TEACHERS Continued 
 
 Elemen- High Spe- 
 Points Considered tary School cial 
 
 Number of high school teachers having 
 15 to 20 hours' credit in each sub- 
 ject that they are now teaching 8 
 
 Number having credit for University ex- 
 tension courses 5 2 \ 
 
 Number having experience, two or more 
 years, before coming to Grand 
 
 Junction 35 11 1 
 
 Less than two years 3 1 1 
 
 Number whose tenure in Grand Junc- 
 tion has been two years or more 32 11 1 
 
 Number who have traveled extensively 
 
 at home 29 7 1 
 
 Abroad , 3 
 
(45) 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 FINANCIAL SUPPORT 
 
 Sources of Revenue 
 
 Aside from unimportant items, such as rebates on taxes, etc., 
 that sometimes do not represent real income, the support of the 
 schools of Grand Junction is derived from three principal sources : 
 county and state apportionment of school money; special tax in 
 the district itself ; income from books and tuition. The special tax 
 in the district on account of schools is divided between tax for 
 school purposes and tax for interest on and redemption of school 
 bonds. The relation of these items to each other is shown below 
 for two years, the one last available and 1910-11. 
 
 Revenue from 1910-1911 1914-1915 
 
 State and County Apportionment $10,855.68 $11,785.40 
 
 Special Tax for School Purposes 55,097.51 62,615.12 
 
 Special Tax on Account of Bonds 9,973.25 6,878.09 
 
 "All other sources" (mainly Books and 
 
 Tuition) 1,663.83 
 
 "Books and Tuition" was reported in 1909-1910 at 
 $2,957.32; but during the next two years the amount received 
 from these sources was put with the "Special school fund" and 
 not reported separately. In 1912-1913 it appears in the annual 
 report as "All other sources," and amounts to $1,878.77. Income 
 from tuition has decreased greatly in recent years because of the 
 establishment and growth of neighboring high schools. 
 
 Income from the county and state has been growing very 
 slowly. However, the need of a community for education, as 
 gauged by the number of children, and the financial ability of 
 that community to pay for education, are often altogether out of 
 relation. Certain districts therefore suffer both educationally 
 and financially because the main burden of supporting the 
 schools is local. But our population is very mobile. Hence the 
 education of the children of Grand Junction is of vital concern 
 to all Mesa County, of large concern to the whole state, and of 
 no small significance to the whole nation. As chis fact gains 
 recognition over the country, the burden of education is being 
 equalized by increasing the proportion of revenues raised in 
 county, state, and nation, and decreasing that raised by the 
 locality. People in Grand Valley can feel the merits of this prin- 
 ciple very strongly under existing economic conditions. 
 
 Indebtedness 
 
 More or less heavy indebtedness appears to accompany all 
 public enterprises. In its day of rapid growth, this school dis- 
 trict became bonded to a considerable extent. For the past five 
 
(46) 
 
 years Its bonded indebtedness has been $113,500, until a slight 
 reduction was made the past winter. The rate of interest is 
 5 per cent, which is as low as can be expected. The legal bond 
 limit of the district is approximately $288,950. This does not in 
 itself indicate a serious condition. The bonded indebtedness is 
 not so large in relation to assessed valuation as in Trinidad or 
 Greeley, but it is larger than in Boulder, Canon City, Fort Col- 
 lins, Leadville, Longmont, or Montrose. The city government 
 has been for some time practically out of debt until a recent 
 issue of a few thousand dollars of bonds to avoid the registra- 
 tion of warrants. The great increase of indebtedness in this 
 community during the past five years has been in the form of 
 water bonds, which leaped from $137,000 to $580,000, and im- 
 provement bonds upon sidewalk, paving and sewer districts in 
 the city, which have increased during the same period from 
 $6,500 to $190,650. 
 
 In many places poor business policy on the part .of the 
 boards and lack of the stamina to make a sufficient levy have 
 thrown the schools behind financially. Warrants are issued, but 
 the treasury is empty. These warrants are registered, thus con- 
 stituting a second form of interest-bearing indebtedness. The 
 rate is 6 per cent, but the face is often " shaved" by the banks. 
 The discount then is almost always made up to the person receiv- 
 ing the warrant. It would have been far better to issue bonds at 
 5 per cent than to have many outstanding warrants bearing 6 
 per cent, plus discount. No warrants are now outstanding in 
 this district. For the last five years the schools have been operat- 
 ing most of the time on a cash basis. The average monthly bal- 
 ance to the credit of the district in the hands of the County 
 Treasurer for the year 1915 was $7,273.55. One can readily 
 figure the loss to the district due to the refusal of the banks to 
 pay any interest on this amount, but no other arrangement seems 
 possible. The County Treasurer is free of criticism. 
 
 The Tax Rate 
 
 The efforts of the community to support its schools may be 
 measured in different ways, but perhaps none is more fair than 
 the rate of tax levied and the amount of money raised. Taxes for 
 all purposes, however, are paid at one time. The taxpayer feels 
 the weight and sometimes protests, but he is not often careful to 
 learn what is responsible for his discomfort. Table No. 6 gives the 
 tax rates for local schools and for city, the assessed valuation 
 of city and school district (the latter includes the former), and 
 the amounts of revenue levied in this district for various pur- 
 poses for five years past. The change in valuation and rates 
 three years ago marks the passage of the state tax system to 
 assessment at full value. When valuation was increased over 
 three times, the rate naturally was decreased to less than a third. 
 Rates for county and state are not given, since they are not self- 
 imposed. 
 
