El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-09-06
School Board Meeting.

Last night the city school board
met in regular monthly session. Pre-
| sident Race was in the chair and
Messrs Shelton, Blacker, Foster, and
Harper were present, forming
quorum.
Secretary Pew being absent from the
city A. G.. Foster was made secretary
pro tenn.
The minutes of the last meeting
were read and approved, after which
the president called on Superl9tend-
emit Putnam. for his report. The re-
port was as follows:
1.-The entire enrolment today, as
well as / can estimate 1T, IL LIZ, whlch
is the largest number ever enrolled on
the first day Of school, in Ell Paso.
All of the schools were crowded ex-
cept the Franklin. L expect an in
crease of 10 per cent over today's num-
Der, tomorrow, aud by the first OF Octo-
Der fair average can be made. me
average of the month of September
last year was exactly the same as 1t Is
the first day this year, 1l21. LII our
number increases as l expect 1t Will,
we will be unable to seat them, as we
can only seat 1150, and [ don't know
what to do.
ssMiss Thornton was unable to be
here today to take her grade. | re-
ceived a telegram from her few days
ago saving that she was unavo1oably
detained on account of sickness, but L
have made arrangements to have some
one take her place until she does come.
"Mrs. Murphy of the colored schools
will not teach this year as her health
will not permit it, and 1 recommend
that the board employ the services OF a
colored woman who came here and
took the examination. Her name is
Owens, Julia Owens, and she passed a
pretty fair examination. The board
decided to leave this matter to the
Judgment of the superintendent.
The matter of raising the salary OF
Professor Murphy, superintendent OF
the negro school, was taken up and a.
ter some discussion it was decided that
he deserved q raise. Last year he
was given 500 and Mrs. Murphy $500;
this year the professor will receive
$3.50 and Julia, Owens his assistant,
$3.50.
The next matter which the board
took up for discussion was paying Jake
Catlin, who took the school census, an
extra $50 for his services in taking the
census. 1t was agreed to take this
amount out of the tuition fund. Super
intendent Putnam was ordered to pay
Mr. Catlin the amount agreed upon.
Mr.. Foster reported for the external
committee concerning the repairs to
the schools, most of which he said had
been done to the Mesa school.
Treasurer Foster reported to the
board in regard to the purchase of the
ground in the second ward for a school.
There will have to be another school
erected before the first of the year, on
account of the present ones being so
overcrowded. The treasurer in his re-
port said that he had purchased the
ground and had had thu Western Alb
stract company make an abstract OF
the property; the title is found to be
all right. Judge Blacker moved that
the report OF Mr.. Foster be accepted:
motion was carried.
Secretary Foster informed the board
that $4,000 of the insurance on the
school buildings had expired and that
the agent, T. II. Conklin, had inform
ed him that if the board would author
ize him, he would have the policy
written for three years instead of one
as it had been heretofore, as in having
it written for the three years a good
deal was saved, so it was agreed to
have the policy renewed for three
years.
There being no other reports the
president called for bills, as follows:
Sorenson and Morgan ,(cOntrac-