The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-10-15
SPECIAL REPORT OF SUPERLN-
TENDENT OF CANTON UNION
SCHOOLS.

1 largely increased number Of children that / /
deem it absolutely necessary to again call your at
ention to the pressing importance Of providing
Al once, adequate accommodation for the pupils |
The West Building with It's miserable arrange |
ments, at the best, has now four hundred and fifty |
pupils, with accommodation for less than four |
hundred.
The East Building three hundred and eighty |
three pupils, with accommodations for about three
hundred
The South Building, two hundred and thirty
four pupils, with accommodations for two hun
dred,
The German School, in rented building one
hundred and fourteen pupils, with aecommo-
datlons for slxty-fve or seventy.
The only building that Is not oyeraowing full is
the North Building, and ina few weeks, or as soon
as winter sets in, that will undoubtedly contain
more pupils than can be comfortably accommo-
dated
And If the experience Of former years be re-
peated, as we have every reason to expect, by the
time the fall work is finished, and all the chill
dren gather into the schools the excess of attend
ance over accommodations win be between six
and seven hundred /, e., we viii have just as
many more pupils than can receive attention with
any regard to Justice towards either teachers or
pupils. This is already the case in the lower pri
mary and the higher grammar grades.
The East First Primary has enrolled this term,
already one hundred and twensy-six pupils the
South First Primary, one hundred and seventeen
the West First Primary, one hundred and four
and the German School, one hundred and four
teen, /. Q. four hundred and sixty-one pupils in
the four schools, when their full capacity Is two
hundred and fifty, or an excess Of two hundred
and eleven.
The Third German Grade contained at the be-
ginning of the term over one hundred pupils
giving the German Sc chool at that time over one
hundred and fifty, including the pupils of the
senior class; this number has been largely in.
creased during the past two weeks, and we may
expect twenty OF thirty more Of the same grades,
before the middle of the present term was com
PEELED to send many Of these to the North and
East schools and latterly also to the South SCHOOL,
but this only crowds these schools and increases
the labors Of the teachers In them, while the al
most crushing labor thrown upon some Of the
teachers Is yet inadequate to meet the require.
ments Of the pupils, and, considering the sizes Of
the classes yet left In the West Grammar School,
the labors Of the teachers in this department are
not materially decreased. In the first change
above indicated It was found necessary to send
all the pupils of the junior or third grammar
grade of the district from which pupils attend the
North Building in primary and secondary schools
back to that building and those from the East and
South districts, to the East Building this change
increased very considerably the distance that the
pupils Of this gr de, residing South of the rail
road had to walk in going to and from school, and
was very unsatisfactory to the parents residing in
the Southwestern part of the city this, however Is
partially remedied by the organization Of an ad
ditional junior grammar class also In the South
school,
Section 80 Of the sohool-law provides that "Ev
cry Board of Education shall establish suff
clent number of schools to provide for the free
education of the youth of school age within the
district, a. such places as will be most conyenien
for the attendance of the largest number of such
youth" ........
Section So provides that "The Board of Educa
ton of any district is hereby empowered to build
enlarge, repair and furnish the necessary school
houses, purchase or lease sites therefor or rem
suitable school-rooms, and make all other neces
sary provisions for the schools under It's con
troll" ..u I ..
Section Sc limits the levy to be made oy tn
Board of Education for all school purposes ~
seven mills but Section 81 says, "Wheneyer tn
Board of Education Of any school district excep
city district of the hrst.c'ass, shall determin
that 1t is necessary for the proper accommodation
fthe schools of such school district to purchase
site or sites. and erect school house or schoo
houses thereon OF to do either, and such Boar,
shall be of opinion that the purchasing of said sit
or Sites and erecting and furnishing of sucl
school house or school houses, or either Of sal
purposes will require a greater tax upon tn
property Of such school district than such Boar
is authorized by this act TO levy and that to pre-
vide the means therefor 1t win be necessary to 4
sue bonds such Board shall make an estimate {
the probable cost of such site or sites, and sue
school house OF school houses, or Of either, and
general election or special election called fC
that purpose, Of the qualified electors Of the dii
trict over which such Board has jurisdiction, CIV
ing ten days notice, by posting in five Of the mo-
public places in said district notices stating tn
time place and object of said election, shall sui
nit to said voters at such meeting the question {
levying taxes for said purposes or either Of then
and the f,rther question whether the levy fC
such purposes shall be made from year to yes
; thereafter, and what amount shall be levied eac
year until the actual cost of such site or sites an
the erection Of such school house OF school house
: or either, shall be raised"
Now it is very evident, first, that Canton do,
not at this time, furnish one-halfof the "sufcier
number of schools to provide for the free educt
ton of the youth of school age within the dstric
and at such places as viii be most convenient fC
the attendance Of the largest number of sue
youth, as provided in Section go above quote
and that at least one Of the school houses no
used has outlived Its day, and in its dilapdate
and dangerous condition Is a disgrace to Ii
school spirit and intelligence Of our city; secont
that the tax as allowed by law Is not sufficient
meet the present demand for new buildings; an
third, that If the school work Is to prosper, Il
people Of the district win be obliged, by autho
! izing the issue ofbonds through term ofyears
anticipation of the taxes, to put It in the power
the Board to provide for several new school bull,
ings and an enlargement Of at least one of Il
{ old ones, viz; the South Building at a very ear
day.
g Cantons material growth and prosperity ha,
. been marked within the past ten or fifteen yeaI
A in many respects this growth has been so rap
4 that the city Is yet lamentably deficient in ad
qnate provision to meet the material comfort
i, the people though much has been aecomplisht
: in this direction, and much IS still being done; Ii
: cost of material Improvements has added large
to the annual expenditures Of the city, and wi
necessarily do so also in the future; but in Il
supply of school privileges we have failed mo
! decidedly than in any material respect; some
! our schools have been over-crowded, and Il
!. teachers corespondingy oyerworked every We
' of my nine years connection with them, and Il
increase of the past two years, and notably the
\ crease of the presenter in the number Of pup
has been so great that the Intellectual and MOI
vvell heinp of the rising generation az ,yaii as