(47) 
 
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(48) 
 
 The tax rate for schools has grown steadily but slowly, due 
 partly to the decrease in assessed valuation for the district. The 
 rate for the city has changed but little. 
 
 The Cause of Increase 
 
 The tax rate in mills does not cover one most important item, 
 viz., the tax for special improvement districts in the city. This 
 can appear only from an examination of the revenue levied, which 
 is reported by the County Treasurer to be nearly identical with the 
 amount raised. Under an apparent decrease of both population 
 and valuation, the people of this district will pay $53,929.28 more 
 tax in 1916 than in 1912. In the face of most distressing econom- 
 ic pressure, the community has lifted the taxes enormously. For 
 what?. The last column of Table No. 6 shows. Next after the 
 county administration, the schools have been least responsible for 
 this increase. The people have voted upon themselves over $36,- 
 000 annual increase for particular improvements within the city. 
 (See plate, page 49.) 
 
* 
 
 Showing the Relative Increase in Taxes for five different purposes from 
 
 1912 to 1916. . 
 
(50) 
 Comparative Tax Rates 
 
 To know what Grand Junction pays for its schools does not 
 enable one to decide whether those expenses are in all respects 
 reasonable. Comparisons with the practice of other properly 
 selected school systems over the state will warrant a judgment. 
 
 TABLE NO. 7. 
 
 Showing the Levy in Mills for Schools and for City Purposes 
 in Sixteen Cities. 
 
 For Local Schools. For City Purposes. 
 
 Mills Mills 
 
 Rocky Ford 5.85 Loveland 5.25 
 
 Leadville 6.30 Salida 5.30 
 
 Fort Collins 7.00 Greeley , 6.00 
 
 Longmont 7.20 Longmont 6.00 
 
 Colorado City 7.25 Durango 6.70 
 
 Fort Morgan 7.40 Boulder 7.50 
 
 Loveland 7.50 Fort Collins 7.50 
 
 Boulder 7.75 Fort Morgan 7.50 
 
 Delta 8.00 Grand Junction 8.00 
 
 Durango 8.50 La Junta 8.00 
 
 Salida 8.60 Delta 8.50 
 
 Grand Junction 8.61 Canon City 9.00 
 
 La Junta 8.80 Colorado City 10.00 
 
 3anon City 9.50 Trinidad 10.00 
 
 Greeley 9.60 Rocky Ford 10.50 
 
 Trinidad 10.30 Leadville 23.50 
 
 Table No. 7 shows the rate in sixteen Colorado cities for gen- 
 eral city purposes and for the schools of the district in which the 
 city is located. According to this table Grand Junction is pay- 
 ing a city rate that may be termed average, and a rate for schools 
 that is somewhat above the average. 
 
 Relation of School Taxes to Other Taxes 
 
 But if money be scarce or children plentiful, some cities must 
 on account of local conditions pay a higher rate of tax than others 
 to maintain equal standards in their educational systems. A good 
 second test is the relative effort put forth by the community for 
 its schools and for other interests. Some cities regard schools as 
 of more importance than pavements and sidewalks; others take 
 the opposite view. Table No. 8 is derived from Table No. 7 and 
 shows the ratio of the rate for schools to the rate for general pur- 
 poses. 
 
 TABLE NO. 8. 
 
 Showing the Ratio of Tax Rate for Schools to Tax Rate for 
 City Purposes. 
 
 Leadville 27 
 
 Rocky Ford 56 
 
 Colorado City 725 
 
 Fort Collins . 93 
 
 Delta 94 
 
 Fort Morgan 99 
 
 Trinidad 1.03 
 
 Boulder . ..1.03 
 
(51) 
 
 TABLE NO. 8 Continued. 
 
 Showing the Ratio of Tax Rate for Schools to Tax Rate for 
 City Purposes. 
 
 Canon City 1.06 
 
 Grand Junction 1.08 
 
 La Junta 1.10 
 
 Longmont . 1.20 
 
 Durango ...1.27 
 
 Loveland 1.43 
 
 Greeley 1.60 
 
 Salida 1.62 
 
 It must be remembered that Table No. 8 does not reckon the 
 taxes paid in Grand Junction and many other places for special 
 improvements. Were this item figured in, the ratio for Grand 
 Junction would be .61 instead of 1.08. Table No. 8 reveals Grand 
 Junction as standing slightly 'above the average in the stress it 
 places on schools. (See plate below.) 
 
 Rocky Ford 
 
 Leadville 
 
 Ft Collins 
 
 Longmonf 
 
 Colorado, City 
 
 Ft? Morgan 
 
 Loveland 
 
 Boulder 
 
 Delta 
 
 Dvrango 
 
 Salida 
 
 GRAND JUNCTION 
 
 La Junta 
 Canon City 
 Greeley 
 Trinidad 
 
 Mill l.eyy for school purposes 
 Mill levy farcify purposes 
 
 Showing the Rank of Grand Junction in amount of Tax Levied for Schools and 
 
 the Relative Amount of Tax levied for School and City 
 
 Purposes in Sixteen Cities. 
 
(52) 
 Where Does the Money Go? 
 
