TABLE NO. 5.-Ordinances enacted by the Executive Council granting and repealing water privileges. TABLE NO. 6.-Statement showing all ordinances enacted by the Executive Council granting franchises, privileges, and concessions. 318 Francisco R. de Goenaga..... 319 Frau y Lopategui Hermanos 320 Compagnie Francaise des Cables Télégraphiques. 321 322 Henry D. Sayre.. Hernand Behn. To take 7 liters of water from San Anton Brook, Caro- July 2, 1914 To take 25 liters of water per second from the Carica- American Railroad Co. of Franchise to construct a wharf in Guayanilla Bay... Porto Rico. Do. July 27, 1914 Aug. 6, 1914 Do. 323 324 José Ramón Figueroa.. To take 1 liter of water per second from spring El Oct. 13, 1914 Franchise to construct a pier at Cataño... Nov. 23, 1914 326 Vicente Usera y Seda. Repeal of water ordinance, 40 liters per second, Jueyes Nov. 13, 1914 Repeal of water ordinance, 60 liters per second, Moro- Franchise to do an electric lighting business in Guay ama. To take 175 liters of water per second from Caño de Repeal of water ordinance, domestic purposes, brook Franchise to operate an electric plant in Aguadilla... Franchise for waterworks system, 25 liters of water Ponce Railway & Light Co.. Amendment to ordinance for street railroad. Repeal of water ordinance, 190 liters per second, Feb. 9, 1915 Do. Apr. 6, 1915 Do. May 18, 1915 Do. Do. May 11, 1915 APPENDIX VI. REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION. OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER, San Juan, P. R., August 10, 1915. SIR: In accordance with section 25 of the organic act providing for civil government for Porto Rico, I have the honor to transmit herewith the fifteenth annual report of the department of education covering the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915. The report herewith submitted is composed of two parts-narrative and statistical. In the narrative report an effort has been made to place before the readers sufficient information regarding the school system as a whole and its intimately related parts, to enable them to understand the organization and at the same time get an insight into the different phases of the work. The statistical tables have been inserted mainly for those who wish to make a closer study of the school system, either as a whole or for any separate municipality. The commissioner of education left the island April 28, and his resignation took effect May 15. Since the former date I have been discharging the duties of the office as provided by law. The commissioner completed nearly three years of his term of office of four years. During these three years the school system of Porto Rico has made gratifying progress along all lines, and especially in industrial education. The introduction of manual training and agriculture for boys and home economics for girls in the graded schools and the extension of these subjects in the continuation and high school curricula, together with the introduction of music, drawing, and handicrafts, the muscular system of writing, and calisthenics as required subjects in all graded schools have molded the school system on the lines approved for the most progressive school systems in the United States. The Porto Rican boy or girl who enjoys these privileges is also fortunate in being brought up in a bilingual system, for which he should be extremely thankful. During the three years provision has been made for the erection of five modern high-school buildings, two of which have been finished, equipped, and occupied; one will be ready for occupancy in September and another will be constructed at an early date. The fifth, in San Juan, is being delayed for various reasons. Many new buildings have also been erected for graded and rural schools. The number of different pupils actually enrolled in all schools, including special schools, reached a grand total of 207,010 for the school year 1913-14. It is to be regretted that the necessity for economy forced a considerable reduction in the expenditures for 1914-15, which necessarily brought about a corresponding decrease in the number of pupils accommodated in the schools. The future, however, is bright, and in closing this letter of transmittal I wish to express my sincerest appreciation of the services rendered by the members of the office force of the department, all of whom have placed their personal interests second to the cause of education, as well as for the faithful services of the supervisors and teachers and the sympathetic support of the school boards, without which this progress would not have been possible. Respectfully submitted. The GOVERNOR OF PORTO RICO, W. A. BARLOW, Acting Commissioner of Education. San Juan, P. R. ORGANIZATION. The island of Porto Rico is divided for administrative purposes into 74 political units known as municipalities. These municipalities consist generally of an urban center and outlying rural territory subdivided into barrios or wards. Every four years the qualified voters of each municipality elect a school board composed of three members, who elect from their number a president and a secretary and appoint a treasurer to disburse their funds. The school district is thus coterminous with the municipality and the jurisdiction of the school board extends