SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT

OF THE

SUPERINTENDENT

OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

1867-1868.

Another biennial period has closed, and it again becomes my duty, under the law, to submit a report of the progress and present condition of public education in Illinois. This I shall try to do as fully, and yet as concisely, as is consistent with a dae regard to the number, diversity and importance of the subjects properly coming within the official province of the State Superintendent, and denanding his careful examination and review.

If this report should be found to contain more statistical and other valuable information touching the educational interests, institutions and resources of the State, than any previous one by the same hand, the fact must be credited to the wise liberality of the last General Assembly in placing at the disposal of the department the means of securiug more assistance, and so of exploring and collecting facts from a wider and richer field than was ever before practicablo.

COMMON SCHOOL REVENUE.

Below will be found a tabular statement, showing the receipts and disbursements of common school revenue for the two years from October 1, 1866, to September 30, 1868.

Vol. 11-54

109,130

55,795

60,031

Interest upon the school fund, appor

tioned to the counties by the Auditor,
under the same section of the act.... 54,565

54,565 Interest upon the county fund, appor

tioned to the townships by county superintendents, as provided in the 16th section of the act...

26,449 29,346 Proceeds of sales of common school

lands, accruing to the townships in which the lands are situated ..

39,182

20,849 Proceeds of fines, penalties and forfeit

ures collected and paid over to county superintendents, under the provision of the 82d section of the act, and ap portioned to the townships

40,025 27,004 Interest upon the township funds, ap.

portioned to the school districts by the boards of township trustees, as required by the 34th section of the act....

427,829 403,086 Amount raised by ad valorem tax in the

respective school districts for the
support of six months' school, and ex
tending the terms of school after the
public funds were exhausted, and for
purchasing sites and grounds, building
and furnishing new school houses, re-
pairs and improvements, current and
incidental expenses, etc., as authorized
by the 43d and 47th sections of the act. 3,533,133 | 4,250,679

67,029

830,915

7,783,812

RECEIPTS.

1867.

1868.

Total.

$1,138,947

Amount received from miscellaneous

sources, not included in the above enumeration of items. .

$422,399 $716,548 Total common school revenue received

from all sources during the two years ending September 30, 1868

$5,707,810 $6,896,879

$12,604,689

$3,139,626

3,235,638

2,376,518

214,163

22,772

38,595

Amount of compensation paid to male teachers.

$1,429,265 $1,710,361 Amount of compensation paid to female teachers

1,413,356 | 1,822,282 Amount expended for building new school houses..

1,139,628 | 1,236,890 Amount expended for school house sites and grounds..

83,649 130,514 Amount expended for purchase of houses for schools ...

9,120 13,652 Amount paid as rent for houses or rooms for schools ....

18,789 19,806 Amount expended for repairs and improvements

615,096 362,224 Amount expended for school furniture.. 86,029 112,675 Amount expended for school apparatus. 25,855 37,873 Amount expended for books for district libraries ....

10,628 4,048 Amount expended for fuel and other incidental expenses...

369,486 407,550 Amount paid to county and township

school officers, being three per cent. upon the proceeds of the sale of school lands, two per cent. upon all school moneys distributed, paid out or loaned, etc., as provided by the 71st and 720 sections of the act.

118,520 142,454

977,320

198,704

63,728

14,676

777,036

260,974

Total amount exponded for common

school purposes during the two years ending September 30, 1868

$5,571,703 $6,430,881 ! $12,002,584

RECAPITULATION.

$12,604,689

Total amount received for all school purposes from October 1,

1860, to September 30, 1888.... Total amount exponded during the same period.... Unexpended balance on hand October 1, 1868.

12,002,584

$602,105

COMNON SCHOOL FUND.

The productivo principal of the Common School Fund of the State consists at this time of the following items and amounts: BOHOOL FUND PROPER, being three per cent. upon the net pro

oeeds of the sales of the public lands in the State, one-sixth
part excepted.

$613,862 96 SURPLUS REVENUR, being a portion of the money received by

the State from the General Government, under an act of
Congress providing for the distribution of the surplus reve-
nue of the United States, and by act of the Legislature,
March 4, 1887, made a part of the common school fund....

385,592 33 COLLEGE FUND, being one-sixth part of the three per cent. fund,

originally required by act of Congress to be devoted to the
establishment and maintenance of a State College or Uni-
versity ....

156,818 82 BEJINARY FUND, being the proceeds of the sales of the “Semi

nary lands,” originally donated to the State by the General
Government for the founding and support of a State Semi-

nary
OUNTY FUNDS, created by act of the Legislature, February 7th,

1885, which provided that the teachers should not receive
from the public fund more than half the amount due them
for services rendered the preceding year, and that the sur-
plus should constitute the principal of a new fund, to be
called the “County School Fund”...

59,838 78

809,899 00

TOWNSHIP FUNDS, being the net proceeds of the sale of the 16th

section in each Congressional township of the State, the
same having been donated to the State for common school
purposes, by act of Congress, in 1818.

4,873,232 00

TOTAL COMMON SCHOOL FUND of the State, Sept. 30, 1868, as

shown by the official reports of county superintendents of
schools, on file in this office.

$0,348,538 32

GENERAL STATISTICS.

In the following table will be found a general summary of common school statistics for each of the two years (1867-8) embraced in this report:

of age

Whole number of white persons under twenty-one years

in the State.... Whole number of white persons in the State, between

the agos of six and twenty-one years... Whole number of colored persons in the State under

twenty-one years of age .. Whole number of colored persons between the ages of

six and twenty-one years..... Whole number of graded schools in the State, as re

ported by county superintendents . Whole number of private schools in the State, as

reported
Whole number of scholars in private schools, as

reported .
Whole number of public school houses in the State...
Number of public school houses erected in each year .
Number of volumes bought for district libraries in

each year.....
Whole number of volumes in district libraries, as

reported