The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-07-17
NEW NORMAL
SCHOOL
Report Of a Special Committee
on the Project-Need Of the
New Institution.
LACK OF TEACHERS IN N. J.

The State Board of Education has
unanimously adopted a report submit
ted by its special committee on Nor
NAL School, and containing a state
ment of the work SO far as it has gone.
The report is designed not only for
the information of the members of the
State board, but to place itself on
record as regards the recent agitation
which there has been over the selec-
ti0n of an architect. This and the Sc
lection of a site, together with some
comments on the general needs for ad-
ditional normal training, comprise the
bulk of the report, which says:
In 1902 a joint resolution was pass
ed requesting the State Board of Edu-
cation to inquire into and report to
the next Legislature as to the neceS-
Sity and the cost of a new normal
school in the northern part of the
State.
It was ascertdiI1cd III the first
place that New Jersey was wofully in
want of trained teachers; that while
there were at the time about 5000
teachers ia the State, seventy per
cent. had received no professional
training, and that the annual deficit
from one cause and another was about
800, and that the supply of trained
teachers was 200 from our own Normal
School at Trenton and such as could
be secured from other States. 1t was
also ascertained that about sixty-fve
per cent. Of the ratahleS and pOpula-
tiOn were in the northern part Of the
State; that while within a radius of
ten miles from the Normal School at
Trenton there was a population OF
100000 to draw from, within ten miles
of the centre of population in the
northern part of the State there was
population of nearly ]. 1000, ,000, and that
New Jersey, in the amount OF normal
school accommodations in proportion
to its population and in the apprOpri-
atiOnS for the maintenance OF normal
schools, was far behind other and some
poorer States.
z This report was submitted to the
State Board Of Education, and by it
was unanimously approved and sub
mitted to the Legislature in 1903.
WhereupOn the Legislature passed an
act authorizing the State Board OF
Education to purchase a site, subject
to the approval of the governor, to EN-
ploy architects, engineers and superin-
tendentS of construction, and to erect
a new Normal School in the northern
part Of the State, at cost not to ex-
ceed $500, 600 no expense to be incurred
until the money was appropriated in
the annual appropriation act.
g In 1904 the Legislature apprOpri-
ated $25, 900 for the purchase of a Site
This same committee of the State
Board OF Education was continued, land
advertised in all the principal papers
in the northern part Of the State, re-
queSting that suitable sites be offered.
Over sixty replies were received. All
the plots offered were visited by the
committee. By process of elimin-
alton, one plot after another was re-
jected, until about half a dozen avail
able and attractive sites remained.
These were visited repeatedly by the
committee and other members Of the
board, and after much discussion, the
plot at Montclair Heights, which
seemed to satisfy all requirements, was
selected and approved by Governor
Murphy.
" Thereupon it was purchased for
the S25 900 appropriated. The plot
consists of twenty-five acres. Its mar
ket value at the time it was purchased
was more than the price paid, and it
has since increased in value. In 1904,
Immediately after the purchase OF the
site, the board, with the approval of
the governor, employed Mr.. BOrie, OF
the trm Of ZantZinger q B0rie, who
visited the site selected, and with the
committee, and at its suggestion and
at Providence, r. l., as this was de-
clared to be one of the best recently
erected in the United States, and as
coming within the amount OF our APP
preparation.
This visit determined the fact that
this school came up to the anticipation
of both architects and committee.
With this school as a model, the archi-
tectS prepared tentative plans The
architects generously did this work,
Notwithstanding the warning that
there was no appropriati0nto to pay them
and that they would have to rely upon
an appropriation from the legislature.
The work was faithfully performed,
and Messrs. Zantzinger & B0rie were
paid $500 from an appropriation made
by the Legislature ia 1905. These
plans expressly drawn to give the Leg
islature an intelligent idea of the pro-
posed school, and TO give it the asSur-
ance that a proper building could be
erected within the appropriation.
:. Unfortunately the Legislature of
1905 failed to appropriate the $275, 900
left of the amount fixed by the act of
1908. The Legislature Of 1906 made
the appropriation after full preSenta-
tion Of the matter by the committee
of this board, this committee, with
Governor Stokes, having just previous
ly made another visit to the Normal
School at Providence. In the mean
time, however, cost of labor and ma
terials has increased to such an extent
that for said appropriation it will be
difficult, if not impossible, to erect
building as satisfactory in all respects
as could have been done a year earlier. =
The appropriation having been made
the committee proceeded to consider |
the selection OF an architect, having |
no doubt OF their power, not only by
the act OF 1903, but also by reason of |
an opinion of the Attorney General |
given to the Board a year ago, in re-
sp0nse TO an inquiry as to whether
sections and Of the ctcreating the |
office OF Commissioner OF Charities and
Corrections and defining his powers
and duties applies to the State Nor
NAL School, the School for the Deaf. |
The Earnum Preparatory School and
the Manual Training and Industrial
School for Col0red Youth.
On reflection, have concluded