Early Public Education in Baltimore

 The history of the Public Schools  during the decade from 1829 to  1839 is a story of struggle for  existence. During the short  course of the first ten years, the  fate of the schools was in the  balance. Although the Board of  Commissioners of Public Schools worked hard to make the schools a success and to popularize public education, public sentiment fluctuated.

At times, the popularity and ultimate success of the schools seemed assured; at other times, their future seemed doomed by an indifferent citizenry. Attendance ranged from 34 to 300, and many more boys than girls were enrolled. It was was not until 1839, when 1,126 pupils were in attendance that the struggle for existence appeared to be won.

Care was exercised in the selection of teachers. Salaries were low, but teachers had considerable leeway in the management of their schools. Although discipline in the schools was strict, corporal punishment was discouraged. The curriculum consisted of grammar, geography, history, mathematics, and bookkeeping, in addition to the “three Rs.” Throughout the first ten years, curricular offerings remained fairly static. The school day and school year were correspondingly long. The plan of instruction was soon modified by the use of lectures by the teacher and by simultaneous instruction. There was much memory work and continual use of textbooks.

Difficulties were encountered in securing appropriate buildings for the early schools. The commissioners decided on a policy of building schoolhouses, and by 1838, smaller schools that were more widely scattered over the city were being constructed.

The schools were financed through funds derived from tuition; a city tax; the State school fund; dividends on bank stock; and rents. By 1939, only one quarter of the school budget was covered by tuition fees. For that year, one half of the disbursement went to teachers’ salaries; and one fourth went to books and equipment.

A reorganization of the board, in 1839, led to a series of changes, which strengthened the schools in the eyes of the public. Assistant teachers were employed, and, subsequently, class-size was reduced. Night schools were started to meet the needs of those boys who were not able to attend day school. Finally, in October, 1839, a significant step was taken in expanding the work of the schools, when the Male High School, the first secondary school in Baltimore, was founded.