The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-08
RUNNING over.
Something Must Be Done at
Once For City Schools.
Nearly Every Building is Crowd
ed to OYerfOwing.
DAVIDSON'S REPO RT.
Shows What Must Be Done to
Accommodate Pupils.
Seventy-three Potwin Children
Go to Other Schools.
HIGH SCHOOL JAMMED.
Provision Must Be Made For
More Students Next Year.
Estimated Cost of Necessary
Provision Must Be Made For
More Students Next Year.
Estimated Cost of Necessary
New Buildings is 100000

At the meeting of the board of eduea-
ton held last night it was decided to
have the clerk compile an exhaustive
statement concerning the boards
finances and to make a public statement
of the shortage OF funds which now con
fronts the board and which was printed
exclusively in the State Journal satur-
day.
The board viii take no definite action
in hopes of relieving the situation and
will make no suggestions until the re
port is made but the probabilities are
that the board viii decide to submit a
proposition to vote bonds to the extent
of about 100000, which VIII also cover
the cost of a manual training school
At the previous meeting of the board
superintendent Davidson was requested
TO make ii report showing the exact con-
ditiOn of the schools in regard to the
crowded conditions which exist in sew
eral school districts Superintendent
DaVidsOn's report VerifieS the state
ments of the State Journal that the
North Topeka school buildings, the Pot
win school and the High school are so
crowded that immediate steps should be
taken TO relieve the condition Children
who live in Auburndale and POtW1n
have to attend Clay and other schools
because of the crowded condition at the
POLWiu school They are forced to go
from TO to 19 blocks to and from school.
The children range in age from to Is
years OF age.
CONDITION OF SCHOOLS.
superintendent Davidson submitted
the following report on the conditions in
lne cioNsHQ Senools
In accordance with the resolution Of
the board made at the March meeting
directing the superintendent to prepare
written statement showing the enroll
menr at Grant, Quincy, Lane, Clay and
PotWtn schools, I beg to hand you with
this a statement in detail showing the
total enrolment for each of these build
1ngs and the enrolment in each room
thereof.
In reference to the Potwin situation
1 would beg to submit a list Of pupils in
Clay school who live ia PotWin or Au-
bur9daie. This list is arranged by
grades, giving the residence of each
pupil and the total number Of blocks he
would travel in attending either the Clay
or PotWin buildings.
The conclusions which follow are
nearly all based on the suppositiOn that
no teacher should be asked to take
charge of more than from 40 to 45 pupils.
Arguing from this as d basis, it would
appear.
a. Grant school should have two
more rooms and Quincy one, in order to
relieve the present crowded condition in
those buildings. This would require a
buildings.
Grant has II rooms in the base
ment; Quincy has rooms in the
basement; total, 20 in the basement.
II these basement rooms are to be aban-
fAoned-aud in my judgment thev should
De-the situation in North Topeka would
require additional rooms above ground
Ihls condition could be met bv building
additions to either Grant or Quincy. or
pothi or by the erection OF an addition
a. puhdlng- In my judgment it would
De pest to erect new building of from
10 10 u rooms, thereby anticipating the
LuTUTe growth of the
the river.
% THE Lane school is located at the
Junction Of the Rock Island and Union
racine railroads. On account of the
constant traffic over those roads the In
cation is in every way an undesira bl le
one Ior school purposes The board
shouid IN the near future, look forward
TO the selection of a new site and per-
maps lne erection of d new building to
take the place OF the present frame
structure
% "Potwin school is a four room
puiding. 1t at present has an average
enrolment OF about 40 pupils to the
teacher If the 73 pupils Who reside in
the vicinity Of that building and who
are now in Clay school were to ne
transferred to Potwin then at least two
adulllonal rooms would be required at
that building Should the board decide
70 place an addition to the Potwin
pulldlng, IN my judgment it should be a
TOUR room addition, thereby anticipat-
town. -
% six rooms in the new Sumner
pullulng have already been opened, both
the Nickel Plate and the Douglas
school children having been in attend
anee there during the past two weeks
Tn tomorrow or the next day at the
lartnest, the two basement rooms at
Harrison VIII be vacated, and from 40
TO 10 children transferred from Harrison
10 sumner, thereby making it necessary
TO occupy eight rooms in that buiIdine
However. the enrolment of these rooms
VIII range from but q to 40 pupils in
eacn room. Other transfers viii be made
from the Clay building somewhat IN
ereas1ng this number. There win sfjll
pc tour rooms unoecupied in Sumner
building
In the event of the 70 pupils now at
tending Clay being transferred TO Pot
VIM there would still remain in the
Clay building a total Of 502-an average
OF over 40 pupils to the room. 1t would
appear that at the beginning of next
year, at least two. perhaps three. Of fbe
rooms at Clay could be vacated nv
transferring pupils from the CLAW dis
tr1ct TO the new Sumner building. This
would throw Wha teVer of vacant rooms
We might have at our disposal in the old
four room building at Clay. and perbans
would be Of advantage in that it would
relieve the strain on the present heating
plant in the Clay building
t69 In regard to the crowded condi-