The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-02-29

Colwell communication was received and ord;nanc:
| adopted ~ ~ " '''''e
ci;, Aiye;s,-howland, yette, Brnnker Pierce, Carroll,
Colwell Burke and Peter Miller-S. ''
| Noes--0.
10 NE Mayer and city CopncA Of tie CY,v of
| Ottra. S y
The undersigned, members of the Board Of Edu.
cation OF said city, respectfully present to the ciy
council the annexed ordinance for loan of tif,eon
thousand dollars, for the purnosr of navir,, ,hn
| Indebtedness incurred by the school board in The
erection of school houses and FURNISHING tho some
III sao city during the last summer and fall and
ask that II may be adopted by the CITY connci, and
presented to the voters of this city for their nn
| proval. ~ "P
Your petitioners further show thar dur,,,, tbo
last summer and fall the Board of Education have
punt two school houses one in the I'd ward and one
in the 1th ward; aud also have completed the bose
ment OF school house in the 9Th ward and have
| made repairs IN the older school houses to the
amount OF s2,Vo0' at an expense i'll all of S22 900
1our petitioners further show that the funds for
constructing SAID school houses were obtained in
the following manner: BY the sale of city bonds
to the amount of goo, issued by the city council
LOT school purposes last spring, the Board Of Ed
| ucatlon received SP,G2j. The remainder of said
$4,000 about $il,500) was obtained bv issuing
bonds for that amount, payable ont of the revenue
oil the next year for school purposes.
| 1our petitioners further show that unless soma
plan IS Immediately adopted for paving the bonds
Tor Sll5Oo, which will fall due the coming wear ali
| OF the city schools will have to be closed dnrina,
most II not all OF the coming school year
! Your petitioners further show, that the citv rc
venue proper for school purposes from all souraes
amounts to between fourteen and fifteen thousand
! dollars each year; that with the utmost economy
TINS sum Is hardly sufficient 10 keep the city schools
III successful operation each wear exclusive of tho
| expenses necessary to keep the school buildinys
ana property III proper repair: that with this sum
schooiihg mas been furnished to all average of
more than l,3o0 children each year at AN animal
n at Ions, = SIJ
Your petitioners further show that the salaries
Paid 10 thc teachers IN this city now and always
pave been much smaller than the salaries ,nid to
titeachers IN other cities and towns in this state.
that while other cities aud towns in this State have
erected school houses at IN expense VARYING frorr
S2o,QVD To S3O.et0 for each school house the exnen
ses Tor school houses IN this city have never ex
cceded the sum OF twelve or fifteen theus,nd doI
Iars. Inc. school bonscs In the 3D. 9Th and 5tb
wards were built ~ time when labor and eriaIs
| were much cheaper than at the present time at
the expense of about $l2, 900 each The school
house III the LIST ward built in 1866 cost about our
or five thousand dollars The school houses in tho
I'd and 9TH wards built during the present school
year, together cost less than SIS 600 The 6th
ward berg the only ward in the CITY in which
there Is not now suitable and comfortable school
house. ~
our petitioners further show that the pre sent
school house in the 9Th ward is now wholly unsuit
ed Tor school purposes, and that the erection of a
school house Ill that ward the coming wear is abso.
lutcly necessary
Your petitioners further show that the school
houses in the Sd and 9Th wards were built in the
year 1890, with the consideration that similar
school houses should be built in each of the Nber
wards of the city; that since that time until tbc
past year the other wards, with the execution of
the fth, nave only been provided with old wooden
buildings Tor school houses. which were wholly
nnht and unsuitable for school purposes
Your petitioners further show that they ara in
formed that the present city debt amounts to only
:is,ooo 20 wit 1000 tor 4th ward school house,
$1,000 for engine house, $40 900 for hotel. $4,000
expenses the past year in the erection of school
houses rs aforesaid; that II two mill tax has been
levied and collected the past year to pav off the
sl2OOe bonds for ith ward school house, which be-
comes due next year, and which two mill tax, if
continued next year. will wholly pay off the s. IL 900
indebtedness. "-'
Your petitioners further show that tho older
school houses, in the Sd. 4th and 9TH wards. and
the grounds around them need repairs; aud that to
nnIsh the fth ward school house and make the ne.
cessary repairs, and to put the schools on the
same footing with the public schools in ether towns
and cities in this State, would require a loan of
$25. 900.
Your petitioners have deemed il proper 10 max,
the above statement 80 that the people Of the cty
may see in what manner the school money of the
city has been expended. While t25 900 could be
used so as to very materially increase the pros.
perity and usefulness OF the schools, yet Your pc
tltioners only ask II loan of Slj ,O00-a sum abso-
lutely necessary 10 keep the public schools in opc.
ratisn the coming year
Your petitioners submit that while the public
are bcnehted by the erection OF ahOtc engine house
and extrabridges in the city, experience has shown
that it is OF much greater Importance to the public
that the means OF acquiring good English educa.
ton should be given To every child in this city,
whether rich or poor. To employ bad materials
and incompetent mechanics in the erection of n
house is money thrown away, and unless good and
comfortable school houses are provided and COM
petent teachers employed in our public schools.
the public school money OF this city will be an
almost useless expenditure.
Signed by the members OF the Board of Education.
WnHRnAs 1t appears to hr City Council. by communica
ton from the members of the Board Education of this
cty that loan of $1,000 for school purposes is absolutely
In order to keep the public schools this cy in
operation ung the conlng year. and that unless such loan
be immediately made by the city will bc absolutely neces
sary To stop all of the pubH schools this city during
nearly not all of the coming year believing that tho
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