Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-11-19
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Lilley. Swift X Co Excavaling
 Near Lincoln School.

Only routine business was transact ed at the meeting of the board of edu- cation held last evening. Commission CT Mcdonald presided. Lilley, Swift & company, through George l.. Lilley, notified the board that the concern is excayating on it's property in the rear of the Lincoln school and that the purpose of the notification was to in- form the board that it might be well to look after the rear wall on the school property. This matter was known to several members of the board and Mayor Thoms had sug- gested that it might be advisable to enjoin the concern by an injunction from going ahead. However, it seem- ed the board sees no immediate dan ger for it merely referred the con- munication to the city attorney.
 The Granite Construction company was given one month more in which to finish its contract on the Driggs school building addition.
 The appointment of Miss Teresa Timms as a teacher in the fourth grade in the Walsh school was en- dorsed.
 A petition was received from tax payers in the Waterville school dis trict to change the line dividing it from the Bunker Hill school district so that the school children living in Fairmount and Welton parks would be included in the Waterville dis trict. Evidently the petitioners be- lieved the board had the power to change these lines, but the board had a different opinion and thought it was matter that could be determin> ed by the taxpayers and citizens of both the districts ouly. The matter was tabled to the next meeting.
 The following interesting report showing up the school condition in detail and the prospect for Waterbury for the next few years was received from Superintendent Tinker:
 City, Nov. z, 1907. To the Board of Education,
 Gentlemen:-I would report that the complete and corrected returns from the census enumerators show that the number of children of school age in this city is 17,7S1, which is a gain of 931 over the census of 1906. This gain Is far in excess of that of previous years and means that in the very near future, if we are to proper ly accommodate our growing school population, it will be necessary to build every school year, one 1920 l,,,i1Itno Tho rol district-Croft, Welton and Clay street schools-shows an increase of 5S0; the northwestern district Driggs, Bishop street and Lincoln schools-an increase of 333; the Washington Hill district-Washing- ton, Mulcahy and Merriman-an in- crease of 1O2; West Side Hill-Rus- sell school-an increase of 66; the Brooklyn district-Duggan, Porter street and Barnard schools-and the northern distrirt--Webster and Walsh-show smaller increases; and the eastern section-Hendricken and Hamilton remains practically station ary. The enormous increase of 580 in the heart of the city certainly means that within few years it will be necessary to carry out the original plans of the Margaret Croft school by removing the old building and erecting an addition of 20-24 rooms to the present new structure. One only needs to walk a comparatively short distance on the streets near the center to note the number of large tenement blocks that are being erect ed on every side and this is likely tc continue for several years producing in the center of the city school pop ulation very much greater than al present. The city is very fortunate in having sufficient land in the rear oi the new Margaret Croft school on which to erect an addition which will accommodate this increased number of children. Among the district schools, Bunker Hill, Sprague and Town Plot show the largest increases
 Eighty-seven children between the ages of seven and fourteen have beer reported as not being in school. These pupils are being looked up by the truant officer, MT Deeley, and will b. at once placed in school
 ."C '" III lllC oIdlC uul ing 1908, over s40,000, which will De sufficient to pay for about two-thirds of the new school construction fol next year. On this basis if the city for a period of three years should build an eighteen room school each year at an expense of s60,00O, the state during that period would ac. tually have given sums sufficient tc pay for two of the three buildings With such liberality from the state there should be no difficulty in the future as there has never been in the past in securing the funds necessary to erect new school houses.
 Respectfully.
 B. W. TINKER.
 The communication was accepted And filed. Some bills were then an.