The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-01-09
CLERK COMPTONON
DISTRICTS NEEDS
FIGURES SHOWING the CONDITIONS
Pressing Necessity for More Room in
School Buildings for the Higher
Grade Pupils.

valuable paper to set forth to the
citizens of District No. the condi
tions existing at the present time ii
our public schools, and the probable
bond issue fail to carry.
There are "A grade rooms in tho
district, including five portables
three basement rooms, three rooms
in the old NJ. E. church, aud one
room in the Lincoln building. All
modern educators agree that nc
teacher, no matter how well equip
ped, can do efficient work with more
htan 40 pupils, and that first pri-
mary teachers should be limited to
so. Counting 40 pupils to each
room, however, would make the
present seating capacity of the
grade rooms 1860. Next year the
three rooms in the old M. E. church
can not be had as the building has
been sold, and the room in the Lin
coin building will be devoted to
high school purposes unless another
building is provided, which will
leave the total seating capacity 81
the grade rooms of the district 1000.
During the school month ending
in December the enrolment of the
grades was 1865, that of the high
school was 211, a total of 1876, and
the total enrolment for the term
was 2209. Thus you see the enroll
ment was five more than the present
seating capacity, and 165 more than
the seating capacity of all the grade
rooms of the district, emitting the
three rooms of the NJ Z. church and
the one room Of the Lincoln build
ing.
1t is estimated that there are at
least 500 children of school age in
the district who are not attending
school, and whom we cannot compel
to attend because we have no room
for them 1t is also estimated THAI
there are 500 more in private insti-
buttons, many of whom enroll them
selves in such schools because there
are no accommodations in the public
schools for them. The present en-
rollment is 40 greater than at the
same period last year and it is fair
to suppose that next year it will be
Nill greater, at least it will not be
any less, consequently at the open
ing of school next September, I'M
less the voters provide more room,
there will be from 500 to 1000 chill
dren living in this district who will
be deprived of the birthright of
every American youth, the privi
lege of getting a good common school
education.
Now, as to the high school prop
osition-It has been assumed that
the present building will be adequate
for one or two more years. The
facts would not seem TO justify such
an assumption. In the. first place
the present building is poorly ar
ranged for high school work, and
as Prof. Barge said the other even
ing, when he so strongly urged the
bond proposition, 1T never can be
so arranged or renovated as to do
the laboratory work of the science
departments properly" We agree
with Prof. Barge and with the other
voters who were at the mass meet
ing that new, modern, up-to-date
building-one that would be credit
to city of the size and Importance
place of the old one.
In the second place, the present
high school building will not accom-
modate. even next year, the students
who will apply for admission. The
seating capacity of the entire build
ing, including not only the assembly
room but also the English room on
the lower floor, is from 225 to $50.
The enrolment last month was oil.
and of this number Is were seniors.
and will graduate in June, leaving
at the end Of the year 1876. But
there are nearly $50 pupils in the
Eighth grade and so more in the
Seventh. the former passing into the
high school in September and the
latter at the middle of the year.
Now, Mr.. Editor, shall we attempt
to crowd nearly 400 pupils into a
building that will accommodate $50,
or shall we provide building that
will be pride to the city of North
Yakima and that will be SO con ve-
nient and complete that our pupils
will have a proper incentive to OBJ
tain the very best possible prepara-