BOARD OF INSTRUCTION. David P. Paige Principal; with a salary of $1,500. George R. Perkins, A. M., Prof. Mathematics; salary $1,200. J. B. Howard, Teacher of Drawing; salary $200. The more important permanent regulations of this school are the fol lowing: There are to be two terms in each year, one to commence on the 2d Wednesday in April and to continue 20 weeks, with two sessions in each secular day except Saturday; the other term to commence on the third Wednesday in October and to continue 21 weeks, with one regular daily session, and occasional extra sessions at the discretion of the Principal and the Executive Committee. The branches of knowledge required by law to be taught in the District Schools, viz: orthography, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and English grammar, are to be taught with special care and thoroughness in the Normal School; and in addition thereto, the following, viz: physiology, history of the United States, natural philosophy, algebra, geometry, surveying, application of science to the arts, use of globes, intellectual and moral philosophy, with such other branches as the Executive Committee may, from time to time direct. Meantime, exercises in vocal music, drawing, and English composition are to be performed by all the pupils throughout the entire course of their studies at the Normal School. In the district-school portion of the aforesaid studies, instruction, for the present, so far as the nature of those studies will allow, is to be given by topics, the pupils using such text books as they may find most convenient. That is, the teacher is to exercise his pupils in these studies, without using any text-book himself, during the exercises, but by taking up the respective topics which they embrace and conducting his pupils through them, by a series of oral exercises and examinations, the pupils preparing themselves for the purpose, by the use of such books and other apparatus as they may possess, or prefer. The State pupils, (who are to be selected by the Boards of Supervisors in the several counties, or in their failure to act, by the County and Town Superintendents in joint meeting, and in the same ratio as Members of Assembly,) are to be admitted into the Normal School at the commencement of a term, on presenting certificates from the proper county authorities. Volunteer pupils, in order to be admitted, must declare their intention to become teachers of district schools, must present satisfactory testimonials of good moral character, from a County or Town Superintendent, and must be able to sustain a full and thorough examination by the Principal of the Normal School, in at least all district-school studies. The pupil's title to a certificate as a well qualified teacher, on leaving the Normal School is to depend, not on the length of time he may have spent there, but on his attainments and his moral character, except that no pupil shall be entitled to such a certificate, who shall not have remained in the School at least one full term; and no certificate, except one of full qualifications, shall be given at all. The internal and disciplinary regulations of the school are placed in the discretion of the Principal, as circumstances may suggest them, subject, however, to the approval of the Executive Committee before they can take effect. Since the close of the first term, which was chiefly tentative and experi mental, the regulations provide that an equal number of volunteer and state pupils may be received from each county; and if any county fail to send its quota of pupils, the Executive Committee may, at their discretion, receive volunteers from other counties, till the whole number in the school shall reach 256. The Executive Committee allowed the State pupils during the first term, if females, $1,25, and if males $1 per week for board. Volunteer pupils have their tuition and text-books gratis; but they must pay for their own board and other expenses. The school opened with 29 pupils, and at the end of five weeks, (when the first and only report yet made was prepared, dated Jan. 29, 1845,) the number had increased to 93, of whom 67 were state pupils, and 26 volunteers. The same report states that the branch of the Normal School, to be called" the Experimental School," in which the pupils of the Normal School are to test their skill as teachers, by practising the art of teaching, was to be opened at the beginning of the first regular term to commence on the 2nd Wednesday of April then next. A donation to the Normal School to found an " Educational Library," has been made by the executors of the late James Wadsworth of Geneseo, from the proceeds of certain funds left by that eminent friend of popular education, to be disbursed in such manner, as should be deemed best cal culated to promote the well-being and efficiency of the schools of the people. The Normal School act provides that the State pupils shall be selected, in the several counties by the Board of Supervisors, from persons of both sexes, n t less than 18 years old, if males, nor less than 16 years old if females, nominated by the County Superintendents; the fist of nominees to contain all the candidates for selection the counties can furnish, of whose fitness the Superintendents can obtain reasonable certainty. The test of such fitness must be such attainments in knowledge and such moral standing as would entitle the candidate to the legal certifi cate of competency as a district school teacher; for it is not the purpose of the Normal School to impart elementary instruction, in the district-school studies; but to take persons already possessing those primary qualifications, and prepare them to become accomplished and efficient teachers, not merely of those elementary branches, but of other and higher departments of sound learning, and above all, to discipline their minds in the knowledge, and form their habits to the practice, of the most enlightened methods of intellectual culture and moral training. Common School Statistics for 1844, Abridged from the State Superintendent's An. Rep. dated January 15, 1845. The State is divided into 10,990 school districts, averaging a little over four square miles each. This supposing the school-houses to be, as they generally are, centrally situated, brings the remotest children of each district within about a mile of the school. The whole amount of moneys applicable to the support of the_Common Schools and district libraries of the State, for the year ending Dec. 31st, 1844, was as follows: $275,000.00 275,000.00 18,000.00 200.000.00 18,000.00 $786,000.00 Of this sum, four fifths, as already stated, go to the payment of teachers' wages, and the other one fifth to the increase of the district libraries, or to the supply of these schools with maps, globes, and other apparatus. The number of districts making reports according to law, for the year ending December 31st, 1843, was 10,857, and in