The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-26
new CHARTER CALL
BOARD OF EDUCATION WANTS
JUDGES OF DISTRICT COURT
TO ACT
TO SOLVE SCHOOL PROBLEM

supply the Defcit-Divergen
Views as to the Powers OF II Char
ter Commission to Provide the
Additional Funds Dcsired-Mees-
ing With Mayor Kiefer.
St PauIs need of a new charter was
given formal official expression yesterday
in the adoption by the school board OF
resolutions urging the council to do two
things:
First-To request the district court to
appoint charter commission TO so
amend the charter that sufficient funds
for maintaining the school system may
be raised in the future
Secondhand there be set apart from
the general. or any other available fund.
Sl12, 600 for school purposes.
The resolutions, which were adopted at
a special meeting early yesterday morn
ing and later submitted to Mayor kiefer
by committee consisting of President.
Bernard Zimmerman. Chairman e. Y.
Zimmerman of the committee on
schools, and Chairman II. C. McNair, OF,
the committee on finance, are as follows:
w
for the city of ST. Paul, acting. upon, the
assumption that the increase of tax levy
for the school district of St. Paul, pro-
vided for by an act of the last general
assembly, would be available for use DUR
ing the present year, entered into an ar
rangement with its employees for the
usual school year and planned to carry
on the work as heretofore, and
Whereas, 1t is the earnest desire of this
board to maintain the present high stand
ard of education in our schools and to
provide suitable buildings and sufh-
cient number of sittlngS for all chlluren
of school age, and
Whereas, The recent decision of the SUI
preme court of the state of Minnesota de-
prives this board of the use OF Sllz,ooo
upon which it had confidently counted as
a necessary part of this years expend1-
lures and
Whereas, This decision makes it impos-
sibe to continue the work of necessary
repairs and of the erection of additional
room or the renting of annexeS, in which
to house, temporarily, the children or
school age in the city and leaves the board
with an amount of money $4,000 less than
is necessary to carry out it's contracts,
actual or implied with its employees;
5 Resolved. That his honor, the mayor of
the city of st. Paul, is hereby urgently re-
quested to call d special meeting Of the
joint legislative bodies of the city, for the
purpose of having these bodies request
the honorable, the district judges of
Ramsey county, to appoint a commission
for the sole purpose of 50 amending the
present charter of the city that sufficient
funds for maintaining the school system
may be raised in the future, and that
such action be taken in good and sufti-
Gent time to secure vote upon the
amended charter at the next city cleo
ton.
Resolved, That the city council be and
hereby is requested to set apart from the
general fund, or any other available fund,
of the city the sum of one hundred and
twelve thousand dollars for school pur-
.IN,- t1,a
tracts of this board may be effectively
carried out; that the school privileges of
st. Paul may not prove wholly made
quate: that great injury may. not be in
f1icted upon the most cherished institution
of the city, and that 25,000 children be not
turned out upon the streets two months
before the usual time.
CROWDED SCHOOLS
. Accompanying the resolutions there was
presented to the mayor the following
statement, also approved by the board,
setting forth the facts as to the condi-
ton of the crowded schools:
The board of school inspectors respect
fully represents that for a period of four
years no additional rooms have been pro-
v1ded for the school children, except in
the form of annexes, that, in every. case.
are wholly unsuitable and are used only
in the expectation that speedy relief will
be provided. For a period of more than
I'VE years the repairs put upon the school
serve them; that during these years the
buildings have suffered injury and de-
terioration, which this board has been
wholly powerless to prevent: that many
parents and children have been greatly
Inconvenience by being compelled to ac-
cept school accommodations In buildings
remote from their homes and that in
many instances, in order to complete the
eight grades of the district schools, it has
been necessary for the pupils to attend at
four different buildings, without a change
of residence; that the pupils residing
to attend upon the Madison school, Cen
trail and Park avenues, for the eighth
grade and are compelled to accept a half
day session, after travelling all the way
fom Lexington avenue: that more than
four hundred children are crowded into
-annexes, in every. way Objectionable both
in respect to lighting and ventilation;
that many rooms are greatly oyercroWd
eds for instance, one room in the John
Ericsson school, First ward, reported, in
September an enrolment Of 1877 pupils,
three in the Van Buren,, Second ward one
in the Hawthorne First ward two in the
Jackson. Eighth ward; one in the Long
fellow. Eleventh ward one in the Drew,
Eighth ward one in the Adams, Fifth
ward; one In the Monroe, Fifth ward, re-
ported over eighty pupils; one in the
Webster, Seventh ward, reported 106, and
except in suburban districts there is too
great an enrolment; that aside from
some writing paper, q few library books
furnished by state aid and Kindergarten es
supplies, all assistance by way of i'm
proved and enlarged equipment has been
withdrawn. 1t Is best for everyone that
the pla1nest possible statement should be
made, in order that the public may fully
understand the straits to which the
schools have been reduced
No one for a moment will insist that
any teacher should undertake the care
and direction of eighty children just be-
ginning school life and much less the
effort to direct nearly twice that number
n web
that children of the seventh and eighth
grades sustain by attending halliday
session 1t seems incredible that in q
city like St. Pau, such state of things
borne these increasing burdens, with de-
creasing salaries so uncomplainingly and
so successfully that our citizens generally
have failed to appreciate the actual con-
dition. AS the schools have gone on in
the past, so they will in the future, it has
been claimed and argued, notwithstand-
ing this board has persistently and ur-
gently declared that time would come
when the schools would be closed, I'M
less additional funds We're provided. All
that this board can do; all that the
done, and it is imperatively necessary
that we should authoritatively announce
That the appropriation Of $422, 900 will not
carry the schools through the present
year; that at least an additional sum of
$4,000 will be needed for the payment of
the teachers salaries and that a much
larger sum should be provided for repairs
and additions to buildings.
1t is we'll known that it is not within
the province of this board to provide
funds for the maintenance of the schools,
but as board and as individual members
we earnestly hope that those in charge of
the city finances will find some way
whereby suitable relief will be provided.
The board particularly emphasizes the
fact that this need of additional money
arises from the reduction of assessed
valuations in Ramsey county, made in
1886, whereby school revenues were re-
sduced by more than $105000 annually and