equally over the urban and the rural territory. The school boards have charge of all school buildings located within their districts; they have power to erect, repair, remodel, and improve school property, and may, within certain limitations, contract indebtedness, borrow money, or issue bonds for this purpose; they provide suitable furniture and equipment for all the schools in their respective districts except high schools; appoint janitors, suspend pupils from the schools, subject to the approval of the commissioner of education; may suspend teachers pending the action of this officer; and elect all rural, graded, and principal teachers subject to the approval of the commissioner. The school boards have two ordinary sources of revenue-25 per cent of 90 per cent of the municipal property tax and a special tax known as "the school tax" consisting of one-tenth of 1 per cent on all real and personal property within the municipality. While this school tax is purely optional, its maximum is generally imposed by the municipalities. These two taxes produce yearly about half a million dollars. Previous to the beginning of each fiscal year, school boards submit to the commissioner of education a detailed statement of their projected expenditures for that year, and the approval of such a budget by the commissioner is the warrant for the expenditure of the school funds as thus set forth. Subsequent transfers of funds from one subhead to another within the budget necessitate separate approval. By virtue of the powers conferred on him in the organic act the commissioner of education is the controller and auditor of all expenditures incurred for education on the island, and consequently he may reject any expenditure illegally incurred. The schools of the island are divided into five classes: Rural, graded, continuation, high, and special, the latter class comprising night, music, drawing, agriculture, industrial and all other schools not otherwise classified. These shall be described in detail further on. For the purpose of supervision, the island is divided at present into 41 districts, classified as follows: First, municipalities having 100 schools or more; second, munici palities having between 50 and 99 schools; third, municipalities or groups of municipalities containing less than 50 schools. There are 2 first, 3 second, and 36 third class districts. Although the law provides for an automatic increase in the number of districts, since no district of the third class may contain more than 50 schools, the number has remained stationary in recent years because the insular legislature has made no provision for the increase of supervising principals in the annual budget. In charge of each district there is a supervising official known as supervising principal, appointed by the commissioner of education and acting as his immediate representative. In districts of the first class this officer receives $1,500, with an allowance of $240 for house and office rent, and, in those of the second $1,300, with the same allowance. In districts of the third class the salary is $1,100, with the same allowance for rent and an extra allowance of $200 for traveling expenses in districts of more than one municipality. The supervising principal is ex officio a member of the school board and entitled to participate in its discussions, to receive notice of its meetings, to examine its minutes, records, and accounts in like manner as a duly elected member of the board, but he is not entitled to vote. He shares with the school board the right to assign the teachers to their respective grades and schools. In addition, he performs any duties prescribed for him by the commissioner, and he is required by law to submit an annual report covering the work of his district. He has an office equipped in accordance with the importance and dignity of his position and he keeps regular office hours, but the greater part of his time is spent visiting the schools and advising the teachers. At the head of the educational system of the island stands the commissioner of education, appointed for a term of four years or at the pleasure of the President of the United States, with full power of appointment over all subordinates except certain classes of teachers. He is empowered to determine the course of study, the length of the school year within limitations prescribed by law and the length of the school day. He is in charge of the examination and certification of teachers, and no expenditure of public moneys for school purposes, on the part of either of the school boards or any of his subordinates in the department, can be made without his approval. He is a member of the executive council (the upper house of the insular legislature), ex officio president of the board of trustees of the university and of the insular library. The commissioner is assisted in his administrative functions by a personnel, organized as follows: An assistant commissioner, a secretary of the department and a division of records, of which the secretary is the chief, a division of property and accounts with chief, a division of school board accounts with chief, three general superintendents, a special supervisor of Spanish, a special supervisor of athletics and playgrounds, a special supervisor of