The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-02-29
Is Proposed Bond
Issue Advisable


A week from today the electors Of
this school district will be called
upon to vote upon the question of is
suing bonds for 50, 700 for the pur-
pose of building and furnishing an
addition to the present school build
ing, or erecting and furnishing new
one.
The Islander does not question
the good intentions of the two mem
bers of the board who have decided to
submit the matter and it has no
disposition to discuss the subject in
any other than fair and candid way
1t simply suggested last week that a
statement from the board showing the
present financial condition of the dis
/ trict, the cost of school maintenance
this year as compared with the year
before, the increase in enrolment etc. :,
would be appreciated by the taxpayers
and would help them greatly in reach
Ing conclusion as to whether they
should, at this time. authorize a
bond issue Possibly the absence of
the clerk accounts for the fact that
no such statement has yet been made
If additional school facilities are
needed to an extent that would justify
an expenditure equal In amount to
the first cost of the present building
and it's furnishing, the bonds should
be voted ; otherwise they should not
be-
Let US see.
The principal g report of attendance
! last month shows that in the primary
room the average number of pupils
belonging was 35 and per cent of at
tendance 91.5. making the average
daily attendance 80.
In the intermediate room the num-
ber belonging was AZ, per cent Of
attendance SO and average daily at
tendance 80.
In the grammar and, high school
grades the number belonging was 55. 4,
per cent Of attendance 90. 3 and aver
age daily attendance o1.
From these figures it appears that
the total average daily attendance is
1872. or only seventeen more than it
was throughout the year TWO YEARS
AGO. when only three teachers we're
employed and two full years of high
school work we're done.
Two years ago there were 35 pupils
enrolled in the first and second
grades, in which the average daily at
tendance is now 80. In the third,
fourth and fifth year grades there we're
fifty pupils enrolled two years ago and
the average daily attendance in these
grades now is 80. In the sixth.
seventh and eighth grades two years
ago there we're 46 pupils enrolled and
in the ninth and tenth grades there
were Is, or SO altogether. The av
erage number belonging in all of these
grades now is 55. 4 and average daily
attendance 81. only nine of whom are
enrolled in the ninth and tenth grades
to which the principal devotes nearly
all of his time.
Have we had better school this
year than we had last year or two
years ago? Have the pupils made
better progress and are they or their
parents better satisfied? Does the
small increase in attendance shown
by the figures given warrant the dis
trict in incurring a bonded debt as
large as that incurred when the pres
emit school building was erected?
Do the absolutely barren results Of
the efforts made to establish Union
High School warrant the assumption
that an ''enlarged and better equip
ped school would bring pupils to the
village by the score''f
Has the board such surplus of
cash on hand. either as a result of
the forty per cent increase In the
special tax levy or of larger appor
tionments of state funds on the basis
Of attendance, to justify the conclu-
sion that more teachers could be en-
ployed il more rooms were provided,
and does an increase of seventeen in
the average daily attendance in two
years, this increase distributed smong
four teachers, justify incurring q
bonded debt of So. 600 to provide more
roomf
It seems to the Islander that there
rs nothing unreasonable in these in
fuuiries. From the editors point
OF view-and he is perhaps as much
interested IN having his children en-
Joy the advantages Of good schools -
any parent here. there is not sufficient
necessity for more school room to
warrant incurrfng the indebtedness
proposed to provide it at this time.
An addition to the present building
that would .ooomodate the probabls
inrraaaA IN attendanco for several