Vieux Temps

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Public schools in St. Martin Parish started earlier than existing records seemed to show. For years I have been researching the history of community schools of St. Martin Parish and records from the school board office are only available beginning in 1913. We have known that schools existed as early as 1880s when the school board president, Mr. E. R. Knight, was hired to develop public education in the parish.

A document from the State Department of Education was recently discovered by St. Martin Parish School Board CFO Emile Soulier showing that there were schools operating in the parish as early as 1883. The report provides statistics only, not the names of the schools, but surely their identities will be known in the future.

In 1884 there were five public schools for whites with 131 males and 36 females registered for a total of 167 students with an average attendance of 110. There were four white male and one female teachers. The average school term for whites was four months and the school day was five hours.

There were six public schools for colored of which 163 males and 115 females attended. Length of school year for the colored schools was three months. There were four colored males and two female teachers employed. The length of daily session for colored students was also five hours a day.

It is interesting to note that most of the teachers, as well as the superintendent and school treasurer, were male.

Average monthly salary for all teachers regardless of sex or color was $30 for the months actually taught.

The early 1880s was a transition period for schools from private to public education. There were eight private schools for white students and one for colored in St. Martin Parish. Ten white and one colored teachers were employed in the private schools.

Edgard Richard, the treasurer for the public school system, reported a fund balance on hand as of Dec. 31, 1883, to be $19.65, and on April 16, 1884, it was $537.01. The school year was from January to April since the parish was primarily agriculture based and children attended school during the months when crops were not being planted or harvested.

The report show the disbursements of monies were: teachers’ pay $1055.00, routes and repairs $150.75, secretary’s salary $150.00, treasurer’s commission $86.32, and “incidents” $176.89.

Quite a major change in public education during the last 130 years!

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