The Debate Regarding Saskatchewan Consolidated Schools

The Debate Regarding Saskatchewan Consolidated Schools

Wherever there were ten school aged children within a 36 square mile area, early Saskatchewan pioneers and homesteaders could apply for a One Room Schoolhouse District. The little white schoolhouse soon began dotting the prairie landscape, and along with it came a host of attendant responsibilities. Communities elected school trustees to apply to the provincial government and the rural municipality for funding towards schoolhouse, teacherage and barn construction costs, teacher, secretary salary. A teacher was required along with support structure of water, books, maps, desks, stove and heating fuel.

Rural farmers or homesteaders were faced with the challenge of proving up their homestead which necessitate that the new settler must build a residence, live on the land for three years, make improvements and break a minimum of fifteen acres. Times were hard, money was scarce, community residents could pay taxes or supply a couple days per quarter section labour constructing much needed roads, bridges, and fireguards in lieu of paying taxes. However, it was the taxes which kept the one room schoolhouse operational and paid the school teacher's salary.

The prairie school system began in 1884 with four established school districts Moose Jaw #1, Qu’Appelle #2, Prince Albert #3, and Regina #4. By 1913 in the province of Saskatchewan alone, there were 3,214 school districts, 15 Roman Catholic Separate Schools and two Protestant Separate School Districts.

Dr. Harold W. Foght, reported in A Survey of Education 1918 that Saskatchewan had 3,608 school districts operating in 1916 under 4,279 teachers, with another 406 school districts which had been organised. "By the early 1930s, Saskatchewan possessed 4,371 rural schools...These schools were administered by 4,371 autonomous school boards, composed of 13,113 duly elected trustees, 4,371 paid secretaries, and a retinue of odd jobs people, who kept the school clean, hauled and cut wood for the classroom's pot bellied stove, and supplied water to schools which were without their own wells ~ that is, where these chores were not part of the teacher's duties," reported Robert Tyre ^{page 3} in Tales out of School ~ The Little Red Schoolhouse.

To maintain a one room schoolhouse in 1915 ratepayers were apportioned taxes based upon the number of students attending school which covered half the teacher's salary. The remaining portion of the salary was collected from taxes based on a fixed rate per quarter section of land in the school district area. On average a resident may pay between $17.00 to $23.00.

Teachers during this era may receive $20 ro $30 per teaching month along with housing and the lower salary supplemented with farm goods. Teacher's were expected to work out or farm when school was not in operation.

"There are too many School Districts with summer schools only, a scarcity of duly qualified teachers to man the existing districts and the new ones daily created, ...four-fifths of Saskatchewan's school children are denied the advantages of an education which town and city people can and do enjoy," reported Arthur A. Frye on interviewing a rural school teacher. The system of non-education set in place in 1915 was considered more expensive than Consolidated Schools with qualified teachers.

Even though legislation was passed in Saskatchewan as early as 1920 had passed legislation in favour of consolidated schools, but as Sir Frederick Haultain, chief justice of Saskatchewan and chancellor of the Saskatchewan University, pointed out that Saskatchewan's small population did not support such provision.

Mr. Morris secretary-treasurer of the Ontario School Trustees' Association felt that consolidated schools in Ontario, of which there were 16 in 1922 would be more successful in that province. Saskatchewan being more sparsely populated would face higher operation costs.

Premier W.M. Martin, Saskatchewan's minister of education in 1921 spoke of the costs to maintain both the consolidated schools and the transportation costs. "The law calls for the province to provide one-third of the cost of conveying the children to school in the consolidated districts. If all the districts in the province were to consolidate, I do not know where we would get the money to pay the costs. Earlier, Martin mentioned that Saskatchewan had about 4,500 schools in the province. The rate of taxation is at $40 to $75 a section to maintain a consolidated school.

It was in 1939, that Mr. Justice W.M. Martin leading a commission on Education advised that a fair and equitable salary for teachers. Schools were managed jointly by the provincial government authority and locally by the school district, and during this time the government was finding it difficult to collect taxes to pay for the schools, and the school district, as well was hard pressed to raise funds. A new system for collection of school taxes wax implemented in 1939 which helped to impose a minimum wage of $700 for teachers. Rural districts reviewed their taxation rate to raise the operational costs of $950 for a one room schoolhouse.

