"This Fortunate District": Green School History

Welcome to Green School History, a site devoted entirely to the Green School in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Located on East Main Street in the Green section of Middleborough, the school was built in 1871 and was in continual use until June, 1941, when it was closed. Reopened for a short period of time in the 1990s, the Green School in 2009 was threatened with demolition. A group of concerned residents banded together to save this one-room schoolhouse. Thanks to the interest of the community supported by financial contributions by residents and former pupils, the building has been preserved and the exterior restored. A new use for the structure is currently under consideration. This site hopes to convey the immense historical and educational value which the Green School still retains, particularly its ability to speak to the educational history of the community of Middleborough.

The easiest way to navigate through the site is by using the left-hand sidebar. Click on the icons to read about some of the unique aspects of the Green School's history, to view pictures of the school and documents related to its history, or to make a contribution towards its preservation. Also, for a quick reference, you can also click on the chapters underneath each icon to go directly to a topic of interest.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Cost of Instruction, Green School 1871-1926

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The costs for instruction (teacher's salaries), fuel and care of the Green School are listed below. The figures for 1895 and subsequent years are for instruction only. Figures were not published following 1926.

1871-72 $241.45
1872-73 $269.25
1873-74 $250.20
1874-75 $286.71
1875-76 $284.75
1876-77 $301.87
1877 $304.50
1878 $263.62
1879 $261.00
1880 $307.88
1881 $302.68
1882 $284.12
1883 $293.69
1884 $314.99
1885 $229.50
1886 $318.95
1887 $306.22
1888 $314.00
1889 $319.60
1890 $320.30
1891 $318.20
1892 $363.70
1893 $371.30
1894 $343.80
1895 $330.50
1896 $304.08
1897 $312.20
1898 $312.00
1899 $296.00
1900 $356.70
1901 $378.80
1902 $334.00
1903 $334.00
1904 $379.60
1905 $379.60
1906 $380.00
1907 $380.00
1908 $380.00
1909 $380.00
1910 $406.00
1911 $448.00
1912 $486.00
1913 $494.00
1914 $494.00
1915 $570.00
1916 $585.00
1917 $620.00
1918 $650.00
1919 $670.00
1920 not listed
1921 $1,200
1922 $1,200
1923 $1,200
1924 $1,200
1925 not listed
1926 $1,200

During the early years of the Green School’s operation, Middleborough stood very low on the list of Massachusetts towns relative to the amount of money appropriated for each pupil. In 1875, Middleborough, in fact, was 305th on the list, with smaller surrounding communities including Lakeville, Halifax, Carver, Rochester and Plympton spending greater amounts. “There is no excuse for these facts. Our town cannot plead poverty, nor excessive taxation”. Largely, the circumstance was attributable to teacher salaries which in Middleborough were “considerably less” than the state average.

The dramatic increase in the cost of instruction following 1909 was due to concerted efforts at raising local teacher salaries to meet the state average in order to retain and attract qualified candidates.

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