August 15, 2017
This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.
Tomorrow is
the first half day of school for the 2017-2018 school year. Today’s story is a brief history of Geary
County Schools. The information comes from a book written in 1893 by J.W.
Rodgers, who was then the County Superintendent of Schools. “The history of
Geary County schools dates back to a period before Kansas became a State – even
to the days when the vital question asked was - should this be a free or slave
state? The first schools were private, or “select” schools and were provided
for by the interested parents, who paid tuition in proportion to the number of
children in attendance. A fund was
usually raised for those who were unable to pay the tuition.
During the
winter of 1858-59 there were three schools in the county. One was located at Milford, one at Junction
City and one four miles northeast of Junction City. The first public school was organized in
1862. A room was rented for the school
and was above a store, which was located in the Bartell block. County Superintendent, O. Davidson was also
the teacher with 72 students enrolled.
During the next school year eight additional districts were formed in
the county with three male and four female teachers. Their average salary was $30.00 per month for
the male teachers and $15.00 per month for the female teachers.
By 1868,
every district had its own school building.
Some built of logs, some were frame and a few were stone buildings. There was no uniform curricula until 1887,
until Speer’s “Graded Course of Study” was introduced. With this course of study, teachers knew
where to begin and what was to be accomplished to prepare students for
graduation examinations, which were often held the last Saturday in April of
each year. “
In 1893 there were a total of 44
schools in the county with 67 teachers.
The average male salary had increased to $49.44 per month and the
average female teacher salary was $39.92 per month.”
There are 19
schools currently in USD 475 with approximately 700 teachers. The current yearly salary for beginning
teachers (whether they are male or female) is
$38,500. Eight days of
professional development is provided by the district. Teachers in Geary County
Schools are: “Preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s world.”
We wish all of our educators and students a great learning experience
this school year from the Geary County Historical Society.
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