 Still it is conceivable that school population may be so large 
 in proportion to taxable property that the rate of tax may be fair- 
 ly high and increasing, that it may be large as measured by the 
 tax for non-educational purposes, and yet be insufficient to main- 
 tain satisfactory schools. Before one reaches any final conclu- 
 sion as to reasonableness or economy, the expenditures for schools- 
 must be studied. Table No. 9 shows the outlay for schools in this 
 district for the last ten years. 
 
 O "-O C O CO O 
 
 nf!!l 
 
 01 45 CO l>0 H*. O 
 
 $2 5 
 
 
 
 3 f 
 
 sisssssi | 
 
 r 
 
 I* 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 1? 
 
 ? w 
 
 SB 
 
 The considerable building operations of several years ago, 
 necessitated by the steadily increasing attendance, had much to 
 do with causing total expenditures to reach their highest point 
 in 1909-10. Since then the total cost (see last column of Table 
 No. 9) has slipped back about 20 per cent. The expense for sites, 
 buildings and other permanent improvements, has almost ceased ; 
 that for interest on bonds and some other small items is a fixed 
 
(53) 
 
 expense and can not be reduced, since it grows out of obligations 
 already assumed by the district. Payment of bonds, however, 
 can be deferred by reissuance. 
 
 The one item that can not be eliminated without closing the 
 schools or even considerably reduced without changing in a 
 marked way their organization and efficiency, is the cost of ope- 
 ration. Table No. 9 shows that the disbursements for salaries 
 have grown somewhat since 1909-10, but current expenses have 
 decreased an equal amount. Consequently, the total for opera- 
 tion has remained almost stationary since 1909-10, though be- 
 fore that time it increased very rapidly. 
 
 Why Has the Cost Grown? 
 
 The inquiry of the taxpayers is: What is the justification 
 for the increase in cost of operation from 1904-5 to 1914-15? 
 Does it mean waste, or does it stand for better educational con- 
 ditions? The data of Table No. 10 answer this question in part. 
 
 TABLE NO. 10 
 Showing the Relation of Attendance to Teaching Force and Cost of Operation 
 
 co> +2 o> <x> <u > J 
 
 1? <|f *<^ s 
 
 !, 
 
 * s 
 
 e bin ^ bOtl.S-S ~ o> & 3 3 * 5 cd 
 
 H rt -$ ^oiS^ PE- 
 
 |3> <|I 3-3J c. , |a 
 
 12 J EH O : a r 2 0- " 
 
 1904-05 ..1670 1239 36 46 34 $25.64 
 
 1909-10 2100 1608 59 36 27 41.88 
 
 1910-11 2107 1568 59 36 27 43.01 
 
 1911-12 2025 1575 59 34 27 43.28 
 
 1912-13 2123 1569 59 37 27 41.GO 
 
 1913-14 2019 1590 59 34 27 41.61 
 
 1914-15 1985 1585 60 33 26 42.15 
 
 The important conclusions to be drawn from this table are 
 that 
 
 (1) The cost per pupil increased about 60 per cent from 
 1905 to 1910, but has varied little since 1910. 
 
 (2) The enrollment and attendance increased; 25-30 per 
 cent from 1905 to 1910, but have stood practically at a 
 level since 1910. 
 
 (3) The teaching force grew from 36 to 59 from 1905 to 
 1910, but has not been further increased. 
 
 (4) The number of pupils per teacher was forced down 
 materially up to 1910. Since then it has scarcely 
 changed. Unquestionably a teacher can with 26 
 pupils do work much superior to what she can do with 
 34. 
 
 1. The data printed here have been taken from the office of the Board of Edu- 
 cation and from compilations furnished by the County Treasurer. The num- 
 ber of teachers for any year is of course the greatest number working at 
 any one time. The reader, will note that the number of teachers in 1904-5 
 was not 28, as a recent report indicated. Thirty-six names appear on the 
 annual report of the Secretary to the County Superintendent. 
 
(54) 
 
 In short, the net result of the ten years is a much larger cost 
 per pupil because of the increase in the number of teachers in 
 proportion to attendance, and also because of the increase of 
 salaries, as will appear subsequently. 
 
 Are the Schools Too Costly? 
 
 To determine the wisdom of returning to the conditions of 
 ten years ago, we must decide whether the cost per pupil in Grand 
 Junction is now unreasonably high, whether the number of teach- 
 ers is excessive, and whether their salaries are too high. The first 
 two questions are answered by Table No. 11. 
 
 TABLE NO. 11. 
 
 Showing the Average Cost per Pupil and the Average Attend- 
 ance per Teacher in Nineteen Schools. (1) 
 Cost of operation 
 
 per pupil in aver- Average attend- 
 
 age attendance in ance per teacher 
 
 1914-15 in 1914-15 
 
 Loveland $32.18 Salida 29.9 
 
 Salida 36.32 Loveland 28.2 
 
 Montrose 36.75 Longmont 27.5 
 
 Longmont 36.89 Rocky Ford 27.2 
 
 Delta 39.64 Greeley 26.8 
 
 Fort Collins 40.64 Fort Collins 26.7 
 
 Rocky Ford 41.26 Trinidad 26.5 
 
 Grand Junction 42.23 Grand Junction 26.4 
 
 Walsenburg 44.03 Boulder 26.0 
 
 Boulder 45.46 Montrose 25.9 
 
 Leadville 46.35 Leadville 25.3 
 
 Fort Morgan 46.48 Glenwood Springs 24.6 
 
 Trinidad 46.51 Delta 24.3 
 
 Greeley 47.15 Cripple Creek 23.8 
 
 La Junta 48.58 Fort Morgan 23.6 
 
 Glenwood Springs 48.67 La Junta 22.5 
 
 Colorado City 52.98 Walsenburg 22.5 
 
 Cripple Creek 57.09 Colorado City 21.7 
 
 Canon City 57.35 Canon City 19.7 
 
 According to this table, of 19 comparable towns eleven had 
 a greater cost per pupil in 1914-15 than Grand Junction, and 
 seven had a smaller cost. 
 
