The San Francisco call., 1905-03-01
LARGER NORMAL
SCHOOL WANTED.
Action Of Supervisors An
ticipates Further Appro-
priation by Legislature
NEED BETTER QUARTERS
Buildings Are Too Small to
Accommodate Pupils Who
Desire to Be. Educated

The action of the Board Of Super
vfsors Monday last in pledging them
selves to give to the State a plat IF
ground in a suitable location for the
erection of a State normal school
building Is causing much favorable
comment throughout the city. In case
convenient piece Of land is not OBJ
tainable the board has promised to
add $4,000 to the State appropriation
for the erection of a fine modern
complished through the untiring eff
forts of DR.. F. Burk. president of
the normal school trustees, and DIR.
A. A. d Ancona of the Finance Com
mittee Of the Supervisors.
Under the direction of the board of
trustees a bill for the appropriation
of $4,000 for the purchase of land
and the erection of building has
been presented TO the Legislature and
will be ready for the Governors sig
nature next Saturday. The trustees
are certain that the bill will be signed.
The present State Normal School on
Powell street, between Sacramento
and Clay, Is cramped and dingy. over
six years ago it was condemned by the
city. The facilities for good work are
very limited and the demand for
teachers throughout the city and
State far exceeds the supply the Nor
NAL can turn out. In the small quar-
ters there are at present lao students,
forty of whom graduate each year.
The building was built in 1850, at
which time it was used as a church.
In 1854 it was made over into a school
and served as such until 1899, when
il was condemned. The appropriation
for State normal school at that time
was too small to permit the building
of a large school and the Board of
Education allowed the State to use
the Poweil-street house free of rental.
The LIE Conte School was also turned
over to the use of the normal and at
the present time houses over 800 chill
dren with normal students as their
teachers.
Notice was served recently by the
Board of Education upon the Normal
School that after the first of July the
city would collect s12o a month rent
from the State institution. This sum,
together with the cost of numerous
repairs that have to be made from
time to time, would mean a heavy ex-
pense to the State and the only saliva
ton Is In the legislative and local ap-
propriations.
The lie Conte School is destined
soon to prove a stumbling block in the
way Of the Board of Education when
the time comes for the rebuilding of
the Washington School under the
bond issue. Temporary quarters will
have to be secured for the children of
that school. and as the LIE Conte is
only a block away that building has
been suggested. The Normal officials
say, however, that although they
would have room for the additional
number of children it would be a
hardship to turn out the Normal stu
dents who are studying to be teachers
to make way for the teachers in the
Washington School, who might other
wise be idle.
All of the Normal School graduates
have obtained positions as teachers
and rank among the highest in stand
ing in the School Department. Over
third of the graduates are as
signed to San Francisco, while one
fourth of the remainder get positions
in the bay cities.