St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-02
CvERCROWOED SCHOOLS.
eyer one THOUSAND MORE PUPILS
THAN STRINGS.
SCHOOL INSPECTORS TALK.


of School Representatives.
Makes a Strong Showing OIL
the Lack of School Accommo-
dations Physical Culture to
Be Introduced i N hi Schools.
The leading feature of the meeting OF
the board of school inspectors yesterday
afternoon was the discussion of the sub
ject of the overcrOwded condition OF the
schools. Supt. Gilbert submitted a
strong report upon the subject at the
October meeting of the board, and it was
made tie report of the board n re-
ferred to the common council. Nothing
has apparently come of the matter.
Supt. Gilbert was instructed by the
board on Oct. 81 to make a specific re-
port of the present school accommodate
tons as compared with the needs of
the schools. This report was submitted
to the meeting of yesterday. In this re-
port he sets forth that the normal seat
Ing capacity of all the schools is 1,4S4
less than the total enrolment of Oct. 20.
After the reading of the report was
concluded, President Willrich raised
the question as to whether the actual
attendance of each day was not enough
short of the total enrolment to admit OF
a comfortable seating for all the pupils.
The superintendent replied that it was
net. Mr.. Willrich raised several other
questions, and finally it was considered
advisable, in order to present the
strongest case possible to the common
council, that a committee of the board
should go over the whole field with the
superintendent, in order to formulate a
report of the board which would make
every allowance possible on the side Of
the economical tendency OF the council.
On motion of Inspector McGill it was
voted that the president should appoint
two inspectors to act with himself as a
committee of three TO look over the
schools with Mr.. Gilbert. President
Willrich appointed as his co-members
of the committee Inspectors Dickson
and Vanish.
The report of Mr.. Gilbert reads as
follows:
GILBERT'S REPORT.
The schools Of the city are at present
accommodated in forty -four buildings,
containing 17,03S slttingS. in charge of
400 class room teachers. The normal
seating capacity of these buildings, ac.
cording to the standard adopted by this
board, OF 40 pupils to a teacher i'll the
district schools, is 1860, including the
high school. The present enrolment
of the schools, including the high
school, is 16, 427. Ills is Tie number Of
pupils actually belonging Oct. 26. The
number of pupils enrolled to this date
this term is II, 1914, SO that 1t will be
seen that the total enrolment exceeds
the total normal seating capacity by
1884.
The ndmber of sittlngs reported in
the various buildings is frequently
greatly in excess of the normal number,
which merely Indicates that the city
owns more desks thar 1t has room for
In some cases these desks are used
accommodate an improperly large num-
Der of children, and in other cases they
are stored.
In the remainder Of this report |
shall simply speak Of the normal num-
Der of sittingS for the buildings. The
comparison of tables does not represent
the real situation, because in some por-
tons of the city. particularly the remote
and thiniy populated districts, there is
an excess of room, while in the thickly
populated districts the needs are much
greater than would appear.
The districts suffering most from con
gestiOn are the First and Eighth wards.
The Second and Seventh wards, while
not so badly crowded, will need reIiet
in the very near future. The following
statement will show The needs in these
districts:
IN the First ward there are six school
buildings, containing fifty-eight class
rOenls, whose normal capacity is 1920.
There are enrolled 10Y in these schools
2,G65, all excess of enrolment over the
proper capacity of Chs. enough tor four
teen oOmS. This excess is mainly con-
fined to two districts, the Lincoln and
the Cleveland. The Immediate relief
of these buildings requires an addition
of six rooms to the Lincoln and of eight
COmS to The Cleveland school.
in the Eighth ward there are six
buildings, containing 43 rooms with a
normal seating capacity of 1,720. and an
enrolment of 2,01g, an excess OF 299 over
the normal capacity. Two of these
schools, however. the Mcclellan and the
Logan, containing.9 rooms, with an ell
roilment of 1870 pupils and capacity for
$50, are located i'll the vicinity of Lake
Como at $ o great 4 distance from the
other schools that they can furnish no
relief; SO that calculations should be
based upon the accommodations and en-
rOllment in the district nominaliv Gov
cred by the Jackson, German, Schttfer
and MaXfield schools. These buildings
contain 81 rooms, with all enrolment of
1898, Including : rented rooms, and a
normal seating capacity Of 1.G6G, an eX-
cess OF G3S oven the normal capacity. and
would require Is more rooms TO properly
Accommodate the children.
There should be an addition of at
least four con to the German, four
rOOmS to tie jackson, four CONS 10 the
MaXield and Two rooms to the Scheffer,
and there should be built upon the va
cant property in tlAe vicinity of the
House of the Good Shepherd a four-room
building To relieve the r0OrnS now rented
by the board. These are, as l have said,
the most congeStee districts.
The schools of the Seventh ward are
however, very full, and some relief
should be furnished there. There are
in the Seventh ward three buildings.
with a normal capacity Of 1920, and an
enrolment OF l,4U0. This is a RAPIDLY
glowing district, and before another
year has passed, this excess will prob
ably have become two or three hundred.
The MaXfeld school, which is in the
Eighth ward, is, however, just upop the
borders of the Seventh, and is very full,
accommodating practically the normal
number of children for an eight-room
building; and besides this being used
as a teachers training school, enrolling
at the present time siXty-three pupil
teachers. There should be an addition
built to this building TO better provide
for the teachers training school, and
also to relieve the Webster school in the
upper grades.
In The Second ward the Van Buren,
scho0l is very full. its normal seating
capacity being 500, and its enrolment at
the present. tine 912. A four-room
building located between the Cleveland
ar" Van Buren, schools would greatly
relieve both.
ro4lOWlng Is a summary of tie new
gn.EDl annnL. nnInt i.iIS nnnInL l..