Meeting minutes of the education committee of the Trustees of the New Castle Common

This manuscript volume contains the meeting minutes for the New Castle Common Trustees’ education committee from 1851-1853 and 1868-1875. The minutes focus on the establishment and maintenance of the New Castle Institute.

The education committee held semi-regular meetings on the administration of the New Castle Institute, during which it established school rules and teachers’ duties, set salaries, and paid bills accrued by the school. The committee allotted the most authority to the school principal, who could appoint teachers, make necessary rules, and adopt textbooks. In general, the male principal and teachers earned much higher salaries then female teachers, although salaries were renegotiated on a regular basis. Most teachers and principals only spent a few years at the school before moving on to other opportunities. Amendments to the rules suggest that there were issues with absent and tardy teachers. In 1869, the principal examined the current teachers to ensure they were fit for their posts.