them, schools were maintained for an average period of eight months during the same year. The whole number of Common School children, that is, children between the ages of 5 and 16 years, residing in the State, excluding the city of New-York, was 611,548; and the whole number attending school, during portions of the same year, again excluding the city of New-York, was 650,199. The number as reported attending the public schools in the city of New-York, during said year, was 58,957, which gives 709,156 as the whole number of children which attended school more or less during said year, in the entire State. This is rising 50,000 over the preceding year. Of the whole number nearly 20,000 attended the whole year; 30,000 for at least ten months; 65,000 for at least eight months; 150,000 for at least six months; 284,000 for at least four months; and 474,000 for at least two months; leaving still about 235,000 who attended for less than two months. The statement also shows that of the number attending school during said year, excluding the city of New-York, 38,65 were not within the ages of 5 and 16 years. The whole number of pupils engaged in the study and practice of vocal music, increased during the year, from 10,220 in the winter term, to 47,618; and in the summer term from 17,632 to 43,243. "The introduc tion of this exercise has been attended by the happiest effects on the minds and morals of the pupils." During said year there has also been a gradual but obvious improve. ment in the school-houses, grounds, and appurtenances. Of the 9,038 schools visited during said year, 8,340 school houses were of framed wood; 566 of brick; 523 of stone; and 526 of logs; showing an increase in the number of brick houses, of 120; of framed wood, 650; and a diminution of log-built houses of 145, since the preceding annual report. There still remain, however, about 3000 districts with school-houses unfit for their proper purposes, and more than double that number lamentably deficient in proper appurtenances. The whole amount of public money actually applied to the payment of the wages of teachers legally qualified, was $544,656.06; and to the purchase of books for the district libraries, $94,950.54. The amount raised by rate-bills for teachers' wages, was $447,565.97, which added to the public money applied to the same purpose, makes $992,222.03, as the aggregate amount of teachers' wages paid during the year. The average monthly wages of the male teachers varies but little from $14.00; while of the female teachers the average is about $7.00 exclusive of board. The whole amount of public money received and apportioned by the Town Superintendents among all the districts, making the reports required by law, was $732,559.51—of which $539,069.32 were applicable to teachers' wages, and $94,647.10 to the increase of the libraries. In the city of New-York $90,597.05, and in Kings Co. (Brooklyn,) nearly $3,000 were applied, under special enactments, to the purchase of sites, the building of school-houses, &c. The whole number of volumes in all the district libraries, is 1,038,396; and the Superintendent states that he had taken measures to ascertain the extent of circulation of these volumes, as well as the general scope of their contents. Among the collateral aids of the Common School system, the Superintendent refers, in terms of commendation, to educational publications, lectures, organized associations, occasional conventions of Superin tendents, and especially to "Teachers' Institutes" for improvement in the art of teaching, and thus, bearing, to some extent, the character of normal schools. COMMON SCHOOL FUND. This Fund is made up as follows, viz : bonds for State lands sold, and for loans of the fund moneys; Bank and State stocks in which moneys of the Fund have been invested; bonds for the old State loans of 1792 and 1808 and for loans in 1840; all which together constitute what is called the "Productive Fund." The amounts of the several items of this Fund are as follow: The unproductive portion of this Fund consists of the remaining and unsold lands of the State, amounting to 358,000 acres lying chiefly in the Northern, or fourth Senate district and estimated by the Surveyor-General at $179,000, or an average of 50 cts. per acre. The receipts and disbursements of this Fund for the year ending Sept. 30, 1844, (the close of the fiscal year,) as gathered from the annual report of the Comptroller dated January 20, 1845, were as follow: Total receipts for the year ending Sept. 30, 1844,. $367,837.49 DISBURSEMENTS. Amount of moneys apportioned and paid out to Common Paid to the Shinnecock Indians, under chap. 148 of Laws Amount transferred to Canal Fund, for interest on certain bonds up to the time of their transfer to Common School Fund, .... Total Disbursements, $275,000.00 80.00 3,738.03 $278,818.03 This sum of $278,818.03 being deducted from the total receipts, say $367,837.49, leaves a balance in hand of $89,019.46, at the close of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1844. The strict revenue of the Common School Fund proper, excluding all receipts from any other source, is stated on page five of the Comptroller's annual report, dated January 20, 1845, at $133,826.51; and the productive capital of said Fund at $1,992,916.35, as already given in this account. The CAPITAL of this Fund varies from year to year, not only from new sales of lands of the Fund; by which means unproductive capital is converted into productive, but it varies also in the form of investment, from the payment and cancelling of bonds for lands and loans which had been drawing interest, and from the investment of the proceeds of such payments, and of other cash on hand, in new bonds, or other securities. This account with the CAPITAL of the Fund for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1844, shows the following results. Amount of new bonds for lands sold, .... invested in bonds for Canal Fund lands trans- $8,186.81 8,683.33 1840,.. 28,763.41 2,591.50 4,288.69 25,000.00 86 for redemption of lands resold for non-payment of for first payments on new sales of lands,... ..... 486.88 9,576.22 Of the above items, the first, or new bonds for lands, the amount received for redemption of lands, and the amount of first payments on lands sold, making in all $18,249.91, go to increase the productive capital of the fund ; the small sum of $428.71 being a surplus on re-sale of land refunded to the person having the claim to said land, after paying the dues to the Fund, is the only item of decrease, and being deducted leaves a nett increase of $17,823.20. All the other items only vary the form of investment. The total amount of the Fund at the close of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, 1843, was $1,976,093.15 17,823.20 To which add the real increase of 1844,. And it makes the productive capital on Sept. 30, 1844, as already stated,..... $1,992,916.35 |