The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-02
MAY AGREE
On the Oxford Street
School Problem.
OFFICIALS ADMIT
That School House Condi-
tions Are Bad.

1t is possible that the committee on
education of the city council and the
school committee members who have
been so ardent for a new school house
in the Oxford street district, may set
tie their differences.
If they do there will be only one
school house near Oxford street. If
there is to be a second building in adj
dition to the one already there, it
won't be in that immediate vicinity. A
compromise measure is that the pres
ent lot be sold if the school committee
insists that the new building be in the
immediate vicinity of Oxford street.
Such compromise means that any
pet scheme which the members of the
school committee might have for the
establishment of a manual training
school at the Oxford street house. will
have to be given up. The committee
on education has been fully determined
that 1t would not purchase a lot in the
vicinity of Oxford street, on account of
the great cost. Recently, the school
committee members have been think
ink they would be satisfied with a new
| building in that district, where land is
cheaper.
The Eaton lot at the corner of Chat
nam and Crown streets is the favorite
site of the most ardent supporters of
the project. The price Of the land and
buildings which would be necessary,
would be in the neighborhood of
$75,000. That figure halted the COM
mitee on education. 1t would not con-
sent to report any such recommends
tlon to the city council. But if the lot
of the Oxford street house is sold, the
price will make the actual cost of the
new site within reasonable bounds
Nothing is now heard on the sani-
tary conditions of the Oxford street
house The poor sanitary conditions
were advanced as the reason the school
committee desired to have the house
condemned for school purposes The
city council committee caused a change
in the sanitary conditions and obtained
such good results that no fault can
now be found. The noise of Pleasant
street is now advanced as the strongest
reason for abandoning the school.
The suggested compromise came yes
terday, as result of a trip of the
joint standing committee on education
and a delegation from the school de-
partment, consisting Of Superintendent
Z. F. Carroll, Chairman of the School
Committee George F. Brooks and e. l.
| Va liAC SOIlHlillbG on SCHOOL
| houses. The party made a tour of the
district in which there is overcrowd-
ing of school houses, beginning at
! Woodland street. The trip revealed
that the desires of the school commit
tee are warranted by the conditions
and are reasonable.
Both buildings ON the Woodland
street lot are crowded SO much that re-
lief cannot be delayed any longer than
| is unavoidable. In one of the rooms
| at Woodland street there are 80 chill
dren and two teachers. Another class
| IS placed in basement room. Base
ment rooms are Objectionable for school
purposes, and the one at Woodland
street is particularly so. The men of
the school department made serious
| objections to the necessity of placing
I children in the basement room.
The Chandler street school house is
also crowded, although not overcrowd-
ed. At Winslow street another great
objection was found. The house is
overcrowded An attic room is being
used for one class, which contains 40
4 pupils. The number of pupils allowed
in single room is 48, so that this class
/ is within the limit in that respect, but
all authorities connected with the
| schools object to using an attic room
| for school purposes. With conditions
| existing as they are at present in that
district, the over-crowding cannot be
avoided.
The city council committee feared at
first that new building anywhere in
| that section could not relieve the
crowding at Woodland street, but the
school department men showed that
by transferring the children from one
building to another, the relief sought
can be obtained. No matter where the
new house is built children from
| Chandler street can be sent there. A
| number of children now attending
| Woodland street can be sent to Chand-
| Ter street if a vacancy is made, without
| Chandler street school as Woodland.
| The Winslow street house, of course,
comes within near radius of the pro-
posed sites of the new building.
After viewing the houses, the party
| viewed the several sites which have
been under consideration of the COM
mittee on education for several weeks
past The committee has secured prices
on the several places to head off any
| sudden increase in the value of land
which usually follows the knowledge
| that the city wants it for school pur-
poses. Until the compromise sug-
gestion was made yesterday, it was all
but decided that the Eaton lot would
not be seriously considered on account
Of the cost. The committee on educa-
| ton took the ground that the demands
| for a school house in that particular
locality were not sufficient to warrant
| such expense. The house could be
placed in some other section not far
away, where land could be purchased
much cheaper But If the oxford
street house is sold, the committee feels
that the expense will then be reason
able The school committee men want
| =, b,,i1dfno Of frora 10 tO 1X rooms