Historical sketches of public schools in cities, villages and townships of the state of Ohio.

Published by the Ohio State Centennial Educational Committee in 1876

Judge Constant Bryan, Akron, Ohio

 

 

Akron’s Public Schools

     "In 1846, there were within the in­corporated limits of the village of Akron, six hundred and ninety children between the ages of four and sixteen years. Of this number, there was an average attendance at the public and other schools the year through of not more than three hundred and seventy-five. During the summer of 1846, one of the district schools was taught in the back room of a dwelling house. Another was taught in an uncouth, in­convenient and uncomfortable building, gratu­itously furnished by Captain Howe, for the use of the district. There were private schools, but these were taught in rooms temporarily hired, and unsuited for the purpose in many respects. Reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic and gram­mar were more or less attended to in the pri­vate and public schools; but of the above num­ber there were, as estimated, two hundred who did not at­tend school at all, who ought to have been re­ceiving the benefits of good school instruction.

    It was in view of this state of things that Reverend I. Jennings, then a young man, and Pas­tor of the Congregational Church of Akron, self-moved, set himself to work to re-organize the common schools of Akron. There were many friends of a better education in the place, who co-operated with Mr. Jennings, and, on the 16th of May, 1846, at a public meeting of the citizens, a committee was appointed, of which he was Chairman, ' to take into consid­eration our present educational provisions and the improvement, if any, which may be made therein.' On the 21st of November, 1846, there was an adjourned meeting of the citizens of Akron, at Mechanics' Hall, at which Mr. Jen­nings, on behalf of the committee, submitted their report. It was a good, business-like doc­ument, clear in its statements, definite in its recommendations, and so just and reasonable in its views, that it received the unanimous ap­proval and adoption of the citizens there assem­bled, and a committee, consisting of R. P. Spaulding, H. W. King, H. B. Spelman and L. V. Bierce. was appointed to secure the neces­sary legislation. The following is the plan of the committee: 1. Let the whole village be incorporated into one school district. 2. Let there be established six primary schools in dif­ferent parts of the village, so as best to accom­modate the whole. 3. Let there be one gram­mar school, centrally located, where instruction may be given in the various studies and parts of. studies not provided for in the primary schools, and yet requisite to a respectable En­glish education. 4. Let there be gratuitous ad­mission to each school in the system, for the children of residents, with the following re­strictions, viz.: No pupil shall be admitted to the grammar school who fails to sustain a thorough examination in the studies of the primary school, and the teacher shall have power, with the advice and direction of the Su­perintendent, to exclude for misconduct in ex­treme cases, and to classify the pupils as the best good of the schools may seem to require. 5. The expense of establishing and sustaining this system of schools shall be thus provided for: First, by appropriating what public school money the inhabitants of the village are enti­tled to, and what other funds or property may be at the disposal of the board for this pur­pose; and, secondly, a tax to be levied by the Common Council upon the taxable property of this village for the balance. 6. Let six Super­intendents be chosen by the Common Council, who shall be charged with perfecting the sys­tem thus generally defined, the bringing of it into operation, and the control of it when brought into operation. Let the six Superin­tendents be so chosen that the term of office of two of them shall expire each year.

     "The plan was adopted by the Legislature, and embodied in the ' act for the support and better regulation of common schools in the town of Akron,' passed February 8, 1847, with a change in the name and mode of election of officers named in the sixth paragraph only, the substance being retained. The committee urged in behalf of this plan, that it will secure a thorough classification of pupils, bring dif­ferent classes into constant fellowship, lay hold of native talent and worth, whether rich or poor, and secure the best superintendence and man­agement. It will not only give the best schools, but the cheapest; for while such in­struction as the youth of Akron now get costs about $2,200 a year, or $6.82 for each of the 375 who attend school, under the plan proposed 500 can be instructed for $1,700 a year, or $3.40 a scholar for cost of instruction. The interval between the meetings in May and November, 1846, was improved by Mr. Jennings in col­lecting information, maturing the plan and elaborating the report. The idea originated with Mr. Jennings, and the labor of visiting every house in the village, to ascertain what children went to school and who did not go, and who went to public schools and who went to private, and how much was paid for school instruction, was performed by him. He went to Cleveland and Sandusky City in the same interest, to see the operation of graded schools there. He procured estimates by competent mechanics, of the cost of erecting a grammar-school building to accommodate 500 pupils, and omitted no detail of the plan that was nec­essary to show it in organic completeness; and whatever credit and distinction Akron may have enjoyed for being the first to adopt the principle of free graded schools in Ohio, is due to Mr. Jennings. Others saw and felt the need of a system and of better methods of instruction and management, but in his practical and sa­gacious mind the subject took form and propor­tion as an organic whole, and under his pre­sentation the plan looked so feasible, so ad­mirable, that hostility was disarmed and the people were eager for its adoption.

    "Mr. Jennings was the father and founder of the Akron schools; and, though he did not re­main in Akron to see their operation, he gave them their first impulse and direction, and in­spired their management and administration. His plan was flexible to the needs of the growth and enlargement, and in essential feat­ures remains as it first took form on the stat­ute book. For actions less signal and efficient, men have been honored and recognized as public benefactors. The first election under the law was in the spring of 1847, and L. V. Bierce, H. B. Spelman, James Mathews, Will­iam M. Dewey, William M. Dodge and Joseph Cole constituted the first Board of Education, which organized by choosing L. V. Bierce, Pres­ident; H. B. Spelman, Secretary, and William M. Dewey, Treasurer. The Town Council ap­pointed J. S. Carpenter, A. B. Berry and H. K. Smith, Examiners. The work of the board for the first year was mainly that of organization. They divided the Akron school district into eight subdistricts, built two primary school­houses, 25 x 32 feet, at a cost of $370 each, pur­chased two and a half acres of land on Mill, Prospect and Summit streets, at a cost of $2,137.31, on which stood a dwelling-house, which, at an expense of $613.44, was fitted up for a grammar school. Mr. M. D. Leggett, late Commissioner of Patents, was employed as teacher and superintendent at a salary of $500, assisted by Miss Wolcott, at a salary of $200, and Miss Pomeroy, at a salary of $150. The primaries were taught by young ladies, at $3.50 per week. There were two terms of the grammar school, the first commencing in Au­gust, and enrolling 127, with an average daily attendance of 112, or eighty-eight per cent; the second term enrolling 188, and having an average attendance of 167, or eighty-nine per cent. The primaries during the year showed an average attendance of fifty-five per cent, and an enrollment during the first term of 641. During the second term, 880 was the number enrolled. Some of these were from with­out the district. Such was the state of opin­ion at the first annual report, made in March, 1848, that the board felt called upon to justify the employment of female teachers in the pri­maries on the ground, first, of economy, and, second, that the Superintendent was required to spend one hour each day in these schools, vis­iting them in rotation, which the Board be­lieved secured all the advantages to be derived from the employment of male teachers.