The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-24
SCHOOLS OR NOT.
Why Topeka Must Have New
School Buildings.
High School and Ward Build
ings Badly Crowded.
PEOPLE MUST SAY.
Proposition to Be Submitted at
the Coming Election.
President Mallory, of Board of
Education, Explains.

provisions Tor manual training, to
and old buildings 1r,ie ~ ..e s. eco
For the erection Of a brick building
4 of u rooms in the First ward. in
which only those rooms immediate
lN necessary shall now be finished ~ 900
For the purpose of a suitable site in
building -. .......s.:.......'..:... $500
Of SIX rooms in the First ward ''.. e.4oo
For the purchase of a suitable site in
the First ward for said proposed
For the erection Of an eight-room
brick building in Parkdale IN which
essary hal lnow be finished -. L, 500
! For the purchase of a suitable site
in Parkdale for said proposed
For the erection Of a four room adj
dttion to the Potwin building. ....... 10000
Rev. f. e Mallory. president of the
board of education. has stated the rea-
sons which have made it necessary for
the board to submit the bond PROPOSE
ton in the following statement prepared
for the State Journal:
The board Of education has asked the
mayor to submit the school bond propo-
sition for the following reasons:
"First-The schools in many parts OF
the city. including the high school, are
crowded to overhowing, and the board
feels that it IS an imperative necessity
that this condition be relieved at the
earliest possible moment.
Second-The board of education IL
the erection of the school buildings
already completed, has been obliged 10
anticipate the fund procured from tn
/ building levy to the extent that reVenu-
from that source cannot be aVailaf jt
! for further building purposes until Au-
gust 1904 Even if that fund were
aNalaDle- the income from that sourct-
/ would be SO small that it would take
until the year 1909 or 1910 before the
! buildings which are now needed could b.
| secured. Therefore the only possible
course left open for the board to relieve,
lmmediatelythe present overcrowded and
ulSanltary condition of our schools was
J 10 ask the mayor to submit the bond
/ proposition to the voters, as called for
IN Mayor Parker's proclamation.
ON THE NORTH SIDE.
IL North Topeka both the Quincy
ana the Grant schools are crowded be-
yond their capacity. The average en-
folment Of the Quincy building is now
over oV pupils per room, with one of the.
/ rooms enrolling as high as "A The
average enrolment in each room in
Grant IS likewise over so with th.-
/ highest enrolment 81 That the enroll
! lnent IN these two buildings is bevOnI
all reason, not only for the best teaching
-esults but for health results as well.
need not be argued.
me most unfortunate part of the
/ North Topeka situation. however is S,i.s
! 70 the tact that the board has been
Ophged to utilize the basement rooms
OF tnese two buildings as school rooms
50 that at the present time 24O children
IN tnat locality are sitting every day
I IN fnusty basement rooms which are All
soiuteiy UNFIT for school purposes fran,
the standpoint of ventilation. heat light
Hediths ana everything which goes to
make q school room suitable for the
I purpose Tor which it is intended These
rooms are so unsanitary that feel Ger
tam, were any patron in the city of To-
peka to visit these rooms during the
rainy season. ne or she would vote for
! the school bonds without question in
order that the situation might be re-
! lieved at once.
Lane school in North Topeka is To-
Gated at the junction of the Rock Island
and Union Pacific tracks 1t is attend
ed by the colored children of that To-
! callty- The traffic on these two roads
IS constant The noise at times is I'M
endurable. During the passing of trains
/ recitation work in the school rooms fire.
quentiy has TO be completely suspend
ed No one who has not been subjected
to similar annoyance can fully appre-
ciate what the teachers and children
4 of this school are obliged to endure from
/ this source. The building itself is an old
dila pidated frame building unfit to be
moved to another site. The board feels
that it is imperative that something be
1 be done to relieve Lane school pupils II
/ the annoyance to which they are daily
subjected. Therefore IL is asking that
D EClOOl
and that a suitable brick building be
4 erected thereon.
In order to relieve the crowded con-
dition of the Grant and Quincy build
/ ings in North Topeka and take the chill
/ dren out of the unSanitary easements.
the board is proposing the erection of a
Broom brick structure. with such
rooms as are Immediately needed COM
! pleted therein.
ON THE EAST SIDE.
J RI 2 cd a 10
ner of Eighth and Lake streets, Is a six
room frame structure. which in the low
er grades has always been so crowded
as to make II impossible to maintain at
that school grades higher than the fifth
year. This means that all children in
the sixth. seventh and eighth grades,
and frequently part Of the fifth grade
pupils, are obliged to travel long dis
tances either to the Garfield. the jack
son, the Lincoln, or the Branner schools
Attendance on any of these buildings
except Branner forces the children to
cross the railroad tracks. And further
more, each of these buildings named has
enough pupils in its own immediate vi
entity to fill each room to its capacity
without being called upon to relieve the
crowded condition at Parkdale.
The board therefore proposes the
erection of an eight room building on
the east side. the purpose being to COM
plete in such building only the rooms
Immediately needed. BY the erection of
such building the crowded condition at
Parkdale would be relieved and pupils
not subjected TO the injustice of travel
ing the long distances which they are
now forced to travel. This building
would also relieve pupils of the above
named grades from the necessity Of
crossing the railroad tracks
THE board has felt in the erection of
this east side building that It should
make it an eight room structure in or
der TO anticipate the future. Now that
the Santa Pc shops are completed, this