Problems arose in 1946 trying to transport children to consolidated schools over roads which could not be cleared of snow due to a lack of equipment.

Rural municipality borders should be set before those of the consolidated school units to ensure more uniform tax rates collected by RMs advised J.M. Wheatley of Chancellor, AB president of the Alberta Union of Municipal Districts addressing the 1946 Rural Municipalities Association delegation.

The provincial government underwent a crisis in logistical coordination of local government services stated J.H. Brockelbank, Resources Minister in 1956.
Larger school units meet with on average ten RMs up to as many as 17 to coordinate planning of road systems. The RM may itself be divided by larger school units, and collect taxes for two, three or four school units along with any rural consolidated schools not within the larger school unit and any remaining one room school districts. This means that the rural municipality council must collaborate with up to four larger school unit boards to collect taxes and plan the needed road programs. Province wide in 1956 there were 300 school districts, 29 consolidated school districts, and 56 larger school units coordinating with 296 rural municipalities, 370 towns, 98 villages, and eight cities.

Historically, in 1916 each rural municipality had dealt with on average about fifteen one room schoolhouse districts.

The evolution from the one room schoolhouse to consolidated schools was made possible by

1. Improvements in transportation as society shifted from horse and cart upon Red River Cart trails to automotive transport on asphalt roads and highways.
2. A shift from rural areas to urban regional centres during the "Dirty Thirties".
3. Emergence of the larger farm and improved wheat yields due to new machinery fueling the growth of urban service centres.
4. A need to downsize the number of school organizational units to reduce financial costs and to eliminate duplication of administration services which could be amalgamated.<
5. Declining enrolment in rural one room schoolhouses resulted in school closures as early as July 26, 1944. Any schools which had less than 15 students enrolled were closed in an effort to relieve the shortage of teachers according to The Calgary Herald.
6. A restructuring of the taxation system.

Jointly these were the main factors which enabled the shift from thousands of rural one room school houses to the "modern" consolidated school unit and transportation system.

"Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another."~G. K. Chesterson

Further Reading

• 
  The Drastic Shortage of Teachers in Saskatchewan's History and A small sampling of Teacher wanted ads.
• Schools Close: Lack of Teachers in Saskatchewan's History
• Saskatchewan Normal School ~ the heritage of teacher training institutes.
• Saskatchewan School Inspection of One Room Schoolhouses.
• The Era of Saskatchewan One Room School Houses
  The little white one room school house, what is remembered about it?
  
• Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses.
• Sask Gen Web E-Magazine.

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Schools Close: Lack of Teachers in Saskatchewan's History

Schools Close: Lack of Teachers in Saskatchewan's History

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How are pupils supposed to learn? School trustees, inspectors and the Department of Education addressed the lack of teachers in Saskatchewan's One Room School houses.



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Parents, students and school districts across the province of Saskatchewan dealt with a serious shortage of teachers through the first half of the twentieth century.




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in the early 1930s there were 4,371 rural schools operated under 4,371 school districts, and this number multiplied to 5,151 by the end of 1937. 1941 counted 8,628 teachers, of which 76% had been been paid less than $700 per annum.



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The dearth of teachers arose from several factors. In the early settlement era there were no trained teachers out west. “Studies show that teacher expertise is the most important factor in student achievement” (1996, p. 6) according to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.



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After Normal schools were established, teachers may opt for more profitable career paths in the private sector. Service in the armed forces deprived the country school of teachers who enlisted. The drought and depression years saw a mass exodus from the farm and rural areas to the cities in hopes of employment.



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"Who can blame the teachers for quitting and forsaking their profession? The low salaries, which had to be collected in main directly from the farmers who were themselves in serious financial straits, were certainly not conducive to enthusiasm among the teaching profession -- even if they were paid, which quite often they were not," stated Mr. Townley - Smith, President of the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association, in the February 19, 1942 edition of The Leader Post



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School districts through the early 1900s posted want ads proliferously seeking teachers for the one room schoolhouses. School trustees were advised that "School boards advertising for teachers will invariably obtain more satisfactory returns if the amount of salary is stated in the advertisement. In the case of school districts not located at a railway station, it is advisable to state distance of school from station and from boarding house." The Morning Leader Feb 14, 1917



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As of 1944, schools with an enrolment of less than 15 students closed, and accordingly, 2,750 schools closed between 1951-1971. "One has to only look at the 'teachers wanted' columns of the newspapers', to see the serious teacher shortage said G.D. Eamer, general secretary of the Saskatchewan Teacher's Federation in the August 30 edition of the 1963 Saskatoon Star Phoenix.