 Are Teachers Too Numerous? 
 
 Of these same 19 towns seven only had more crowded 
 schools than did Grand Junction. If the teaching force were re- 
 duced until the basis of 1904-5 (34 pupils per teacher), were re- 
 stored, this district would be in a class by itself. The true basis 
 of comparison in all these matters is contemporary conditions in 
 other similar schools, and not former conditions in Grand Junc- 
 tion. 
 
 I. Some towns given in this table have county high schools, but in all cases 
 the results are based on grades and high school taken together. 
 
(55) 
 The Salary Question 
 
 The proposal to reduce salaries has been made so insistently 
 that it demands more detailed examination. The salary question 
 has many sides. Some teachers may be paid too high, others too 
 low, whereas the average may be fair. In Table No. 12 is given 
 the standing of Grand Junction as to the salaries paid the Super- 
 intendent and the High School Principal. 
 
 TABLE NO. 12. 
 
 Showing the Salaries of Colorado Superintendents and High-School Principals, 
 
 1915-16. 
 
 Superintendent 
 
 No. of As- 
 Annual sistant 
 Salary Teachers 
 
 Rocky Ford $1700 37 
 
 Delta 1700 35 
 
 Colorado City 1700 28 
 
 Salida 1800 27 
 
 Glenwood Springs . 1800 17 
 
 Loveland 1900 47 
 
 Longmont 2000 45 
 
 Leadville 2000 44 
 
 Lamar 2000 26 
 
 Walsenburg 2100 23 
 
 Fort Morgan 2200 52 
 
 Canon City 2200 46 
 
 Montrose 2300 51 
 
 Fort Collins 2400 60 
 
 Boulder 2500 71 
 
 Durango 2500 30 
 
 La Junta 2600 48 
 
 Greeley 2700 67 
 
 Grand Junction 2750 58 
 
 Cripple Creek 3000 78 
 
 Trinidad 3000 71 
 
 High-School Principal 
 
 Annual Average 
 
 Salary Daily 
 
 Attendance 
 
 Montrose (Supt. acts.) 
 
 Loveland $1125 243 
 
 Glenwood Springs. 1125 103 
 
 Fort Morgan 1200 190 
 
 Salida 1200 161 
 
 Colorado City 1200 89 
 
 Lamar 1215 176 
 
 La Junta 1400 219 
 
 Delta 1400 199 
 
 Rocky Ford 1450 170 
 
 Durango 1485 224 
 
 Leadville 1500 141 
 
 Canon City 1575 194 
 
 Walsenburg 1625 71 
 
 Longmont 1700 265 
 
 Cripple Creek 1770 177 
 
 Greeley 1800 462 
 
 Fort Collins 1800 325 
 
 Trinidad 2000 400 
 
 Grand Junction .. 2100 294 
 
 Boulder . . 2500 567 
 
 If the work of the Superintendent be gauged by the number 
 of assistants he has, Grand Junction stands sixth in the list of 
 21. Gauging the work of the High-School Principal by the aver- 
 age daily attendance for October, 1915, (D Grand Junction stands 
 fifth in a list of 20. In salary paid to these two men, Grand 
 Junction stands third in the case of the Superintendent and 
 second in the case of the Principal. 
 
 Excluding the Superintendent, High-School Principal, and 
 special supervisors (unless the latter spend ten or more periods 
 per week in high school), the comparable Colorado systems are 
 arranged in Table No. 13 according to the average salaries paid 
 high-school teachers and grade teachers. 
 
 1. Number of assistants can not be taken because several divide time be- 
 tween the high school and the grades. 
 
(56) 
 
 TABLE NO. 13. 
 Showing the Average Annual Salaries of Teachers, 1915-16 
 
 In High In Elemen- 
 
 School tary Schools 
 
 Walsenburg $ 831.50 Fort Morgan (1).. $639.00 
 
 Loveland 832.00 Delta 647.00 
 
 Delta 845.00 Walsenburg 649.00 
 
 Glenwood Springs.. 847.00 Longmont 682.00 
 
 Lamar 855.00 Salida 686.00 
 
 Rocky Ford 899.00 Fort Collins 703.00 
 
 Montrose 917.00 Rocky Ford 704.00 
 
 La Junta 934.00 Canon City 732.00 
 
 Fort Morgan 958.00 Montrose 742.00 
 
 Salida 972.00 Glenwood Springs 745.00 
 
 Colorado City 987.00 Leadville 750.00 
 
 Leadville 989.00 Grand Junction ... 759.00 
 
 Grand Junction 994.00 Boulder 765.00 
 
 Canon City 1015.00 Cripple Creek 806.00 
 
 Longmont 1033.00 Trinidad 831.00 
 
 Durango 1042.00 Colorado City 870.00 
 
 Greeley 1078.00 
 
 Cripple Creek 1089.00 
 
 Fort Collins 1106.00 
 
 Trinidad 1109.00 
 
 Boulder 1145.00 
 
 In a group of 21, Grand Junction falls to ninth place in sal- 
 aries of its high-school teachers; in a group of 16, it is fifth in 
 salaries paid grade teachers. 
 