manual training, a special supervisor of home economics, a special supervisor of agriculture, a special supervisor of music, a special supervisor of drawing, and clerical help to the number of $20. The assistant commissioner is the head of the division of supervision, composed of the three general superintendents, the special supervisors, and the supervising principals; as such, he directs their activities. Due to the numerous duties devolving upon the commissioner by virtue of his position as member of the executive council, the assistant has to relieve him of much detail work. In the absence of the commissioner from the island he assumes the responsibilities of the office except legislative duties and as president of the board of trustees of the university. The chief duties of the general superintendents are the organization and supervision of the school system as a whole, the preparation of questions for teachers' examinations, the holding of oral examinations for the authorization to teach in English, and the inspection and condemnation of unserviceable school property. In addition to these, they represent the commissioner at teachers' conferences, where they speak, examine books and manuscripts submitted for use in the schools, and advise the commissioner regarding the preparation of courses of study. The duties of the special supervisors are indicated by their titles. The special supervisors of manual training, home economics, agriculture, music, and drawing are connected with the University of Porto Rico. The division of records handles all the details which arise from the examination and certification of teachers; keeps all documents and official records; files all official correspondence; prepares all statistics in connection with the work of the school system and, in general, aids the commissioner in all matters not pertaining strictly to the other organized divisions. The division of property and accounts handles all the work in connection with the purchase, distribution and custody of books, supplies, and all office and school property bought and furnished by the department; it prepares and certifies the pay rolls of all teachers and employees paid by the department and keeps a record of their absences as well as the civil service records. The division of school board accounts handles all the work in connection with the approval of school board budgets and the examination and audit of all school board accounts; prepares all data relative to the financial standing of school boards, required to pass upon the advisability of granting them authorization to contract indebtedness, borrow money or issue bonds; handles all details arising from the selection and purchase of sites by school boards for the construction and repair of buildings submitted by school boards, or when these are referred to the department of the interior for expert advice, it is done through this division. The revenues of the department of education originate in yearly appropriations from the insular legislature; its largest items go to pay the salaries of all the teachers in the service, supervising officials and members of the central office and for textbooks ar pplies. RURAL SCHOOLS. The rural schools are located in the barrios or rural subdivisions of the municipalities. Of the 1,200,000 inhabitants which comprise the total population of the island, about 79 per cent live in this rural area and about 70 per cent of them are illiterate.1 At the present time there are approximately 331,233 children of school age (between 5 and 18 years) living in the barrios. Of these only 91,966, or 27 per cent were enrolled in the rural schools at any time during the past year. This shows a decrease from the figures reported last year, but the fact is accounted for by an order issued from the central office prohibiting rural teachers from enrolling more than 80 pupils. In some of the populous barrios the teachers were enrolling 150 pupils and sometimes more. Inasmuch as neither the material conditions of the school buildings nor the professional equipment of the teachers justified such a burden, it was deemed wise, even in the face of an overwhelming school population for which no provision is made, to limit the enrollment to a size compatible with a semblance of efficiency. The average number of pupils belonging during the year to the rural schools was 76,341. The average number of teachers at work in these schools was 1,243. This figure includes a number of teachers whose salary was paid by the school boards from their surplus funds. The corps of teachers for the entire island is fixed by the legislature each year when the appropriations to pay their salaries are made, the commissioner being charged with its distribution among the various municipalities, but the school boards may, within certain limitations, increase the number allotted to them provided they pay their salaries from any surplus funds at their disposal. The average number of pupils taught by each teacher was about 63. The average daily attendance was 69,786, or 89.7 per cent, which gives an average of about 58 pupils receiving instruction daily 1 The Federal Census Bureau classifies as illiterate any person 10 years of age or over who is unable to write, regardless of his ability to read. |