The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-15
superintendent Kendall Submits 10
the Commissioners a Report on
the Necessary Extensions.
HIGH SCHOOLS INADEQUACY
COST OF IMPROVEMENTS AT SHORT
RIDGE WOULD BE $215,OoO.
improvements mt NJ. T. III. 8. Would
Cost 500, Statement Of
Development Schools Demand.

The members of the Board Of School
Commissioners had plenty to occupy their
attention last night, for the annual report
and recommendations for next year, pre-
pared by Superintendent Kendall. caused
them to spend nearly three hours in dis
cussing the needs of schools in the city and
| the manner in which the needs shall be
| met. Commissioner Moore said 1t would
| require an additional ten-cent levy to meet
! the immediate demands. He said the Man.
! ual Training High School should have adj
| ditional shop capacity, at least thirteen ad-
ditional recitation rooms, large audi
! torium and a gymnasium. All this would
cost in the neighborhood Of $4,000. The
| Shortridge High School needs many i'm
| provements. Rooms are not adequately
/ lighted and ventilated and the assembly
| hall is entirely too small. The plan con-
| templated is carrying the building to North
street, providing an auditorium that will
seat about 1850 pupils, additional recita-
| ton rooms, complete business school,
| gymnasium and provisions for one years
course in manual training. The total cost
| of the contemplated improvements is $215,
| 600, and this cannot be provided for except
| by an emergency law. 1t is estimated that
| il will require at least $4,000 year to
| teach manual training in graded schools.
| and about $4,000 more to pay all teachers
now getting less than $500 year, a salary
equal to $500 year.
An additional report to the one published
below was also filed by Superintendent
Kendall, showing the total enrolment in
the first three weeks Of school of the pres
| ent year was 1851 boys and 1919 girls
| a total of 25,740. This is an increase Of
| 1900 over September of 1901. The Manual
| Training High School showed an increase
of 14O and Shortridge a decrease of thirty
six There are 642 boys at M. T. II. s. and
only 323 boys at s. III. s. There are 6l9
girls at NJ. 7. H. 8. and 79l girls at s. II. 5.
The report says that at the present rate OF
increase, twelve to sixteen new rooms Will
| be needed each year.
The board authorized the superintendent
| to open night schools next month. Mr.
| Kendall says he will probably conduct the
| night schools at the Manual Training High
| School, one for Italians on the South Side,
board appropriated s45 for purchase of
| Booker T. Washingtons book, Building
| of Character" to be used in colored
| schools Superintendent Kendall announced
| the following appointments: Nellie Hamlin
as teacher in the Shortridge High School,
| Charles r. Skinner as teacher in the
Manual Training High School. Lula Grove
as assistant principal at school No. Al.
| A. II. Holmes as instructor In the CONNER
| cial department of the Shortridge High
School.
The report of the business director was
also filed with the board last night 1t is
substantially the same the report Of
Superintendent Kendall. The report shows
cash on hand on July l of $S6,69799; a net
reduction of the boards Indebtedness dur
ing the year of $96,15363; an increase In the
net assets of the board of s247,914.96. This
increase covers the annexation of Irving
ton and Tuxedo, the purchase of new
grounds and the erection and enlargement
of school buildings. The board is paying
out each year on account of old indebted
ness no less than S63 600. The report says
that some of the problems to be met might
be formulated as follows: To provide teach
ers and school accommoda tons for all the
children of the city; TO pay each year the
entire interest and from $4,000 to $4,000
Upon the principal OF the debt and keep up
the payment OF current expenses; to live
within the income; to equalize the pay of
grade teachers. Authority should be asked,
the report continues, for increasing the
levy 10 cents the 800. Commissioner
Sloan said the next Legislature will be
asked to provide means for increasing the
levy for the School Board.
MR.. KENDALLS RECOMMENDATIONS
The report of Superintendent Kendall
follows:
ITO the Honorable Board Of School Com
missioners:
I'm accordance with your request I pre-
sent at this time, rather than In February,
as the rules prescribe, a statement of the
prODdDle needs OF addltlOnal SChOOl accom-
modations in September, 1903. / believe it
is sound policy to consider these needs early
in the school year in order that new build
ings and other additional accommodations
may be ready for use at the opening Of the
schools.
lone of the imperative needs of the ele-
mentary schools Is to provide suitable &C
commodatonS at North Indianapolis at
School No. Al. AT the present time we have
enrolled at that school upward of 200 pupils.
These pupils are now taught in five sep
1 haril lfr1c~c " Of
room house, is well adapted for school pur-
poses. One, six-room house. is the I'M
slightly remainder of the old building. part
of which was torn away TO make room for
the new six-room structure. This building,
while useable is isolated from the main
structure and is very far from being what
school building should be. Two of the
remaining roms are unfit for schooi-room
purposes. These rented rooms a block
from the main school plant. The two re-
naming rooms are portable schools. Port
able buildings will do in an emergency,
but they not and cannot be as well
adapted for school work as permanent
house at No. Al in the summer of 1903 an
other portable building will be necessary,
making a school plant of six different
buildings 1t is quite needless for me TO
say that good school work under such con-
ditons is out of the question. In my judy
ment fourteen-room house should be
your funds will permit. This building
should contain a hall for assembly room
| purposes. L do not believe that il would be
wise to erect building at North Indianap-
oils of less than fourteen rooms.
| Another immediate need is an addition
to the Lincoln School. on Palmer street be-
tween Barth avenue and Ringold street, on
the South Side. The Lincoln School is a
new building. 1t was opened in the fall
| of 1901 as a seven-room house, with one va
cant room. During the year it became
| at the beginning of his year, so rapid had
been the growth in that part of the city
that two of the corridors of the house were
partitioned off 10 provide two additinal
rooms. A corridor or hallway partitioned
/ of for schoolroom purposes cannot make
good schoolroom. We need to-day an
other schoolroom at the Lincoln School
| therefore a four-room addition should be
| made to the school during the coming sum
mer You will permit me TO call your at.
| tention to the fact that when IL was pro-
posed to erect a house in this part OF tine
city IL was thought at first that four
room building would be sufficiently large
We need now (two years later twelve
room house in that neighborhood. 1t Is
only a question of the near future when q
care of the children in that part of the
, city.
; Another imperative need is additions
accom- gnodations at school No 80, or a
Haughyille. We are now using one rented
room two portable schools and in shor
time shall make use of the vacated H.
brary building, making four rooms in ust
outside of the main building. This distric
has shown rapid growth in the past tive
years, and six-room. or perhaps an eight
ROOM house should be built as an addition