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As a consequence of school closures, parents and students of closed school districts faced long distance and transportation expense to new schools. The shortage of teachers and school closures hit the remote areas the hardest.



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Teaching attracted men and women to the profession as a transitional step ^{page 151}. Men may start out in teaching as a stepping stone in their career. Women viewed the teaching career as a journey of independence, community status and an opportunity for marriage or adventure.




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"Nevertheless, most teachers found that the rewards of teaching outweighed the troubles."...teachers remember ^{page 156} "the beam on her students' faces when they first learned to read, ' when it finally click[ed] and they [got] it."




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"In spite of these difficulties the majority of immigrants planned to provide their children with an education, hoping that their decision would give the youngsters a better chance in life than they had themselves. Eventually a school district would be formed and a building of some sort erected. It mattered little whether it was of log, stone, sod, mud or boards so long as it could be called a school. Yet with all its shortcomings and lack of qualified teachers it was able to educate." introduced John C. Charyk ^{page 1}, in The Little White Schoolhouse.




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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 - 1870)

Further Reading

• 
  The Drastic Shortage of Teachers in Saskatchewan's History and A small sampling of Teacher wanted ads.
  
• Saskatchewan Normal School ~ the heritage of teacher training institutes.
  
• Saskatchewan School Inspection of One Room Schoolhouses.
  
• The Era of Saskatchewan One Room School Houses
  The little white one room school house, what is remembered about it?
  
• Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses.
  
• Sask Gen Web E-Magazine.

______________________________________________________________________________

Follow me on Flickr, Word Press, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Tumblr, Live Journal, and Flickriver

______________________________________________________________________________





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Saskatchewan School Inspection of the One Room Schoolhouse

Saskatchewan School Inspection of the One Room Schoolhouse

The school inspector provided direction for inexperienced school board trustees and one room school house teachers. Such supervision was needed in the early twentieth century when teachers had very limited professional training. Teachers were expected to become community leaders." The school inspector "had expert preparation in community leadership and school organisation and professional supervision in the ordinary school subjects....to give him [teachers] sound advice when community troubles arise; and to help get results in the classroom."

A new teacher was appointed over a multigrade one room schoolhouse by the elected board of trustees These teachers, in turn were subject to inspection and supervision by the School Inspector to the various districts. The school inspector would have an area between 1,548 square miles (4,009 square kilometers) at the smallest to the largest which encompasses 6,372 square miles (16,503 square kilometers) or 3,295 square miles (8,534 square kilometers) on average.

Inspectors traversed on average 4,050 miles (6,518 kilometers) in one year. The inspector would travel roads many times not much more than prairie cart trails, or upon survey roads which were graded and built "on the square". The early Model A and Model T Fords had neither heaters, "windshield wipers, not speedometers, but one did not worry about exceeding speed limits; one was just thankful the vehicle kept crawling along." It wasn't until the 1930s when the V-8 model emerged. The early roads were often impassable, and the inspector relied upon farmers and their teams of oxen to "pull him out of the mud holes.

The inspectors mainly used automobiles to complete the circuit between their one room schoolhouses. School inspectors may have rent their transportation from the livery barn and then rode up to the school astride their horse. It has been recorded that horse and rider may travel as much as 7,000 miles (11,265 kilometers) in one year. The inspector on their long sojourns met with bad road conditions, weeks away from home, sporadic meals, and sleeping quarters often shared with bedbugs. Inspectors endured harsh conditions, especially in the newer developing portions of the province. Carrying along their own camping outfits, bed, and cooking utensils they would embark on their visits to each school in their inspectorate.

A school inspector may well indeed travel through about five municipalities in the smallest of inspectorate areas. Inspectorate region 24 south east and south west of Saskatoon in 1916 served the highest number, 90 municipalities. A school district could form when an area smaller than 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) had a minimum of ten school aged children and four persons who could be assessed for school purposes. No student should "walk or ride their horse more than three to four miles" to school.


