The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-07
NEED SCHOOL BADLY
-
BELLEVILLE PEOPLE TO
VOTE AGAIN..
Board of Education Calls Special Elec-
ton for January % to Vote on
Only One Proposition.

The voters of Bellevil1e will again be
asked at a meeting on Wednesday evening,
January %, to authorize h Board of Edu-
cation of that town to purchase a plot OF
ground at Hornblower avenue and Rutgers
street and for the erection Of a school
building thereon. The cost of the land was
fixed at 5000, and the building at $3S. 800.
The board decided last night not to ask,
as at the previous meeting, for the right
to purchase land adjoining the Jeroloman
Street School. 1t was felt that this project,
although deemed necessary, blight prove
prejudicial to the other. which is con-
sidered immediate necessity.
At the meeting on December 20 all the
resolutions were defeated by an average
majority Of six votes. 1t was felt that
while some favored one project, the whole
ticket was SCRATCHED in an effort to defeat
one or the other. Chairman De Pue. OF
the special committee on additional school
facilities, said that If the people only
realized the exact condition of affairs and
knew Of the absolute necessity of addi-
tional facilities. there would be no ques-
ton but what the board would be author
lied to buy the land and erect a school
building. He knew of many people, he
said, who were heartily in favor of the
boards request, who. stayed at home on
the night Of the special meeting, fully be-
lieving that there would be no opposition
to the plan.
In the RESOLUTIONS WHICH were QeIeaLeu at
the special meetings $S8. 400 was asked for
the erection of the school building. Mr..
De Pue said 1t would save some expense to
make the amount $3S, 500 instead, with
drawing 500 from the amount for the pur-
chase Of the land adjoining the Jeroloman
Street School.
Alfred Cooper, who was appointed to the
board at the previous meeting, succeeding
Percy jackson, who resigned. thought the
public should be made acquainted with the
needs of a school, n to his end Il
seemed advisable. he said, that circulars
be distributed. showing the urgent neces-
sity of additional facilities. This matter
was left to the special committee with
power.
Emphasis was given to the statement
that unless the school building is erected
the school conditions in Belleville in Sep
TENDER will be in a deplorable state. I'm
less there Is another school ready by that
have some pupils In halliday sessions.
This would mean, IL was said, that the
State appropriation would be withdrawn
from the township on h ground that tine
board Is unable to provide accommodations
for all the pupils. Figures were given to
how that in the Belleville schools there
are ten pupils per teacher more than in
any other place in the county. The aver
age enrolment In the Academy and Jerolo-
man Street schools. which the proposed
school building is intended to relieve. is
more than fifty pupils to a teacher. An
other fact to be considered, It was said,
that while the average increase in attend
ance throughout the county is only 5a
per cent, In Belleville in recent years il
Is II per cent,
Supervising Principal of Schools George
r. Gerard in his monthly report stated
that the schools were in q healthy condi-
ton. The total enrolment for the month
was 1,4O9, against 1,257 for the correspond
ing month of the previous year.
On the recommendation of the teachers
committee Miss Helen P. Hutchinson, of
Trenton, was engaged as a teacher to fill
a vacancy in the Academy Street School
at a salary of $50 per month for the balance
of the year.