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56

State of Alabama
Bureau of Refugees Freedmen and A.L.
Montgomery Ala July 1st 1870

Rev J.W. Alvord
Genl Supt of Schools
Washington D.C.

Dear Sir:

I have the honor to submit the following tables and statements of our operations since the date of our last semi-annual report.

[[29 columned table]]

| No. Day Schools | No. Night Schools | Months 1870 | No. Schools Sustained by Freedmen | No. Schools sustained in part by Freedmen | No. Teachers Transported by Bureau | No. School Buildings owned by Freedmen | No. School Buildings furnished by Bureau | Teachers White | Teachers Colored | Teachers Total | Scholars Male | Scholars Female | Scholars Total | Average Attendance | Pupils paying Tuition | Always Present | Always Punctual | over 16 years of age | In Alphabet | No. Spell & Read Easy Lessons | Advanced Readers | Geography | Arithmetic | Higher Branches | Writing | Free before the War | Sabbath Schools | Pupils in Sabbath Schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| 35 | - | January | - | 5 | - | 5 | 26 | 58 | 12 | 70 | 1745 | 1767 | 3014 | 2176 | 229 | 1104 | 945 | 347 | 475 | 1384 | 1064 | 1003 | 1144 | 109 | 1030 | 20 | 122 | 1978 |

| 41 | - | February | - | 5 | - | 5 | 17 | 63 | 16 | 79 | 1466 | 2008 | 3474 | 2374 | 265 | 1034 | 928 | 350 | 481 | 1439 | 1117 | 1060 | 1208 | 202 | 1189 | 15 | 23 | 536 |

| 34 | - | March | - | 5 | - | 5 | 22 | 52 | 9 | 61 | 1305 | 1495 | 2800 | 2070 | 528 | 877 | 841 | 343 | 402 | 1278 | 936 | 1033 | 1099 | 176 | 1190 | 9 | 60 | 1319 |

| 30 | - | April | 1 | - | - | - | 19 | 45 | 11 | 56 | 1245 | 1476 | 2721 | 2048 | 310 | 889 | 954 | 273 | 193 | 1194 | 964 | 912 | 1105 | 104 | 925 | 72 | 21 | 280 |

| 28 | - | May | 5 | - | - | - | 11 | 43 | 9 | 54 | 1119 | 1356 | 2475 | 1860 | 245 | 1013 | 897 | 283 |   | 148 | 1248 | 888 | 789 | 1205 | 69 | 1050 | 76 | 581 |

| 21 | - | June | 4 | - | - | - | 19 | 35 | 5 | 40 | 700 | 711 | 1411 | 1099 | 190 | 719 | 684 | 184 | 103 | 601 | 651 | 661 | 581 | 79 | 653 | 9 | 53 | 732 |
[[/29 columned table]]

Whole amount of Tuition paid by Freedmen during the six months 861.30
Whole amount of expenses for above schools by the Bureau during the six months 1274.23
Grand Total of Expenses for the six months for support of above schools by all parties $2135.53

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This table compared with the preceeding six months will show a considerable increase in the number of schools and scholars. Yet when compared with the corresponding months of 1869, the showing is not so favorable. I have before alluded to the dissatisfaction existing here last year on account of the small amount of the school fund distributed under the laws of this state. We had hoped that the fund for 1870 would be increased, and that the dissatisfaction of the previous year would cease to exist, but our expectations have turned to disappointment. Instead of the fund being larger than the former year it has been considerably less. Certain facters have endeavored to make political capital out of this fact charging it as an error if the party in favor, and have endeavored to create and partially have succeeded in creating a prejudice against the common or free school system.

On the 6th of September last the Educational Board of this State provided that hereafter the scholastic year should commence on the first day of January of each year instead of the first of October as heretofore. To meet certain cases where arrangements had already been made to commence their schools on the first of October County Superintendents were authorized to commence schools that year, before the time fixed for the commencement of the Schools year. To some extent this tended to thraed [[thread]] into the school reports of 1869 the operations which properly belonged to 1870. And [[strikethrough]]wi[[/strikethrough]] the school fund was so small in some places the funds were exhausted before 1870 commenced. To these two causes the dissatisfaction arising from the meagre school fund, and the change of the scholastic year, I attribute mainly the apparent diminution of our schools. Had the schools which were taught in the fall of 1869, appeared on the report for 1870, the slowing would have been more favorable than it now appears. One other fact should be mentioned. Reports do not reach us from some parts of the State until some time after the close of the month; and although many of the schools through the State have closed for the season, yet some will undobtedly be received that have not yet reached us; and the necessity of an early report prevented delay - hence the month of June does not show a full statement of what has actually been done in that month. In one county they write me the schools were closed on account of sickness

Although most of the facts stated above have been before referred to by me, I have thought it proper or necessary to repeat them here more fully that the contract with former periods may be readily understood.

Since the first day of January last claims have been forwarded to gen Balloch C.D.O. for payment as follows.

For Construction of School Houses 10849.92
For Rent and Repair of School Houses 3286.25
For Rent of Office 120
For Salaries of Supt, Clerk & Messenger 2339.68
For Fuel, Forage and Transportation 170.44
For Postage 30.41

Total $16796.70