 Have Salaries Increased? 
 
 The suggestion has been made that Grand Junction has stead- 
 ily raised the salaries of its teachers, and that the teachers should 
 be willing to assist the community by agreeing to a temporary cut 
 in salary. But since no one has suggested the application of this 
 principle to any other class of workers than teachers, this propo- 
 3ition must be examined with some care. Have salaries of teach- 
 ers in Grand Junction really increased? Table No. 14 makes it 
 clear that they have absolutely. But salaries have increased abso- 
 lutely in all lines of employment, because the cost of living has 
 advanced. In fact the general rise in cost of living tends to be 
 reflected pretty closely by the general rise of wages. 
 
 TABLE NO. 14. 
 
 Showing the Average Salaries of Grand Junction Teachers (2) 
 Since 1904-5. 
 
 Year 1904-5 1910-11 1915-16 
 
 High School $630 $975 $994 ($898.50 for women) 
 
 Elementary Schools 625 700 759 - 
 
 To find whether teachers in Grand Junction are actually 
 better paid now than ten years ago, the Committee gathered 
 
 1. For 1914-15. 
 
 'I. Excluding Superintendent, High-School Principal, and special supervisors 
 with less than ten periods per week in high school. 
 
(57) 
 
 a body of information regarding remuneration in other fields. 
 The increases in Grand Junction for the past decade are as 
 follows : 
 
 City firemen, from $65 to $75 per month 15 percent 
 
 Bricklayers, from $5 to $6 per day 20 percent 
 
 Carpenters, from $3.75 to $4.50 per day 20 percent 
 
 Laborers in building trades, from $2.50 to $3 per day 20 percent 
 
 Grade teachers, from $625 to $759 per year 21 percent 
 
 Common laborers employed by the city (hours reduced from 
 
 ten to eight), from $2 to $2.50 per day 25 percent 
 
 Painters and Paperhangers, from $3 to $4 per day 33 1-3 percent 
 
 Clerks (estimate of a leading merchant) 33 1-3 per cent 
 
 High school teachers (women only), from $630 to $898.50 
 
 per year 41 percent 
 
 Printers, including foremen, compositors and pressmen, 
 have variously increased from $18 to $21-24 per week, amounting 
 to 16 2-3 33 1-3 per cent. Clerks and assistants in the county of- 
 fices have been raised from $78 to $82.50 per month, with book- 
 keepers running at $90, $110 and $115 per month; the increase 
 then would vary from 6 per cent to over 45 per cent. The increase 
 for women teachers only is figured in the high school, because 
 women only were working as assistants in 1904-5, whereas such 
 is not the case now. . Were the term of school reduced to 36 iveeks 
 and teachers' salaries reduced accordingly, the rates of increase 
 for the ten years in grades and high school would sink to 15 per 
 cent and 35 per cent respectively. 
 
 If we add to this mass of evidence certain other facts relating 
 to the cost of living, which is 20-25 per cent higher in Grand 
 Junction now than ten years ago, it is almost certain that salaries 
 of grade teachers have not increased since 1904-5, and that 
 salaries in high school have increased only 15-20 per cent. 
 
 Percentage Cost for Different Purposes 
 
 There remains only the problem of economy. Can existing 
 costs be reduced without impairing efficiency? The Committee 
 has given very careful attention to the several suggestions of citi- 
 zens and taxpayers, whether expressed by bodies or by individu- 
 als. The relative cost for different purposes has been calculated 
 for the schools of many cities of five to ten thousand, and the re- 
 sults have been published by the United States Bureau of Educa- 
 tion. The Grand Junction system has been tested by this cri- 
 terion. The per cent of the total operating expenses that goes 
 for different purposes is shown in Table No. 15 for Grand Junc- 
 tion together with the average for 48 other cities, one of which 
 was selected from each state. Figures for Grand Junction are 
 for 1914-15, except for special supervisors, where the approxi- 
 mate cost for 1915-16 is used. ' 
 
(58) 
 
 TABLE NO. 15. 
 
 Showing the Approximate Per Cent of Total Operating Ex- 
 penses for Six Different Purposes. 
 
 PURPOSE Grand 48 Other 
 
 Junction Cities 
 
 Administration 9.3 7.1 
 
 Wages of Janitors 7.42 6.37 
 
 Fuel 1.26 3.25 
 
 Libraries and Textbooks 3.34 2.41 
 
 Special Supervisors 7.55 3.92 
 
 Total Salaries (excluding superin- 
 tendent) 71.53 70.64 
 
 Reducing Cost of Administration 
 
 The Administration costs include salaries and expenses of 
 the Superintendent, his clerk, the Secretary of the Board, and the 
 truant officer; election expenses; the school census; operation 
 and maintenance of the offices; legal service and auditing; sta- 
 tionery and postage for general office. The preceding table 
 shows that administrative costs in this system are about $1400- 
 1500 more than the total cost of the system would lead one to 
 expect. The Committee is of the opinion that by a union of the 
 offices of Superintendent and Secretary the present work of two 
 clerical employees can be performed by one. The school census, 
 which has been taken by other parties at additional cost, can be 
 taken by the truant officer, who should be placed on a contract 
 of nine months instead of twelve. At the expiration of his pres- 
 ent contract and during the existing financial depression the 
 Superintendent might fairly be asked to pay his own expenses to 
 educational gatherings in consideration of the comparatively sat- 
 isfactory salary he receives. But should the Board deem it wise 
 to continue the present arrangement, the Committee suggests that 
 the allowance be made after the expense has been incurred and 
 upon the presentation of vouchers, rather than beforehand ac- 
 cording to a lump estimate prepared by the Superintendent. 
 
