The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-04-23
School Commissioner Williams
Is Charged With 0verstep.
ping His Authority
ASK BOARD TO CLEAN GROUND
President Threinen Names His Commit
tees to Have Charge of the Work
of the Board During New
Year Tuesday Evening

john E. Williams member of the
Board of Education from the Fifth
ward and one Of the men who has been
active in the affairs of the Board was
under a hot fire at the first regular
meeting of the new Board on Tuesday
evening when Commissioner Jacob SAT-
tig made strong plea for the enforce
ment of the rules of the Board and
openly charged Commissioner Williams
who is chairman Of the Buildings and
Grounds Committee with violating the
rules Of the Board and in manner
which was most dangerous to the child
rem in the schools.
It was charged that Williams had sent
an order to the janitors in all of the
buildings allowing them to leave the
buildings to go to their meals at time
when the children were in the school
Under the rules of the Board no order
could be given to the janitors save by
effort to deny that as chairman of the
committee he had issued the order to the
,ianitors, but he declared that the matter
was too small thing to bring before
the Board. There was however, a warm
discussion between the two men and it
was shown sthat the commissioner from
the Fifth who has been considered
something of a boss on the Board had
widely overstepped his authority. There
was another slap at the committee on
Grounds and Buildings when people hv-
ing in the neighborhood of the Central
or High school sent remonstrance to
the Board against the condition Of the
grounds about this building. 1t is
claimed that the grounds are in such a
condition as to be shame to the
Board The petition YVES as follows.
To the Board Of Education
We, the undersigned believe that
within the past few years, the School
Board of Kenosha, or some committee
thereof, or some one responsible per-
son has been very negligent about taking
proper care of the grounds surrounding
the High School building. Some indi-
vidual members of the Board have been
appealed to, but they have expressed
their inability to act. We, therefore
take this means to express our feelings
in the matter.
Kenosha is fortunate in having such
a beautiful building for High School
purposes This beauty, however, can be
greatly EXCHANGED by a little and quite
inexpensive effort on the part of the
Board of Education. Compared with
the grounds surrounding the High
Schools of cities of similar size in Wis
consin, our High School grounds rank
one of the lowest.
A cement sidewalk ought to be built
on West street to take the place of the
gravel path which is impossible after a
rainstorm or a snoWstorm. A curbing
ought to be put on the east, south and
west sides of the grounds. The broken
material left over after the contraction
of the new addition that was thrown in
to West street, where it still lies, ought
to be carried away Refuse, dead wood
and large rocks ought to be raked off
the grounds and carried away. The
grounds ought to be levelled in many
places. In short, conditions ought to be
greatly improved
We believe strongly that the school
yards should be play grounds for the
students, that is no reason for it's being
in an untidy state twelve months of
the year. The boys and girls them
selves will get the spirit of improving
conditions if only some responsible per-.
sons take the initiative.
We, therefore, as citizens of the city
of Kenosha living in the neighborhood
of the High School petition you to use
the power and authority vested in you
for the improvement Of the grounds sur
rounding the High School and to bet
ter the existing unnecessary and de-
plorable condition.
At the opening OF the meeting, Presi-
dent Threinen announced his commit
tees for the year as follows:
Supplies -Leinenweber, Goergen, Don
ahue, Wells.
Building and Grounds = Williams,
Cavanagh, Frost, Maurice, Mungen.
Text Books-Cavanagh, Brockhaus.
Buckmaster Goergen.
Teachers - saftig, Frost, Williams,
Wells, Leinenweber. Il
Claims Wells, Maurice, DeCou, -.
High School = Curtis, Buckmaster,
Saftig, Brockhaus.
Finance = Frost, Curtis, Cavanagh,
Mungen.
Rules and Regulations Goergen, De
Cou, --.
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