New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-29
SCHOOL PROMISE UNKEPT.
Mayors Seat for Every Child" an
Empty Slogan.

Mayor Mcclellan has failed to redeem his promise
TO provide seats in the public schools for all the
children OF the city at full time instruction So sig
nally has he failed that. in spite OF large falling
or in the percentage Of increase in the number OF
pupils, the number part time will be far
than $1,000 it is said when he leaves the City Hall
on December 81
City Superintendent Maxwelrs report for Janu-
shows that there at the end of that month
$4,000 part time pupils; IN April his report showed
$4,000, or zoo The Building Bureau Of the De-
partment of Education has failed TO provide sit
tngs for the small increase at the midyear, to-
gether with the pupils thrown on the street by the
fire in Public School No. 3, on the East Side Part
of the children that school put in an aban-
doned school building.
Since school began last September. with 02@
children part time there has not been a single
severe strike In the eight months. however, the
total number OF children part time has been re-
duced by only 1900. With normal increase OF
about $1,000 children next September the number
who will be compelled to go on part time VIII not
be far from 5000 $1,000.
The average number of pupils graduated each
term from the schools is $500 Their removal makes
practically difference in the part time problem
because all part time pupils are the small and nu-
merous beginners from twelve to fifteen grades be-
low the graduating class. Because Of the limiting OF
the part time classes the first two years or the
elementary public schools. the opening of one new
school does not place many classes on full time
One new school brings relief TO perhaps twenty
classes-ten in the building and ten in old
neghboring buildings-or possibly thousand
children This relief is obtained only when the
schools opened in the Of congested dis
triots. Few Of the schools under way could
relieve one thousand children each It is esti-
mated that not less than one hundred new school
buildings built only in the districts where they
most could free the city from part time
classes this fall
The officials of the building bureau Of the De-
partment of Education said yesterday that they
did not know how many new schools would be
ready for occupancy in September. They have pre-
pared list OF buildings that may be ready. The
number of the schools on the list their locations
and seating capacity. were withheld the ground
that the schools mentioned might not be ready by
September. An official OF the bureau said yester-
day that OF his colleagues could even hazard
guess as 10 how many schools or how many
neT bs st tins + could be ready BY fall o
part time now 10 due to an unusually low rate OF
is about per cent Every few wears his droDs
below normal. and then rises above it. In 1900 the
three years 1t rose TO 70 per cent Last year the
opened in SEPTEMBER 1913 a o c 9e W9en sSh9o!
for admission: Last fall the number was only 900
schools. Last April the number was 527 0OO an in
grease s OF only t. 600, or per cent The decrease
is 12417. or $500 children less than the per cent
system the normal Increase Of $1,000 had TAKEN
place there would to-day be 7s2Oo children on part
time, The reaction which always comes may sweep
f6 6e o6 ngm 3Bf Of part time pupils up to 10000
Davis said yesterday:
The increase in immigration of the last few
months may bring the rate OF increase in the
school population back its normal per cent or
per cent this September. It would seem that the
increase in school population goes in waves. \
one could have predicted the fall OF the rate In
September, 1900, its subsequent rise in the NEXT
three years or It's fall again last September From
the amount OF building that has been going on in
the city. imagine that the rate OF increase this
September may be much as 8 per cent and not
less than per cent. At the latter rate we would
set about thirty thousand new pupils.