 Reducing the Cost of Janitor Service 
 
 The janitor service is performed by the employees of a chief 
 engineer, who takes the entire contract on a bid of approximate- 
 ly $5,100, including responsibility for maintenance of clocks. This 
 contract is granted without competition. The proper expense for 
 this service is lowered by such factors as the reduction in num- 
 ber of heating plants by grouping buildings; the presence of 
 lights in buildings to enable a janitor to do all his own work in- 
 stead of hiring helpers on short winter days ; the performance of 
 skilled labor by the janitors to dispense with or reduce bills for 
 carpenters, glaziers, etc. The Committee has considered these 
 matters in relation to the Grand Junction situation, and has can- 
 vassed the approximate cost of labor employed by the chief engi- 
 neer. Its conclusion, based also upon Table No. 15, is that the cost 
 for this item should be reduced about 15 per cent by a resort to 
 competitive bids if necessary. 
 
(59) 
 
 The economy in fuel is a striking feature, the cost being less 
 than half the normal. The condition, however, has not always been 
 so satisfactory. Fuel shows a very heavy decrease immediately 
 after a heavy expense for plumbing and heating. The efficiency 
 of different heating plants, or janitors, can be studied from the 
 variations in cost per room in the larger buildings. The advan- 
 tage of a central heating plant is 40-50 per cent, and goes a long 
 way to explain the low cost for fuel in the whole system. The re- 
 sult of high ceilings, of large and somewhat wasteful halls, is evi- 
 dent, too, in the differences between the three buildings which 
 have their own plants. 
 
 TABLE NO. 16 
 Showing the Expense for Plumbing and Heating, and Fuel 
 
 Cost for Fuel per Room 
 
 I flf ! | I 
 
 S . ^ fa j 
 
 1911-2 . ...$ 319.75 $1,246.35 
 
 1912-3 1,930.73 1,432.47 21.19 36.61 31.63 17.79 
 
 1913-4 109.26 983.81 16.19 22.82 24.32 11.97 
 
 1914-5 66.75 842.72 14.56 19.79 23.92 9.10 
 
 Reducing the Cost for Books 
 
 The book bill for 1914-15 was $2,238.65, whkh is $240 less 
 than in the preceding year. Stricter economy might easily have 
 been practiced in this particular. Other than reading books have 
 been duplicated in some of the grade rooms. For the collateral 
 reading in High School English two or three times the required 
 number of copies have been purchased in a number of cases. 
 
 Reducing the Expense for Special Supervisors 
 
 Table No. 15 also indicates too large an expense for special 
 supervisors. This excess may be partly apparent because of the 
 difficulty of separating special teachers from special supervisors. 
 The Committee is not disposed to pass upon the special subjects 
 in a wholesale manner, but to recommend reductions where little 
 or least harm will result. 
 
 The very active life of young children reduces their need of 
 directed physical training to the provision of suitable playground 
 equipment and supervision of the playground by the teachers. 
 The size of the children and the character of their clothing will 
 permit them to practice suitable exercises during school hours 
 under the direction of their regular teachers. A physical director 
 should be retained on half time for the girls of the grammar 
 grades and the High School. Space for dressing quarters and 
 class exercises can be found in the High School building, and the 
 contract with the Y. M. C. A. can be discontinued. The older 
 boys are less inclined to sedentary lives. Pnter-school and inter- 
 
(60) 
 
 class contests can be arranged and directed by the regular faculty. 
 Rarely do schools the size of Grand Junction pay for coaches out- 
 side the faculty. 
 
 A part-time supervisor of penmanship is not sufficient to 
 do this special work satisfactorily. The position should be dis- 
 continued until a full-time supervisor can be engaged. 
 
 Manual Training suited to grades below the sixth, and pos- 
 sibly the seventh, can be handled by the teachers of the respective 
 rooms. Unless the equipment can be installed to place the work 
 on a proper basis for the High School and upper grades, the de- 
 partment should be discontinued. In any case, it should be re- 
 moved from its present quarters, where its confusion hampers 
 other instruction. The room occupied by the Commercial Depart- 
 ment would be a good place for it. 
 
 Household Arts must occupy a large place in the practical 
 lives of a great majority of the girls. Music ought to be prom- 
 inent in the recreational lives of all. Neither of these subjects 
 can receive effective, much less unified treatment by regular 
 teachers. The Committee favors strongly the continuance of both 
 departments. 
 
 Reducing the Cost for Kindergartens 
 
 The public kindergarten is not necessarily a feature in cities 
 the size of Grand Junction. It has undoubted advantages, yet it is 
 patronized by only a small part of the eligible children. Distance 
 from the one building where it is operated prohibits the attend- 
 ance of many. It is a valuable adjunct to, but not an integral 
 part of the public-school system. Hence there is nothing incon- 
 sistent with asking those who desire kindergarten privileges to 
 pay for them as any other private facility is paid for. The Com- 
 mittee favors the abolition of the kindergarten until economic 
 conditions improve. 
 
