Omaha daily bee., 1897-07-20
VOTE FOR klNDERCARTENS
Four Rooms to Be Opened for the Little
Ones in the City Schools
DISCUSSED BY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Only Two Members oppose the Report
of the Committee Appoint-
mcnt of Teachers Deferred
Other Business Done.

The Board OF Education held long session !
for it's regular monthly meeting last even !
ing, and discussed in general way great !
many things for the general good of the I
city schools the subject receiving the great
est consideration being kindergarteus The
| final result of the talk was the adoption OF
resolution to make the experiment with
two teachers who will teach two rooms
each one in the forenoon and one in the
afternoon. The matter was brought up by
| report from Chairman Spruit of the teachers
committee, recommending the employment OF
not less than two kindergarten teachers and
the opening OF four rooms. At the previous
meetings cf the board, when the kindergarten
| idea was uppermost, Members Thomas and
Moore were not always present, and they had
not worked up the same degree of enthusi-
asm for the system as had the other mem
| bers and 1t was necessary to do good deal
OF talking and explaining. Chairman Sprut
| dwelt at length upon the necessity OF
| maintaining the status of the public schools
of Council Bluffs with those of other cities.
| He explained that the kindergarten had
| only been given legal status in Iowa within
year and that all of the principal cities in
| the state had adopted It, Mr.. Sims was an
earnest advocate of the system and sup
| ported his advocacy by great mass of
| testimonials from the school boards of the
state and practical educators where the
system was in operation. In all of the cities
of the state where 1t had been tried Sioux
| City alone had discontinued 1t, and letters
were read from Sioux City educators and
members of the school board showing that it's
discontinuance was due wholly to the neces-
sity Of reducing school expenses. Sprut ex-
planned that the children who were given the
benefit of the kindergarten training were
able to crowd the regular three-year course
in the ward schools into two years. He ex-
planned that the plan was to adopt the one
year course instead of two years.
Mr.. Thomas announced that he would
have to vote against trying the experiment
at the present time. One reason was that
when the levy was made for school pur-
poses this expense was not contemplated.
| Another reason was that there were always
two sides to every question, and he had
been looking on the opposite side of this
and found that there was q difference of
opinion regarding it among the best educa-
tors of the country. Many Of them opposed
1t on the ground that it was bringing the
children under school restraint at too tender
an age Many parents had come to him and
urged their objections against the adoption
of the system at this time. Many of the
primary teachers in the schools had also
registered their objections to it and had de-
clared that they would rather take n child
that had never been in school at all than to
take one that had had it's year or two of
training in the kindergarten. Many educa-
toFs OF national prominence had expressed
the same idea
Mr.. Sims thought Mr. Thomas was slightly
mistaken in his value of the work 1t was
only a question, said he, of whether the
child was to get its start In the kindergar-
ten or on the street. N"
Mr.. Moore asked IL the experiment had
not already been tried in Council Bluffs
and found to be failure under Superin-
tehaent Farnham Mr.. Sims said the system
! as taught fifteen years ago could not be
: compared with that taught today
The discussion took a wide range and
? several attempts were made before the mat
ter reached vote. All of the members
with the exception of Thomas and Moore
Votea IN laVor OF the kindergarten PROPOSE
tion and carried it.
The appointment of teachers was deferred.
The matter of purchasing two additional
l lots to be used to enlarge the grounds at
the Second avenue building was brought up
by the favorable report from the COMMITTEES
y on grounds and buildings. The report IA
vored the purchase of two lots from the
y Cochern estate for 5000. Some of the mem
z bers thought this was about twice what the
n lots in that part of town were selling for
= ana others thought 1t was 5000 less than
the property was worth. The matter was re-
) ferred to the next special meeting
l Chairman Sims of the committee on janl-
E tors announced that he was not ready to make
i his report and asked for further time
, Dr. Robertson from the committee on build-
, ings asked to have oak substituted for hard
pine in the construction of the stairways for
: the new addition to the Twentieth avenue
building at an additional cost of $50 No
e action was taken on the recommendation.
In accordance with the rule of the board
0 the salaries of the following teachers were
: Increased by the addition of S. per month
s Ella Mcintosh from November L. Nettie
I Morris. from January IS; Jennie Bull one
2 half OF the school year; Emma Morehouse
from February 1, and Wiley White from the
n date of the addition of the Seventh room tc
h her building. resolution was passed tina,
hereafter the salaries of all teachers shall
remain throughout the year as originally
| fixed
One of the school bonds which had beer
y refused by the purchasers on account of q
. detective signature was presented by the sec
retary and ordered destroyed, a duplicate hay
ing been issued.
Is The secretary was instructed to draw war
l. rants for the salaries of the superintendent
e principal of the High school and superntend
a ent of buildings during vacation without fur
n ther orders from the board. The remainder
- of the session was devoted to the allowanc
nf ha