During the past year there has been expended for building and repairing, the sum of $174,903.04, a sum sufficient to show an intelligent appreciation of the importance of suitable school accommodations. In many of our villages and cities buildings have been erected that reflect great credit not only upon the communities that have built them, but upon the state at large. There are school houses now to be found in Wisconsin, that in their construction, arrangement, style and furnishing would not suffer by comparison with the best in older and wealthier states. The progress, in this respect, made during the past few years, is a source of deep satisfaction to every friend of general education. An elegant school house, conveniently arranged and tastefully furnished exerts a beneficial influence upon all classes of the community. It is both an effect and a cause of intelligence and refinement. The utter unfitness of some of the school houses in the state for the purpose for which they are designed, and this too in districts entirely able to provide suitable school buildings, suggests the propriety of such legislative action as will secure to the children residing in such districts the means of education. Were town boards of supervisors required, on complaint made to them by the county superintendent, of the unfitness or lack of school accommodations in any district, to examine and decide as to the ground of such complaint, and the ability of the district to provide the necessary buildings for a good school; and were said boards authorized, in the exercise of a sound discretion, to levy, collect, and expend a reasonable tax for building a school house or for repairing the same, it is believed that such a law would be beneficial to the districts thus taxed, and approved by the people of the state. The poorest school houses are not generally found in the districts possessing least ability to build better ones. They are evidences of selfishness or ignorance wherever they are found; hence a law of the kind indicated could not be regarded as oppressive. PRIVATE SCHOOLS. The following statement is compiled from the reports of the present 7,692 There is reason to believe that there are more of this class of schools than the returns show, and that county superintendents find it difficult to obtain information concerning them. 2s SCHOOL LIBRARIES. The following statement in regard to school district libraries will show that under existing arrangements very little is done to procure libraries where they are wanting, or to increase them where they exist. No. of volumes added during the year... Amount expended for libraries during the year,. 926 .$1,149 09 26,667 $21,893 The law now authorizes districts to raise a tax of fifty dollars for library purposes at each annual meeting; but the above abstract of reports indicates that comparatively few districts avail themselves of the provision. No argument is needed to convince the Legislature, that the establishment and support of libraries adapted to the wants of the people, is demanded by weighty considerations. Our state constitution recognizes libraries as a part of our common school system. Section 2, article X, provides that the income of the school fund "shall be exclusively applied to the following objects, to-wit 1. To the support and maintenance of common schools in each school district, and the purchase of suitable libraries and apparatus therefor." 2. The residue shall be appropriated to the support and maintenance of academies and normal schools and suitable libraries and apparatus therefor." By act of Legislature approved March 21, 1859, it was provided that "Ten per cent of the school fund income subject to apportionment in the "year 1860, and anuually thereafter, together with the proceeds of a spec"ial state tax of one-tenth of one mill on the dollar valuation, shall be, "and hereby are set apart for the purpose of establishing and replenishing "town school libraries, the books for which shall be purchased by public "authority, and distributed in some just proportion among the the towns. and cities of the state. The legislature having made no provision in the act, raising the fund, for its expenditure, it was allowed to accumulate until it amounted to $88,784.78, of which $35,418.08 was derived from the income of the school fund, and $53,366.70 from the tax of one-tenth of a mill on the dollar valuation of the property of the State. In the annual report from this department in 1861, Hon. J. L. Pickard, Superintendent of Public Instruction says: "I regret that no provision has as yet been made for the distribution of the township library fund. I deem the principle a good one, and one well calculated to advance the educational interests of the state. Owing to the peculiar circum stances into which we have been forced by the Southern rebellion, and the Consequent demands upon our state for means to prosecute the war, I deem it my duty to advise the suspension of the operation of the law, creating this fund, for a term of three or five years. I would also recommend that so much of the fund as has arisen from the diversion of the ten per cent. of the school fund