 Reducing the Cost for Commercial Instruction 
 
 The function of a commercial department is much broader 
 than the mere development of typists, stenographers, and book- 
 keepers for the business world. In this department alone can we 
 familiarize the student with a great section of life, which touches 
 all normal people and which falls outside the conventional pale of 
 all other departments. 
 
 Question has been raised as to the cost of the commercial 
 instruction. Since it is a regular department of the High School, 
 its cost should be compared with that of other departments. Table 
 No. 17 presents (1) the total cost of each department of the High 
 School, (2) the average size of classes, (3) the periods per 
 week taught by each teacher, (4) the per cent constituted by each 
 department of the total number of periods, or "hours," spent by 
 all students under instruction, and (5) the cost in cents of one 
 "hour" of instruction for a student. 
 
(61) 
 
 TABLE NO. 17 
 Showing Relative Costs of High-School Departments. (1) 
 
 
 g 5 N CQ 
 
 I 
 
 English $2,660 19.5 25 23.7 4.6 
 
 Latin 1,634 17. 25 12.7 5.5 
 
 German 722 18. 25 5.9 5.2 
 
 History and Civics.. 2,304 (1634) 20. 25 14.4 6.8 (4.8) 
 
 Mathematics 1,716 23. 25 17.0 4.3 
 
 Science 2,613 (1911) 16.5 27 13.8 8.0 (5.7) 
 
 Household Arts.... 244 17.5 35 2.8 3.7 
 
 Commercial 1,423 (1164) 1. 30 9.6 6.3 (4.9) 
 
 The six numbers placed in parentheses show results by a 
 second method of figuring. The principal, assistant principal, 
 and supervisor of writing teach in the Science, History, and Com- 
 mercial departments respectively. If the actual salaries paid 
 these teachers be charged to the particular departments, the first 
 figure in each case is correct; but if their salaries be charged to 
 their respective departments at the regular high-school maxi- 
 mum of $950 per year, the amounts in parentheses are correct. 
 In either case the cost per instruction hour in commercial subjects 
 ranks above the average in spite of the larger number of hours 
 per week worked by the teacher. This comes from tne small 
 classes, the average being only 15. The Committee recommends 
 a contraction of the teaching force of this department to practic- 
 ally one teacher, and the removal of the department to the present 
 offices of the Superintendent. Several disadvantages now inhere 
 in isolating commercial students from the rest of the High School. 
 
 Reducing the Length of the School Term 
 
 The progress of education points undoubtedly toward the 
 lengthening of the school term. Many schools now continue forty 
 or more weeks per year. The tendency is toward an all-year 
 school. Grand Junction took a step in advance when the term of 
 school was increased from 36 to 38 weeks. It is therefore with 
 reluctance that the Committee advises a temporary reduction of 
 the term to 36 weeks. It is true that only about a dozen districts 
 
 1. No available published study of high-school costs gives the method of com- 
 putation. It was therefore necessary to adopt a basis of our own, which is 
 as follows: 
 a. To each department is charged such part of each teacher's salary as is 
 
 proportionate to the amount of time he spends in that department. 
 b;. The cost of a teacher is based on instruction only, no allowance being 
 made for duty in the study hall or out of school. 
 
 c. The size of class is the average of the total enrollment for the semester 
 and the number remaining to the close of the semester. 
 
 d. The size of the class is multiplied by the number of periods per week 
 spent under the teacher, and their product is multiplied by 38, the num- 
 ber of weeks in the year, to secure the total number of "instruction hours." 
 The basis then becomes the time spent by the student under the teacher, 
 and has no definite relation to the credit carried by the course. 
 
(62) 
 
 in the state now have over 36 weeks; but the reluctance of the 
 Committee comes principally from the fact that this will mean 
 a reduction in salaries of the rank and file of teachers. 
 
 Tuition Students 
 
 Minor sources of possible leakage have been examined. Dis- 
 tricts supporting high schools are liable to imposition by neigh- 
 bors without high schools. It is possible that in Grand Junction 
 some pupils, liable for tuition, have escaped paying it. A study of 
 the relative proportion of new students in High School and in 
 grades convinces the Committee that there are hardly a half 
 dozen attending the Grand Junction High School without tuition, 
 whose parents are without a legal residence in the district. This 
 makes no allowance for that handful of ambitious young men and 
 women who are self-supporting and may claim residence for 
 themselves. Tuition in the High School is $45 per year, which is 
 slightly less than the cost of instruction; in the grades it is $30 
 per year, which is somewhat more than the cost of instruction. 
 This is as it should be. 
 
 The Telephone Exchange 
 
 In 1912 a telephone exchange was installed in the school sys- 
 tem on a five-year contract, but without initial cost. With ten tele- 
 phones in the system and a certain amount of long-distance calls, 
 the telephone bill for 1914-15 was approximately $317. This is 
 over $100 less than the cost would have been without the 
 exchange. The saving of time to the Superintendent and princi- 
 pals may be considered at least to offset the trouble to the 
 office of acting as its own "central." 
 
 Leave of Absence to Teachers 
 
 The rule for granting leave to teachers allows not to exceed 
 four weeks per year on sick leave at half pay, and four days at full 
 pay on account of death in one's immediate family. There is no 
 evidence that advantage has been taken of the latter; in 1914-15 
 four teachers lost in all 12 1-2 days under this clause. During 
 the same year a total of 14 teachers received 23 days pay for 46 
 days missed on account of sickness. The half-pay rule is not 
 common, but it is very efficient. 
 
