The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-07

In lengthy report filed yesterday
| the special committee from the board
| OF school inspectors appointed to con-
| slider and report upon what was con-
| sidered the proper solution of the high
| school question, submits three propo-
| sitions, and sets Thursday evening,
| May II, at s o'clock, as the time for
/ public hearing
At this meeting the seven members
of the board will be present and, a
| general invitation being extended to
| the persons interested in the question,
an effort will be made to agree upon
| which of the three plans advanced will
be adopted, after which it is expected
| that the board will be able to put it in
force
The first proposition advanced con-
/ templates the retention Of the present
/ four high schools, the building of adj
/ ditions to the Central and Mechanic
Arts high schools, and the eventual
erection of new buildings for the
/ Cleveland and the Humboldt. The re-
| port points out that this will necessi-
! tate the maintenance of four separate
| stats Of teachers.
The second idea offered is that
ground be purchased and a building
erected at a cost of not more than
| 100000, and that all high school pupils
| be required to attend this school and
| the Central high, this plan permitting
the use of the Cleveland, the Humboldt
and the Mechanic Arts buildings for
| the grades. The argument of the COM
| mittee in favor of this plan is that sit
will h. az III c,.N H.
| abandon the present Central high
| school building; that by reason of it's
! location it is not adapted to the use
of the grades, and that under this plan
an economical and effective. education
| Of the high school pupils will be at
| tanned" This has been known as the
Seventh ward idea in the discussion
The third proposition contemplates
the purchase of site and the erection
of building, or group Of buildings,
| having ample facilities for the entire
| high school enrolment of the city,
| meaning that all the present high
| school buildings will be given over to
| grade work and the concentration of
| all high school work into one building,
| under the management of one principal
and one corps of teachers. "It is
claimed for this plan," says the report,
that the initial cost need not exceed
| that of either the proposed first or
second plan, and that ultimately it
will result in far greater thoroughness
and efficiency and greatly lessened cost
of maintenance.
Statement of Conditions.
The reasons given and statement
of the conditions of the schools is thor
oughly covered in the report, as fol-
lows:
Then, as to conditions, and the duty
of tho of in M
change in high school plans be made, Of
the four high schools, two were built for
high school purposes, exclusively-the Me-
chanic Arts and the Central high scool.
Each of these is OvercrOWded. The other
two high schools were originally intended
for grade schools and are much better
adapted to grade work than to high school
work. In the First ward there is large
number of children attending school but
half day and many others are housed
in unsuitable annexes. A sixteen-room
building, in course of construction in that
ward will but partially relieve the situa-
ton, and the board must choose between
leaving the high school in the present
unSu1ta bic building and as rapidly as pos
I Slble provide additional schools for the
grades or must build a high school build
ing and turn over the present Cleveland
school to the uses for which it was orig
inaIly intended.
The. same is true of the Sixth ward An
eight-room addition is being made to the
| Douglas school, but this will afford no
relief to the overcrowded Hendricks, or
to the Lafayette. In the latter the condi-
ton is deplorable, and here the board
must choose between a new building for
the grades or a new building for the high
school.
In this connection it is we'll to consider
the cost of erecting a high school. The
| building should be adequate, not only for
the present enrolment, but it should pro-
| vide for an increase. No possible justifi-
| cation could be offered for building tenn
| porary structures at comparatively great
expense, because they would not affard
! q OH aIY7O
and would ultimately be abandoned. This
committee is Of the opinion that no suit
| able site, building and equipment can be
| provided in either ward for less than an
initial cost of 800 600.
In providing these schools no relief
| would be given either to the Mechanic
Arts or the Central high school. and we
deem it imperative that at least tenn
porary relief be afforded these schools by
| Sept. l.
History of Movement.
The committee making the report
was appointed Feb. IL. and consisted OF
G. A. Fisher, chairman, and 0. E.
Holman and DR.. Christian Fry The
first move made was in the sending
out of a large number of requests that
the citizens consider the situation
much Of the same matter now en-
bodied in the report being used. The
request that the various organizations
and individuals declare in favor OF
one or the other OF the plans met with
a ready response, and the fight quickly
centered on the high schol proposition
and was largely confined to the advisa-
bility of erecting a large central high
school and abolishing the Mechanic
| Arts. the Cleveland and the Humboldt
and transferring the mechanical work
to the new school.
Varied opinions We're expressed as
to the adyisability of doing this, and
a strong movement was set on foot in
| favor of erectin ga new high school,
building in the Senevth ward and
|. maintaining the other high schools as
they now exist. The First and the
Sixth ward people fought against the
proposed abolishing of their high
schools, and the Commercial club and
some other of the leading commercial
organizations declared in Sheir favor
This element will favor the adoption
of the first proposition offered by the
committee, and there is little or nc
L - 49, L,