The school inspector upon his visit once or twice a year would not only check to see how the pupils were progressing in their studies, and their conduct but also to offer a guiding hand to the teacher to improve their teaching ability. The teacher may be instructed in new modern teaching methods, such as teaching readiny..by word recognition by sight, not the old fashioned phonetic way." During the time spent at a one room schoolhouse, the inspector, arriving suddenly may give an impromptu lesson such as reading the poem by the Middle Ages poet "Caedmon" and requesting students to write the poem in their own words. Mr. Francis, a school inspector assured the Cairnsview students and teacher that they were the best singers in his whole inspectorate! His inspector visits always ended in a fun-filled sing song.

In 1886, when it came time to conduct the student examinations, the pupils were apt in answering questions put forward by the inspector, the Reverends and the teacher, The students showed excellent knowledge of the maps and globe provided to the school a short time ago. Valuable prizes were handed out to the young scholars, and the school received a grand edition of Tennyson's poems for general proficiency.

"When the school inspector walked in, the class pulled itself together and determined not to make any mistake this time.
All went well until the Inspector picked on Jimmie.
"Now, my lad," he said, "what's the plural of mouse?"
"MIce," said Jimmie.
"Right, " said the inspector, "and now, what is the plural of baby?"
"Twins," said Jimmie, and that did it. --reports London Answers in a Chance to Smile This sums up the atmosphere nervous, maybe "Scared", of a school teacher and class in a one room school house receiving her inaugural first year School Inspector's Report.

In the November 8, 1915 edition of The Morning Leader School Inspector for Yorkton, J.T.M. Anderson, noted that " Continuous readjustment by small and almost imperceptible degrees was the idea at which educators should aim...for educational conditions which required to be remedied.... they [teachers] must more than ever be leaders in the various communities. Their work must be larger that the mere teaching of the three r's, or even the teaching of English. They must be true interpreters of our Canadian life." Canadian citizenship and sentiments within immigration settlements was indeed a focus in the years of World War I (1914-1918).

It fell to the school inspector to "give sound advice when community troubles arise, and to help get results in the classroom", and visit the farm homes of families with truant children to tell them to start school. In 1916 there was provision in the School Act to provide instruction in a foreign language during the last hour of the school day. It was up to the school inspector to find a teacher who could fulfill this requirement if a community requested it. In 1928 Dr. Anderson, a former school inspector, spoke out for educational advantages for all, government inspection in all schools, education for those residents who could not speak English, and for schools which could not procure a teacher. Teachers were scarce in 1942-1943 due to the war and inspectors ratings were more lenient than during the thirties. Citizens could be conscripted to teach.

The school inspector's report addressed concerns which the school's board of trustees were to address such as a new school house which they may be able to comply with, or not be able to meet due to a shortage of money. The school inspector also informed the communities of building recommendations such as the proper type of furnace to procure, or when the Department of Education was undertaking new projects such as giving new floors to those schools when were in need of them.

The school trustees and the inspectors worked hand in hand. Following the board meeting, the school inspector would sanction all orders before being sent out. It was upon the school inspector's rating of school house and grounds, equipment and teaching that the school district would be eligible for grants which were "one of the strongest powers of persuasion a government has. A.W. Keith, Inspector of Schools, stated "During the year an effort has been made by many of the schools towards improvements in such matters as school gardening, playgrounds, better buildings, enforcement of attendance and general compliance with the school regulations."

At times the school inspector may be quite impressed that the "square dancing class" at Boston School was asked to put on a display at the next Teacher's Convention which was exploring "New Techniques in Education." At Wilbert School, the Junior Red Cross tea fund raiser received a special mention. It was a social and financial success in the community and helped students develop their organizational and socializing skills.

Senator Calder, a former school inspector "considered one of the fundamental weaknesses of the Canadian educational system was that teachers of small rural schools were not adequately equipped for their work and were underpaid" in the spring of 1944.

Though the school inspector visit may be trying for student, teacher and inspector, "meeting people from all walks of life, inspiring teachers and students, and encouraging education in general made it all worth while."

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Related posts:

The Era of Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouses

Saskatchewan Normal Schools

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compiled by Saskatchewan One Room Schoolhouse webmaster Julia Adamson All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem. All my images and text are protected under international authors copyright laws and Canadian photography laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. They may be licensed through Getty images. .. Peace and love be with you.
Namaste.

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Reflected Vision ~ Glass Goblet by Julia Adamson

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