 The various recommendations of the Committee may be sum- 
 marized as providing for the following reductions in annual ex- 
 pense : 
 
 Administration _s. < $1,300 
 
 Janitor Service 750 
 
 Special Supervisors 2,750 
 
 Kindergarten 1,500 
 
 Commercial Department 500 
 
 Reduction of School Term 2,750 
 
 Substitution of Special Teacher of Ungraded Room for 
 
 Batavian System 400 
 
 TOTAL $9,950 
 
 The Committee wishes in conclusion to reiterate that several 
 of these reductions are advisable only pending the return of more 
 prosperous times to the people of Grand Junction. 
 
(63) 
 
 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
 1. The present Batavian system to be abolished and to be 
 replaced by an ungraded room in charge of an especially 
 strong teacher. Pupils who do not "fit" in any particular 
 grade when entering the schools of Grand Junction, those 
 who after receiving special help from the regular class-room 
 teacher cannot do the work of the grade in which they are x 
 placed, and those pupils who may find it possible to do the 
 work of two grades in less than two years to be placed in this 
 room until ready to take-up the work with some regular 
 grade. 
 
 2. Entrance examinations by the superintendent in the case of 
 Elementary School pupils to be abolished in case the pupil 
 comes from a school of good standing with proper credentials. 
 Such pupils to be assigned to their proper grades and to be 
 given a fair trial before being demoted. 
 
 3. The Principal of the High School to be relieved of some teach- 
 ing duties and to be given immediate supervision of the High 
 School, subject, of course, to the general supervision of the 
 Superintendent. 
 
 4. The Superintendent to give more time to supervision, especi- 
 ally in the Elementary grades. 
 
 5. An Intermediate School consisting of the Seventh, Eighth 
 and Ninth Grades to be organized and located in the Frank- 
 lin Building with the overflow, if any, placed in either the N 
 Lowell or Whittier building. The program of studies in this 
 school to be in part optional; the instruction to be depart- 
 mental ; and the school to receive very careful supervision. 
 
 6. The present Kindergarten system to be abolished until eco- * 
 nomic conditions are better. 
 
 7. The present school term to be reduced to nine months and cor- 
 responding reductions to be made in annual salaries where 
 present contract does not hold over. 
 
 8. The Superintendent's office to be moved to the Whittier 
 Building and the duties of the Secretary to the Superintend- 
 ent and of the Secretary of the Board to be performed by one 
 Secretary. 
 
 9. The school census to be taken by the Secretary or by the tru- 
 ant officer. 
 
 10. The truant officer to be employed only during the school 
 year. 
 
 11. The present system of janitorial work to be changed. If this 
 work is to be done by contract, competitive bids to be secured 
 although the Board should not obligate itself to accept the 
 lowest. 
 
(64) 
 
 department to be installed in the High 
 School building in the present offices of the Superintendent. 
 
 13. The work of the Commercial Department to be given by one 
 teacher. 
 
 14. The present position of Supervisor of Penmanship to be abol- 
 ished until economic conditions become better. 
 
 15. The present position of Manual Training Supervisor to be 
 abolished until economic conditions become better. When 
 this department is re-established more and better equipment 
 to be provided and the work limited to pupils in the Inter- 
 mediate and the High Schools. The work now done by this 
 Supervisor below the Seventh Grade to be done so far as pos- 
 sible by regular class-room teachers. 
 
 16. The present position of Supervisor of Physical Training to 
 be changed so that the work of the Instructor is limited to the 
 girls of the Seventh and Eighth Grades and the High School. 
 This to be a part-time position. 
 
 17. No Athletic Coach, outside of the school faculty, to be em- 
 ployed. 
 
 18. The present contract with the Y. M. C. A. to be discontinued 
 after this year. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Page. 
 
 Batavian system 12 
 
 Census, enrollment and buildings 9 
 
 Control 
 
 Application of general principles to schools of Grand Junction 18 
 
 Lay 16 
 
 Professional 17 
 
 Relation of lay and professional 17 
 
 Cost of schools 
 
 Comparison with other systems 54 
 
 Division among six different items 58 
 
 Reduction of ,. 58 
 
 Relative cost of High School departments 61 
 
 Course of study 
 
 Elementary school 35 
 
 High school 41 
 
 Discipline 42 
 
 Divisions of the school 9 
 
 Financial support (Chapter III.) 45 
 
 Grade repetition 12 
 
 Grading and examinations... 14 
 
 Indebtedness , 45 
 
 Instruction (Chapter II.) 22 
 
 Intermediate school 14 
 
 Late entrance 35 
 
 Organization and control (Chapter I.) 9 
 
 Recommendations, Summary of 63 
 
 Retardation and acceleration 10 
 
 Sanitation 
 
 Conditions described 15 
 
 Recommendations ., 15 
 
 Sources of revenue 45 
 
 Study periods 42 
 
 Supervision 
 
 Description of system 19 
 
 Recommendations , 20 
 
 Taxation 
 
 Increase since 1912 47 
 
 For various purposes 47 
 
 Comparison with other cities 50 
 
 Teachers 
 
 Leave of absence 62 
 
 Preparation and training 43 
 
 Salaries 55 
 
 Telephone exchange 62 
 
 Tests 
 
 Arithmetic 30 
 
 Penmanship 25 
 
 Reading 26 
 
 Spelling , 22 
 
 Time allotment 36 
 
 Tuition students 62 
 
 Ungraded room 13 
 

YC 55926 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA LIBRARY