The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-02
THE WEST HAVEN SCHOOLS
IMPORTANT CHANGE TO BE ASKED
 or THE LEGISLATURE.

Borough to Have Board of Education
 -DOings at the Annual School Meeting
 Long and Efficient services-The
 Election of Omcials-The New school
 Principal.
 The annual meeting of the Union school district of the borough of West Haven was held Thursday evening at the town hall and was well attended. James H. Reynolds presided and the clerk of the district, James Tolles, tel Ter Of the County bank, this city, off, ciated as secretary. The Union school dfstrict has control of all the schools in the borough of West Haven which includes the new large ten-room graded school and three outside school build 1ngs of four rooms each. The meeting accepted the report of the dis trict committee, showing expenditures Tor the year amounting to about $22,- QUO, the current expenses including the salaries of teachers, heating, lighting and supplies being about $17500. The following were elected the district com- mittee, viz, Clarence E. Thompson, chairman; w. $. Lucey and John Brown. vote was passed adding $50 to the fund for increasing the library in the graded school. A vote was pass ed authorizing the district committee to appoint teachers for the next year beginning July 1st 1899. It was voted to lay tax of three mills for school purposes. A resolution offered by Judge Bryant was adopted authoriz- ing and directing that application be made to the next legislature for an act consolidating the two committees, viz. the district committee and the board of school visitors under the title or the West Haven board of education, by the passage of which vote the control of the public schools of the borough and their affairs will be wholly in the hands of the borough of West Haven, doing away with the supervision of the board of visitors, this board being a town affair and chosen by the town. With this change accomplished the board of visitors appointed by the town will have charge only of the schools outside of the borough of West Haven. The change has become necessary owing to the big growth of the schools in West Haven, the borough now having 1000 children of school age. Ten years ago the number of children of school age was less than 800, the number having doubled in ten years.
 The district committee were empow- cred to make such additions to the Richards Place and Wood street schools as may be found necessary, the large increase of the number of pupils having rendered an important enlarge ment of those school buildings neces- sary,
 MT. Thompson, chairman of the dis trict committee, received most flat tering vote in again being reelected to the important and arduous position of chairman, receiving about seventy out of ninety-two votes. MT. Thompson has been most efficient member of the district committee for eighteen years past and for the last ten years has been chairman of the district com- mittee. MT. Thompson made a short address in response, thanking the meet ing for this renewed complimentary evidence of it's approval of his arduous work and services in behalf of the borough's school interests and adding that this would be his valedictory year as the new change in view. which will place the affairs of the district in the hands of board of education, would do away with the position of chairman of the district committee. The begin- ming of the next school year would bring about new regime, change very much to be desired in view of the growth of the district. The duties of the position of chairman had been in- creasing year by year and have requir- ed much time and attention and the adjustment of a multitude of delicate and difficult questions and this work had grown so that it should be divided, it having become onerous and burden some for one man to carry.
 Mir. Thompson's record of official service Is one of the brightest and most conspicuous for efficiency in the history of West Haven and the town of Orange, of which West Haven has become the metropolitan part The borough of West Haven has been hon. ored by his long and able service per- formed W1Cn u0TeInlttlng attention ana in this respect it is a parallel case to the official labors of one of our towns men, Maier Zunder, a man much far ther advanced in years than Mir Thompson, who is still a young man comparatively. MT. Thompson's re- election, it need not be said, gives the greatest satisfaction to the people of West Haven, especially the taxpayers, who bear the cost of supporting and maintaining the schools of the borough. It was largely to MT Thompson's work, energy and public spirit that West Haven's fine graded school build ing was erected, previous to the build- ing of which the borough schools were mainly Of the old country school house description, neat and tidy frame build ings of the primary and secondary or- der
 The year begins with great promise for the district and the harmonious spirit evidenced at the meeting is re- garded with congratulation by the citizens of West Haven, coupled with