Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-21
QUESTION OF A NEW HIGH SCHOOL
Board of Education Has n Discussion,
but Reaches No Conclusion.


submitting to the people at the coming
school election the proposition of issuing
! bonds for the erection of a new High school
/ was brought up by Member Sims at the
! regular meeting of the Board of Education
! last night. Mr.. Sims, in presenting the
! matter before the board, said he believed
100000 would be sufficient to build and
equip a High school building such as would
meet the requirements of the district for
several years and he was in favor of sub
hitting to the people at the coming cleo
| ton proposition to authorize the board
to issue bonds to this amount The present
| bonded indebtedness of the district he said
was S162,000 which is within $4,000 of
the constitutional limit. The issuance of
bonds to the amount of 100000 would leave
$4,000 and this, he believed, was sufficient
I to meet any emergency such as might arise
| as, for instance, the destruction of one of
the ward school buildings by FIRE. He was
! In taVor OF grading the present site of the
High school and erecting the new building
there, facing on Glen avenue
The present building. he said was con-
| ceded by all to be inadequate to accommo-
date the number of pupils attending and at
| the beginning of this month room had
to be opened in the Washington avenue
building to provide accommodation for the
~'''SS Vi my piOuOLtu dJ IUdJ time. In
June the enrolment at the High school
would be further increased by fifty more
and the problem that the board had to face
was where they would be accommodated
Mr.. Sims also referred to the fact that the
TASK OF daily climbing the hill to the High
school and then ascending the siXty-fve
steps from the street to the building and
the sixty steps inside the building to the
recitation rooms was too much for the
strength of many of the young women and
numbers of them had been forced to give
up their studies on this account. On that
very morning the mother of one of the most
promising pupils had notified the principal
that her daughter would have to give up
attending the High school as long as it was
perched on the top of the hill where it
now is.
Superintendent Hayden presented figures
showing that the attendance at the High
school had more than doubled in the last
ten years. In 1889 the attendance was 11S:
| in 1880, 1853: in 1891, 173; in 1892 2O7: in
1S93 271: in 1894 341; in 1896, 376; in 1895,
800; in 1897, S97; in 1898, 4O7, and this
year, 45O. He referred to the disadvantages
OF having High school class, such as the
one in the Washington avenue building.
situated anywhere except in the High school
proper The pupils in the class at the
IL
ing the same course of studies as those
in the High school, take their instruction
IN all branches from one teacher while if
the class were at the High school the pu-
pills would be instructed by specialists in
each branch.
Member Spruit was in favor of submit
ting the proposition and believed that if
presented in proper light to the people
the proposition would carry. In 1895, when
the proposition was defeated, the board
asked for the issuance of 100000 and then
1t was only lost by a very small majority
Some discussion was had as to whether
it would not be possible to increase the ac-
commodation of the present building by
dividing the assembly room into class
rooms, but this it was finally decided would
only be temporary makeshift at the best
Member Thomas thought it would be
cheaper plan to convert the Washington
avenue building into a high school and for
the district to build new ward school for
the 700 pupils new attending there. Other
members were of the opinion that a high
school could be built fo. the same money
as ward school and did not see where any
money would be saved by Member Thomas
proposition.
Member Moore was and has for years
been in favor of a new high school and
erected for not to exceed $4,000.
Member Stewart, without expressing him
self for or against TIE proposition of a new
high school, said he was greatly in favor
of the scheme Of a county high school and
erecting building to ccst at least $3.50 900.
This brought Mr.. Cooper to his feet with
the statement that they could not get five
votes east of Mosquito creek for such
proposition. Mr.. Cooper believed the proper
site for the new high school building would
be on the lots just west of the Washington
avenue building and he believed the prop
erty could be purchased for the amount that
it would cost to grade the present high
school site. After all the members had aired
their views on the question it was decided
to hold an adjourned meeting Thursday
night when the public will be invited to
express their views to the most desirable
location.
Secretary Dillon was employed to prepare
the registration for the school election to |
be held Monday, March 13, and it was de-
cded the voting precincts should be the
same last year. The selection of voting
places in the different precincts was divided |
among the board as follows First precinct,
consisting of First ward, Sims; Second pre-
cnct, consisting of Second ward Stewart;
Third precinct consisting of Third ward
Fourth precinct, consisting of Second pre-
cinct of Fourth ward and Fifth precinct |
Spruit Fifth precinct, consisting of Sixth
ward, Henry.
proposition to issue bonds in the amount |
OF $1,000 for the purchase of a site and !
erection OF ward school in Cut Off will be
submitted at the election a petition with |
ffty-eight signatures to that effect having |
been received
Miss Ainsworth was assigned to the Pierce |
street school as a regular teacher.
Chairman Sims of the finance committee |
submitted the following estimate for next |
year: Teachers fund, $4,000; contingent |
fund, 500 900; school house fund $4,000 The |
balances on hand in the different funds at
present was: Contingent, S1,S44; teachers, |
s15,5SS; school house s5,597; school book,
$1S7. He estimated that the teachers pay |
roll next year would amount to 5000
After allowing the usual grst OF bills for |
the preceding month the board adjourned. |
WOuId he Bnnkrupts.
f. NJ Davenport OF Carroll and 70, w. !
Fair of this city, declared bankrupts in the !
United States district court have filed ap- |
plications for their discharge and Referee |
Mavne has sci March for the time for |