That there are, as they believe, about, 1,500 colored children in the city within the school age, and that efforts have been made and are being made by drivers of the leading colored citizens to establish a system of common schools for the education of their children, but having failed for the lack of means, they now appeal to the city for aid.
Your committee have learned from those colored citizens who constitute a sort of board of education that they have, or can get control of the school building on Corral street, containing four good school rooms, well furnished with seats, desks, blackboards, etc.; also one school house on Fourth Street, containing one large room, which can be conveniently divided into two rooms, also of two rooms, one of the very large and easily partition in the house known as the Ladies Hall, on Church alley.
These rooms in the three buildings, properly partitioned, would make eight rooms, each capable of accommodating from 40 to 60 pupils, probably a large number.
These eight rooms, if used as school rooms, would require eight teachers, three principals and five assistants.
The principals can be had at the cost of $40 each, per month, and the assistants at $25 to $30 each, per month.
These colored citizens propose to furnish each of these rooms with such school furniture as may be needed, such as seats, desks, blackboards, charts, stoves, also with fuel and janitors, if the city will appoint and pay the teachery, so that the only expenses to the city will be the payment of the teachers. The cost to the city at the rate mentioned would be about $250 a month.
The colored population think that the cost of repairs, fuel, furniture, etc., can be easily raised by them by charging each pupil at the rate of 25 cents, payable in advance.
They purpose to manage that part of the matter in their own way. Should they fail to raise funds enough for that purpose, there would of course be no school and no teachers to pay.
They propose that these schools be under charge of the regular school committee, but would suggest that an advisory board of colored citizens be appointed to bring such matters to the attention of the school committee as they may thick likely to be beneficial to their schools.
It is proper to say that there is a debt of $280 due on the 4th street school house with interest since the 1st of January 1872, which debt they ask the city to assume and pay.
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An Ordinance Concerning Colored Schools for Children:
WHEREAS, The colored population of the city desire to have their children education under the superintendent of the city and their school board offers to furnish three schools-houses for that purpose, being the three buildings referred to and described in the report accompanying this ordinance, and to furnish said building with proper furniture and apparatus for teaching, and keep the buildings in proper repair and proper warmed and kept clean and in good order, if the city will untake through the School Board and School Superintendent, the appointment of the teachers and payment of the salaries or compensation of said teachers, therefore,
Be it ordained by the Mayor and Council of the City of Lexington:
Sec 1: That the School Committee and Superintendent proceeds to elect and assign teachers of the schools of colored children, to be kept in the buildings aforesaid, and to fix the compensation of such teachers, to be paid monthly by the city, as other teachers, provided that the whole compensation to all said teachers, shall not exceed two hundred dollars per month, for ten months in each year.
Sec 2: The amount due to each teacher shall be certified to be correct by the School Superintendent, before it shall be audited and paid.
Sec 3: The said schools shall be visited, directed and superintendent by the School Committee and Superintendent, with the same powers that they have over the public schools for white children.
Sec. 4: That said committee annually elect an Advisory School Board from the colored population, to aid in keeping said school in operation, whose duty it shall be to keep the school building in proper order and repair, and in proper condition for conducting schools therein, and to co-operate with, and give their advice to the School Committee and Superintendent on the subject of the management of said colored schools. They shall be elected annually, during the summer vacation, and continue in office for one year and until their successors are appointed. Until the summer vacation the following persons shall constitute said Advisory Board, to-wit: George Scroggins, Alfred Hardin, Henry Scroggins, Horace Gains, Samuel Williams, Erasmus Wells, John Tandy and James Turner, to continue in office until their successors are elected.
