Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

11/18/04

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District Values
100 Year-Old Student Ledgers

Auburn School District values three student attendance ledgers that are over a hundred years old. Dating back to the late 1800s, the ledgers have students’ names and attendance records for the years 1892-1906. The beautifully hand-scripted students’ and teachers’ names speak to an era when handwriting was an art form. The ledgers reflect that teachers’ salaries were $35 a month and that the school was not provided with a Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. In response to the ledger question, “Has the prescribed course of been followed?” the teacher’s handwritten response was, “As near as possible, not being able to have new books and new course of study.”

The district will preserve the ledgers for future generations of Auburn School District students.

For more information, contact Superintendent Linda Cowan at (253) 931-4914.