OUR LAST COUNTY INSTITUTE

Was held at Ontario, a year ago, with a good attendance, and more than ordinary interest and profit to the teachers; who declared it the best ever held in the county! Professor L. R. Traver was principal instructor, assisted by State Superintendent Ackerman, President French of Weston, Miss Cornelia Marvin (the successful secretary of the Oregon Library Commission), and Miss Anna E. Knox, who gave our teachers valuable aid in the teaching of art in our public schools. Superintendent Ackerman's address (like all his addresses) was full of thought, and evoked the enthusiasm of the large audience.

A LOCAL INSTITUTE,

The first ever held in the county, was tried as an experiment, at Ontario on March 21, 1908, with Superintendent Churchill of Baker City as instructor. It was a great success, which our teachers wish duplicated sometime during the year.

OUR NEXT COUNTY INSTITUTE

Is planned to be held in conjunction with Baker and Union counties, in next month, during Thanksgiving week, at Baker City. This is a new idea in institute work, to which our teachers are strongly attracted. They are planning to attend for the full term of the institute; where among other friends they trust to meet the author of our splendid new Course of Study! B. L. MILLIGAN.

MULTNOMAH COUNTY.

R. F. ROBINSON, PORTLAND, SUPERINTENDENT.

I submit herewith my special report and recommendations on some of the questions that have presented themselves for solution.

SCHOOL REVENUE.

How to provide sufficient revenue to guarantee a good school for every child in Oregon is the chief educational problem now before the people of the State. Only a small percentage of the rural school districts have more school than can be secured by use of the county and State school funds. If the funds are short the school is made correspondingly short or a cheap teacher is employed. In either case the child is the loser. Cities and most villages, by supplementing the income from county and State funds by a special district tax, are able to conduct school for nine or ten months each year. But local taxation does not meet the requirements of rural schools for two reasons; first, with a few exceptions, such districts will not vote a special tax for maintenance; second, the per capita taxable valuation of the respective districts is so unequal that some districts would be required to raise an excessive tax in order to provide any considerable fund.

To remedy these conditions we must provide a sufficient common school fund to meet the needs of the schools and then distribute it so as to properly care for the rural school, or we must substitute for the small district a larger unit for taxable purposes. Other States in the Union are wrestling with the same problem. The rural school will become fully efficient no where until some plan is devised whereby the State will guarantee to every child an opportunity for an education even though he may live in remote and sparsely settled sections.

HIGH SCHOOLS.

The county unit plan of support for high school is, in my opinion, the best that has yet been tried. When this plan is fully understood by the people they will support it by their votes, because a very large majority of our people favor good high school facilities near home. These facilities the county unit system will ultimately secure. It divides the responsibility between the county and the local district in that the one furnishes the funds for maintenance while the other furnishes the building.

COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS' CONVENTIONS.

Business and professional specialization requires frequent conferences, if the best results are to be secured. County superintendents come into close contact with the actual school difficulties in the respective counties. If being closely in touch with real conditions qualifies one to suggest remedial plans, annual conventions of county superintendents should result in originating helpful measures for the advancement of our schools.

THE STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

The State Teachers' Association has recently taken a forward step by doing specific work between annual sessions through the work of special committees. In this the State Association is following the lead of the National Educational Association. It is also in accord with the most approved plans for progress in any line.

Suggestions for changing the educational policy of our State should originate, in part at least, with those whose business it is to educate the children. But these changes cannot be given sufficient consideration during the short annual session of the State Association. Hence the special committee work marks an advance step in the effectiveness of the association work. The committees, having time to gather data an deduce conclusions which the facts seem to justify, are in a position to safely recommend to the association membership the best means for accomplishing a desired end.

GENERAL OUTLOOK.

The general outlook has never been so bright in Oregon as it now is. Educational questions are receiving more careful consideration than heretofore. The press is devoting much space to a consideration of matters educational. Local societies are giving special attention to questions pertaining to better school facilities. In fact, every uplift effort seems to be turning toward the furnishing of better conditions for the youth of our county and State. Special facilities are rapidly being provided for industrial training.

R. F. ROBINSON.

POLK COUNTY.

H. C. SEYMOUR, DALLAS, SUPERINTENDENT.

In reply to your request for a special report on the school conditions of Polk County, I will try and report the conditions as I have been able to observe them during the few months I have been in the office.

GENERAL OUTLOOK.

The general outlook in the county I believe to be much better than ever before. Under the guidance of Superintendent C. L. Starr the

educational conditions have been forging ahead rapidly and I find the general interest in the schools among the people of the county to be very good, a great majority being willing to do nearly anything that they are asked to do for the benefit of the schools.

All seem to feel that the only way to make Polk County schools among the best is for all to work together for the general welfare of the children, and I am proud to say that all, or nearly all, are working with one end in view-the betterment of the schools for the advancement of the boys and girls.

COURSE OF STUDY.

During the past year I found practically all teachers following or trying to follow the State Course of Study, and even the parents and children are studying it, and hence forming a much better idea of what the course of study really is and what the schools are doing.

I have had a great number of calls from teachers this summe, asking for the new course of study, which leads me to believe that the greater number of our teachers are planning for their winter's work and are trying to follow the course of study.

COUNTY INSTITUTES.

We held our annual institute for last year jointly with Marion and Linn counties in conjunction with the State meeting at Salem. By doing this we were able to have the very best instructors that could be secured, and all report a very enjoyable and instructive institute.

