Missouri, Greene County. Consolidated School District Number 2, Records, 1907-1935 (C0056)

2.7 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

Records of rural schools in a 34 square-mile area around Strafford, Missouri. Information pertains to Lamb, Potter, Flint Hill, Strafford, Danforth, and a black school (primary grades) and Strafford High School. Includes school board minutes, financial records, voter lists, election tallies, correspondence, teacher applications and contracts, and pupil records.

DONOR INFORMATION

The records were donated to the University of Missouri by Charles E. Ginn on 9 May 1944 (Accession No. 129). An addition was made by Ginn on 17 Jan 1945 (Accession No. 194).

INSTITUTIONAL SKETCH

Consolidated School District Number 2, Greene County, Missouri, was established on 20 May 1913. The consolidation placed Strafford, Lamb, Flint Hill, Oak Hill, Potter, and Colored schools under a single administration. These were primary grade schools served by a single high school located in Strafford. At the time of consolidation, there were 358 school-age children in the district.

Costs of operation were met by the issuance of bonds, property taxes, tuition from out-of-district students, and state aid. Strong efforts were made during the time period covered by the collection to upgrade the quality of education offered. The qualifications for teachers were raised, library holdings were upgraded, and the number and type of classes were expanded.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The records have been arranged into six series: School Board Minutes, School Board Correspondence, School Board Records, Teacher Information, Reports, and School Registers.

The collection documents the operation of a rural school system organized in 1913 through the 1930s, and is a valuable record of not only its operation but also its transformation into a consolidated system. The processes of securing teachers, purchasing supplies, and maintaining buildings are found in school board minutes, receipts, election tallies, administrative reports, and class registers. Problems such as housing for a teacher, the use of lime in outdoor privies, a contaminated water supply, and janitorial duties are covered.

The collection contains few official financial records. But the many receipts, check stubs, and vouchers give detailed information on daily operations such as the purchase of school supplies, brooms, wood and oil for heating, lumber and nails for repairs, and books and labor costs.

Racial segregation is documented in the class registers and correspondence about the "Colored School." Black students from Oakland, Ingram, and North Star school districts were sent to this school, with each district sharing the costs. There is no indication of provisions for high school classes.

Correspondence with county and state superintendents attest to changes in teacher qualifications and the upgrading of school standards. This is particularly true for Strafford High School which served Consolidated District Number 2.

More complete descriptions of the series are in the folder list.

School Board Minutes
School Board Correspondence
School Board Records
Teacher Information
Reports
School Registers

FOLDER LIST

School Board Minutes Series

f. 1-8

1907-1921. Information on school operations prior to consolidation of the district, including teacher contracts and student enumerations. The minutes also discuss the consolidation process, funding by property assessment taxes and bond issuance, elections, schoolhouse maintenance, supplies, and tuition paid by non-resident students

School Board Correspondence Series

f. 9-14

1913-1933. The correspondence discusses the consolidation process, bonds, tax levies, supplies and equipment, insurance, and general operations. Reports and recommendations of county and state superintendents discuss public health issues, heating, sanitation, outdoor toilets, and the condition of the rural schools. Other issues include teacher qualifications and upgrading library holdings and vocational education programs, particularly in agriculture. The status of the "Colored School" is also reviewed. It closed in 1915 when enrollment was less than eight pupils and then reopened with the addition of black students from other districts.

School Board Records Series

f. 15	Election Notices, 1913-1932
f. 16	Election Poll Lists, n.d.
f. 17-21	Elections, Annual, 1919-1929, 1933. Volumes contain lists of qualified voters, issue being decided, candidates for school board, tally of votes, and oaths of election judges and clerks.
f. 22-23	Elections, Special, 1927-1929. Poll books, tally sheets, and oaths of election officials.
f. 24-26	Missouri School Laws, 1909, 1913, 1933
f. 27-30	Treasurer�s Records, 1908, 1915-1917, 1928, n.d. Estimates of school expenses, annual statements, applications for state aid, lists of tuition pupils with amounts paid, and operating costs of the Colored School shared with Oakland, Ingram, and North Star school districts.
f. 31	Bond
f. 32	Books. Lists of books in use at Potter and Lamb schools and price lists.
f. 33-39	Voucher Stubs, 1917-1928
f. 40-41	Charge Slips, 1930-1935
f. 42-72	Receipts, 1913-1934, n.d.

