Fourteenth Annual Report of the Controllers of the Public Schools of the First School District of the State of Pennsylvania: with their Accounts.

Philadelphia: Printed by Order of the Board of Control, Garden & Thompson, Printer, 1832.

 

The number of students in the district are 4,602:

 

Second Section:            Boys                Girls                 Total

Northern Liberties        412                  280                  692

Kensington                   208                  256                  464

Franklin Street              58                    51                    109

Northern Liberties

(colored School)            17                    11                    28

 

 

Southwark, 686, Penn Township 475, & Northern Liberties 692, including the city districts, all had more students then Kensington, even the Lombard Street Colored School with 460 students had almost as many students as Kensington’s 464.

 

 Kensington, Moyamensing, Penn Township and the Lombard Street Colored School all had more girls then boys in school.

 

In the Second Section also, where the demands upon the system of Public Schools is extensive and rapidly augmenting, the present buildings are insufficient to contain the pupils actually belonging to the different schools, and numerous applicants are for a time necessarily denied admission.

 

The Controllers are anxious to obviate these difficulties, and to supply rooms and teachers at a period as early as may be consistent with a judicious regard to the extent of annual expenditure. They have accordingly decided upon the establishment of another School in that section, to which the present occupants of the Franklin Street School may be transferred; and have given the requisite  authority to the Directors to procure ground and erect a New School House as early as circumstances may permit.

 

Infant schools are in the preparation for children under 5 years old so that:

 

“To commence the business of moral and intellectual instruction at the earliest practicable moment, and thus to awaken the intellect, to excite, foster, and guide the moral principle, before evil example, pernicious habits or corrupt practices shall have polluted the mind, is of incalculable interest to all classes of pupils, but immeasurably so to those of our schools, whose period of instruction is at best brief, and often curtailed by the necessities of their parents or imperious circumstances which prevent by early devotion to labor the acquirement of useful learning.”

 

 

 

Second Section Expenses:

 

For teachers’ salaries , stationary, Fuel, &c.      $3,578.62

Real Estate                                                       $ 159.81

Total                                                                $3,738.43

 

That part of the Second Section in which the Lancasterian system schools are not required by law, the section drew $1,483.92.

 

The Board of Controllers President Roberts Vaux, Esq, after 14 years (from the time of the founding of the school district) resigned and was succeeded by Thomas Dunlap.

 

Board of Controllers for 1832:

 

Thomas Dunlap, President, Wm. W. Fisher (Fisher is crossed out and Thomas G. Hoollingsworth is penciled in?), John Steele, James Gowen, Joseph Warner, John Oakford, Morton McMichael, Jonathan Thomas, Joseph Bockius, Evan W. Thomas, Jr. Alexander parker, Charles Norris, Thomas McKean Pettit, sec.

 

For first time the school house and teacher’s names are mentioned:

 

Northern Liberties, Third, near Brown Street, Teachers John M. Coleman, Frances R. Eastburn.

 

Franklin Street, East of Fourth Street, Teacher, Louisa Bedford.

Kensington, Malborough Street. Teachers, Henry W. Chadwick, Elizabeth W. Beechy.

 

Apple Street. For Coloured children, Northern Liberties, Teacher – William Sherman.