Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-01
WILL CONSOLIDATE
INTO ONE DISTRICT
KEPPEL APPROVES PLANS OF
BOARD
Santa Monica, Ocean Park, Playa del
Rey, La BalIona, Machado, Palms
and SawtelIe Schools to
Be United

County School Superintendent Mark
Keppel has approved the plan, In which
the Santa Monica board OF education
has taken the initiative. of organizing
into one large school district the new
separate districts of Santa Monica,
Ocean Park, Playa del Rey, La Ballona,
Machado, The Palms and Sawtelle.
In the opinion of prominent Los An
geles educators the consummation of
this project would very soon add thou
sands of families to the present popu-
lation of these beach communities. In
letter to superintendent Horace M.
Rebok of the Santa Monica schools Mr..
Keppel commends the plan as IAN ex-
cellent one" and adds: IF | can con-
tribute in any way to the success of
the undertaking l shall be glad to
do So"
One of the results of the combination
will be the establishment of large,
up-to-date polytechnic high school like
the one in Los Angeles There would
be one high school district for the
whole bay country.
Chairman j. G.. French of the Ocean
Park board of education tcld Herald
reporter yesterday that he was heartily
in favor of the scheme. He wants q big
polytechnic high school located on the
short line somewhere between Venice
and The Palms. Many families from
LoI Angeles and the neighborhood OF
the city are now deferred from settling
at or near the beach only because the
school facilities are not as adequate as
those of the city. AT best, If they go to
the beach at all 1t can be to stay only
during the summer vacation period of
the public schools.
School representatives of all the pres
ent districts will meet at Santa Monica
city hall Saturday morning, May 49, for
the purpose of discussing details of the
proposed amalgamation. All the places
in interest, except Santa Monica have
now no supervision other than that pro-
vided by the county. Combined, they
would have a superintendent of their
own. AT the same time there would be
a taxable basis upon which to raise a
fund ample to provide for the polytech-
mic high school. This would assure in
struction in music, drawing, manual
training and domestic science. and
whereas there is now no high school at
all outside of Santa Monica there then
would be a model school with semi
annual promotions. There are now In
the separate districts what are classed
as good country schools" With COM
bination there would be schools equal
to the best in the city.
superintendent Rebok said to
Herald reporter yesterday: Another
gain would be in making kindergartens
possible. At present there is not one
such school in the whole territory. We
should have, and could have, at least
two or three. There would be a uni
fication of the system so that the grad
ing of pupils could be properly done,
which is not possible at present. There
would be marked improvement in
efficiency and in scholarship.
"At present the Santa Monica high
school has no polytechnic features but
next year, whether amalgamation Is
carried or not there will be introduced
a full first years course in this depart
ment. But nothing one community can
do would approach in Importance the
founding of fine thoroughly equipped
polytechnic school.
'In a material sense, this whole mat
ter is of the utmost Importance to all
the Santa Monica bay communities.
The carrying out of the project will, OF
course, mean the relocation OF the
present Santa Monica high school. The
polytechnic high school would naturally
be south of the center of the city of
Santa Monica"