Looking Back: Jackson County Schools in 1922

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

     As I continue to peruse Marjorie Tate’s college report, I found some interesting information about the rural and consolidated schools of our county. Because the class was Rural Sociology, education in Kansas City was not included; only education in “rural” Jackson County.  I found it to be interesting and I hope you will, too. The information in this article is directly from her report so I have not verified her numbers.
 
Education in Jackson County

1. Schools:

Rural schools                                 81
Town schools                                15
Consolidated Schools                    5
High Schools                                  12

1. Teachers:                 Salaries

Common Schools                    71 females                  55,398.50
                                                       7 males                         6,700.00
                                                      78                                62,098.50
 
     Consolidated Elementary         33 females                  26,590.00
                                                       3 males                        2,100.00
                                                      36                                28,800.00
 
     Consolidated High Schools       10 females                  11,135.00
                                                       3 males                         6,273.00
                                                      13                                18,008.00
 
             Consolidated Total          49                                46,808.00
 
      Town (Schools)
            Superintendents                      3 females                   3,900.00
                                                             6 males                       12,475.00
            Elementary Supt./Principals   3 males                       6,600.00
            Elementary teachers               99 females                  98,470.00
                                                             2 males                         2,420.00
            Elementary (colored/Jewish)  4                                    2,880.00
                                                            108                          $ 110,370.00
            High School teachers              29 (?)
 
     Her numbers are a bit confusing as there were superintendents who were also teachers and principals who were also teachers, and I found no list of high school teachers except in the totals. However, If my numbers are correct there were a total of 282 teachers in Jackson County in 1920; 37 were males and 245 were females.
     The number of teachers with attendance less than 15 was 23. The number of teachers with enrollment less than 15 was 11. If I understood correctly there were 15 teachers with more that 15 students that received less than $1,000 per year (average $367.) She also listed the total enumeration at 108,357. I’m guessing that may have been money from the county???
     Of the 282 teachers, 194 had completed high school while 7 had completed only 1 year, 14 had completed 2 years and 25 had completed three years.
     Of the 282 teachers, 24 had completed 8 weeks of normal training, 30 had completed 16 weeks, 53 had completed 32 weeks and 106 teachers had completed two years.
     The average salary for males was $125 and for females the average was $83. Rural salaries ranged from $560 to $1,200 while town salaries ranged from $720 to $1,050. I’m guessing the town teachers were not responsible for maintenance, cleaning and keeping the fire going!
     The rural schools that eventually sent their students to Consolidated School Number 3 in Grain Valley included Round Prairie, Round Grove, Pueblo, Oak Hill, Stony Point, Elm Grove, Murphy School, Capelle School, Pink Hill, and Oakland. Often when these small schools closed students would go to more than one town, depending on where they lived. For example, some students north of our town that attended Oakland School or Murphy School ended up in Buckner while others came to Grain Valley.

Oak Hill Students (with or without shoes) circa 1920. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society