income, be restored to that income for apportionment; and I would further recommend that so much of the fund as has been produced by the 1-10 of a mill, state tax, be set aside as a permanent library fund, and that for three or five years, the fund so set aside, be invested in state bonds. By this means the state will find a slight temporary relief, and the fund, so cheerfully paid for educational purposes, will be eventually devoted to the purpose for which it was raised." The legislature instead of endorsing by its action the recommendation of Superintendent Pickard, the wisdom of which, considering the circumstances under which it was made, will not be questioned, repealed the law creating the fund. and returned to the general fund of the State the sum of $53,366.70 and to the income of the school fund the balance, which had been pledged, to establish township libraries. It seems to be proper to consider at the present time, whether the interests of the state would not be promoted by carrying out, by appropriate legislation, the project that was defeated by the repeal of chapter two hundred and ten of the general laws of 1859. It is believed that an ast, appropriating, from the general fund, the amount of the 1-10th mill tax, for founding township libraries, would be regarded by the people as a measure calculated to promote the best interests of the State, It would not be desirable that the whole amount should be used in a single year, and it might be sound policy to use the fund in such a manner as to encourage that local effort that it is always wise to secure. An act of this kind should provide for the appointment of a State Board of Library Commissioners, to consist of men whose position and character should furnish a guarantee that that the books selected would in all respects be suitable, and that the interests of the people would, in the purchase and distribution of the same, be carefully regarded. It should also provide for library committees in the towns and cities of the state, who should have the custody and control of the town libraries, under such regulations as would secure the preservation of the books, and afford facilities for their use to the people of the several school districts. The attention of the Legislature is respectfully called to this subject, with a strong hope, that a measure fraught with so much good, may receive a favorable consideration. SCHOOL FUND. The School Fund consists of: 1. The proceeds of all lands granted by the United States for the support of public schools. 2. All moneys accruing from forfeiture or escheat. 3. All moneys paid for redemption from military duty. 4. The clear proceeds of all fines collected in the several counties for any breach of the penal laws. 5. The five per centum of the net proceeds of the public lands. The amount of productive school fund on the 30th day of September, 1866, was as follows: Amount due on certificates of sales,. Amount due on mortgages,... Certificates of State indebtedness,. Due from the State on account of five per centum fund,. $554,350 74 192,641 43 1,394,900 00 101,262 33 Total productive fund,..... .$2,243,154 50 The amount belonging to the productive portion of the School Fund, There is a decrease in the amount due on certificates cf sales of $120,686.37, and in the amount due on mortgages of $96,481.32, making the sum of $217,167.69. The state bonds reported in 1865 as a part of the School Fund have been canceled, and are now represented by certificates of state indebtedness. The amount of these bonds being added to the foregoing items, we have $320,867.67, as the decrease in certificates of sales, mortgages and state bonds. On the other hand, there is an increase in certificates of state indebtedness of $497,900.00, showing an increase in the productive school fund during the year, as reported by the Secretary of State, of $177,032.31. The sources of this increase do not appear in the account of receipts and disbursements as published from year to year. It would seem desirable to have an annual statement in the report of the Secretary of State, showing the items that go to increase or diminish the school fund, in order that the causes for its increase or diminution may be easily understood. The State receipts and disbursements of the School Fund as given in the Treasurer's report, for the fiscal year ending September 30th 1866, If to the productive School Fund be added one fourth of the productive Normal School Fund, the income from which is annually apportioned with the income of the School Fund, the amount of the fund, interest on which at 7 per cent. will be apportioned next June, is $2,392,904 48, consisting of: 1. Amount due on certificates of sales,. 2, Amount due on mortgages,... 3. Amount due on certificates of state indebtedness,. 4. Amount due school fund on account of five per cent. fund,. 5. One-fourth of Normal School fund,..... $554,350 74 192,641 53 1,394,900 00 101,262 33 149,749 98 $2,392,904 48 This is $279,398 16 more than the amount reported from this department in 1865. The School Fund, as reported by the Superintendents of Public Instruction for the past eighteen years, is as follows: |