LOCAL INSTITUTES.

We held nine local institutes for teachers, parents, and school officers in as many different parts of the county, also two local institutes for teachers, one at Independence and one at Dallas.

The county is divided into different sections and a meeting held in each section. These meetings are producing a great amount of good, as questions of interest in the different sections are taken up at these meetings and the parents, school officers, and teachers discuss these questions, together with two or three subjects that are used over the county, in all meetings, and all nine meetings were well attended and appearances would cause one to believe that much which is for the betterment of the schools was derived from these gatherings. I am greatly indebted to L. R. Traver, of Monmouth, for his assistance in several of these meetings, as he attended whenever he was able, and aided greatly in their success.

EIGHTH GRADE EXAMINATIONS.

The eighth grade examinations I find to be of great value to the children, as they act as an incentive to some boys and girls to continue in school until they have finished the eighth grade and have received the diploma from the State, and by that time they have formed a desire for a higher education and will take up the high school work. Also a great interest is taken by the parents in the eighth grade examinations and in the commencement exercises, and the interest of the parents is what we are very anxious to secure.

SCHOOL BOARD CONVENTIONS.

We held our annual school board convention on November 30th, and held a local teachers' institute the day before, November 29th. We asked that the boards allow their teachers the time to attend the local teachers' institute and invited them to attend the school officers' con

vention on the following day, which a great number did, thus bringing many teachers and directors together, which was of much value to both teachers and directors. Much interest was shown at this convention, as nearly every district in the county was represented and the entire board attending from several districts. One director walked twenty-seven miles through mud and rain in order to attend.

TEACHERS' SALARIES.

The condition of teachers' salaries is improving in this county. Nearly every board has raised the salary of their teachers and are then asking that the teachers be of the best.

We have only a few boards that still insist that the teacher does not have anything to do and that $35 or $40 per month is enough pay for her, and I feel safe in saying that within a few years the salaries of all schools in Polk County will be among the best in the State.

TEACHERS' REPORTS.

The greater number of my teachers have been very prompt about sending in their reports, and I am well pleased with the system of reports, as I am able to keep in much closer touch with the teacher than I would be without the report.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION LAW.

The compulsory education law has been a success in this county and only a few parents have had to be notified by the truant officer to send their children to school.

At first a great many parents did not understand the law, but our county court allowed us to have published a folder giving the compulsory educational law in full. One of these was sent to every parent in the county, and after that we did not have much trouble, as nearly every parent was willing to follow the law as soon as they understood it.

I am of the opinion that one truant officer for the county would be much more satisfactory than one for each district.

SCHOOL REVENUES.

The school revenue is not sufficient. We should have more money, and I would like to see some of the State revenues, such as the corporation tax, turned into the State school fund.

DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL REVENUES.

If the school revenues were distributed according to the number of teachers employed in a district, or in accordance with the per cent of the attendance, the result, I think, would be much greater than by the present system.

SCHOOL HOUSES.

Polk County is waking up to the fact that the school house is one of the best advertisements in which to invest money, and that the school house should be as attractive in every way as the home. As the result of this feeling we have, during the past year, built three modern buildings and have under construction at the present time nine up-todate houses, while more will be built next year.

SUPERINTENDENT'S WORK.

I do not need to report that the work of the superintendent's office is more than one person can do and do it as it should be done, because

you, and every school man in the State, are already only too well aware of this condition.

The office work alone will require the time of one person at least four days of each week, and this leaves only two days for supervision, which cannot be very extensive on account of the distance one has to travel to visit a great many of the schools.

If our county court would allow a small sum for clerk hire, so that the office work might be done by the clerk, thus allowing more time for the superintendent to be in the different schools of the county, I am sure that it would be money well spent.

SUPPLY OF TEACHERS.

We have a sufficient supply of teachers this year and the greater number of teachers are teachers of some training, which we are glad to note. Where teachers gave good satisfaction last year the boards have, or tried to have, the same teachers remain for next year.

We find the tendency among the teachers to leave the rural schools and enter the town or city schools to be universal, as nearly every teacher who would write or call for a position would ask for a position in one of the town or city schools.

QUALIFICATIONS OF TEACHERS.

The qualifications of the teachers of the county are very good, and the majority of the better class are improving continually by attending summer schools or else carrying a course of home study.

We have very few teachers that are standing still, and they will soon be out of the profession, as boards, as well as teachers, realize that the teacher, to make a success, must advance.

HIGH SCHOOLS.

We have several schools doing some high school work, some doing first, second, and third year's work, but have none doing the four years' work, although the conditions are such that we will this year have two or three schools doing the full four years' work.

NEEDED LEGISLATION.

We are of the opinion that some legislation should be done in regard to the raising and to the distribution of the school funds; that a truant officer should be appointed for the county; that the county treasurer be appointed custodian of the school funds, and the position of the school clerk done away with and some member of the board act as secretary of the board.

SELECTION OF TEACHERS.

We find that the most of the boards are very careful about the selection of their teachers and are trying to obtain only the best. Nearly all are hiring on the qualifications of the teacher, and not on the "pull" that he or she may have.

COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS' CONVENTIONS.

The county superintendents' conventions are of the greatest importance to all superintendents, as it allows us to come in contact with each other to exchange ideas, and by talking over our work we younger superintendents can receive much help.

The plan of the State Superintendent in calling the convention to meet at his office is a most excellent one, as it brings us in closer touch