Teacher Information Series

f. 73-77

1915-1934, n.d. Applications, recommendations, and credentials sent by teachers and placement bureaus. Includes applications for the position of superintendent of Strafford School District. Correspondence deals with resignations, appointments, salaries, housing, and influenza epidemics and other health problems.

Reports Series

f. 78	Pupil Enumeration Lists, n.d.
f. 79-81	Census of School Children, 1920-1923, 1931-1932. The names, ages, and sexes of school-age children are listed, with the names of the parents or guardians. Black families are listed separately.
f. 82	District clerk�s report to county superintendent (1908) and teacher contracts (1909).
f. 83	Bond Register
f. 84-107	Monthly and Annual Reports. Reports submitted monthly by teachers and annually by district officers to county and state superintendents. Reports by teachers enumerate pupils by name, sex, age, year in school, days attended, grade received, and whether promoted, dropped, or retained in the same grade. Reports from the district give the number by enumeration, by enrollment, by sex, and by race. Also reported are attendance statistics; number of library volumes and their valuation; teacher qualifications, race, sex, and salary; number of buildings and number of rooms per school; value of buildings; and race of students using building. Also includes teachers� and janitors� contracts and high school reports.
f. 84	1912-1915
f. 85	1915-1916
f. 86	1916-1917
f. 87-88	1917-1918
f. 89-90	1918-1919
f. 91-92	1919-1920
f. 93-94	1920-1921
f. 95-96	1921-1922
f. 97	1922-1923
f. 98	1923-1924
f. 99	1924-1925
f. 100	1925-1926
f. 101	1926-1927
f. 102	1927-1928
f. 103	1928-1929
f. 104	1929-1930
f. 105	1930-1931
f. 106	1931-1932
f. 107	Undated
f. 108-110	Vocational Agriculture, Vocational Division, State Department of Education, 1921- 1930. Reports on the program in the district, list of farm shop equipment, library information, and a blueprint of a state-authorized shop plan.
f. 111	Grade Cards from Potter School, 1921-1922.
f. 112	Public Health Service. Teacher health examination reports. School sanitation inspection reports (1929-1931) for Lamb, Potter, Flint Hill, Strafford, and Colored Schools.
f. 113	Insurance, 1917, 1923-1924, n.d.
f. 114	Strafford Times, 12 June 1913.

School Registers Series

Registers, kept by teachers, contain children�s names, ages, subjects studied, grade level, and progress. A visitors list, daily program charts, and information on the condition of the school, its supplies, and yard complete the volumes.

v. 1	Lamb School, 1911-1917
v. 2	Lamb School, 1917-1921.
v. 3	Lamb School, 1928-1929
v. 4	Potter School, 1915-1918
v. 5	Potter School, 1918-1921
v. 6	Flint Hill, 1920-1925
v. 7	Strafford Primary, 1927-1928
v. 8	Strafford Primary, c. 1929-1930; Danforth Public, 1930-1931.
v. 9	Colored School, 1918-1921.

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.

Agriculture--Study and teaching	f. 108-110
Blacks--Education	f. 3-11,14,78-81,86,112, v. 8,9
Education--Elementary	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
Education--Finance	f. 2-8, 15-23
Influenza, 1910s	f. 73
Missouri, Greene County. Consolidated School District #2	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
Missouri, Greene County--Schools	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
Missouri, Strafford--Schools	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
Rural schools	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
School administration and organization	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
School boards	f. 1-114, v. 1-8
School buildings	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
School hygiene	f. 9, 10, 112
School libraries	f. 10, 11, 32, 42-72
Schools, Centralization	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
Schools, Heating and ventilation	f. 10, 12-14, 42-72
Schools--Missouri	f. 1-114, v. 1-9
Segregation in education	f. 3-11, 14, 78-81, v. 8, 9
Teachers	f. 1-14, 73-77, 82-107, v. 1-9
Textbooks	f. 10, 11, 32, 42-72
Vocational education	f. 9, 12-14, 108-110
Wages	f. 42-72