The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1909-04-02
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Virginia. MINI; Aprilsl, 1909.
To4the: .Votece.. of the independent
School District of Virginia, Min!
nesota:
Gentlemen:
Az member of+the School Board
and citizen, am deeply. interested
in the policy and welfare of the die.
trict. Upon request Of voters, a
epecial meeting Of the school dis+
trictH will he held Saturday, April
3rd, at the Roosevelt High School
for the purpose of designating site
for new school house. and auttlor+
Ire the erection of a school building
and the issue of bonds for payment
of sana.: Most of the members of
the school board are newly elected
and have not had the, opportunity
to become-thoroughly familiar with
present conditions of the school
district and I have been making
numerous inquiries to ascertain
certain facts from the county
officials aud other interested per-,
sons, with reference to our district.
I have ascertained, through the
County Auditor at Duluth; that at
thefpresent time the schoot district
OF VirgihiaFhas outstanding. bonds
and part of which will mature each
year commencing 1909 and EXTEND
ing to. 1913. The principal and I'M
terest on ouch bonds amounting. in
all to about 100000. From the
investigation made it appears that
the principal actual need of the
district iss to increase the accom-
modation and facility for'the grad
ed schools, as; about ninety five per
cent of the pupils enrolled are en-
gagged in grade work, only about six
per cent of the pupils enrolled are
engaged in High School studies and
it seems that the district should
provide and expend it's money, for
the improvement. of the, grade
schools, for ninety-five per cent of
the students, rather than for the six
per cent engaged in high school
work.
From the examinat ton made, it
appears to me, that the grades are
more crowded and in more need of
additional space than the high
school manual training depart
ments and that the equipment and
facilities now furnished for manual
training and high school work are
reasonably sufficient. for the pres
ent. From interviews, which have
had with number, of residents of
the city, I find they favor the re-
moval Of the present Central School
building, which was the fret school
building in Virginia, and is some
sixteen years old, aud which is un-
sanitary, difficult to heat and not on
ths standard with the other build
ings of the district, and the con.
struction, in its stead, of a modern
grade school building, containing
four or six additional rooms. The
location of the Central building is
excellant for a. school. There is
reasonable: space for the building
and5a need for grade room space.
II appears that if; new school
building should be erected princi-
pally tor'high school work and 9TH
eradvauced courses, that it will not
relieve the grade schools, and in a
year or 80 new building must be
erected to provide room for such
grades. l teel that it ia more i'm
portant for Virginia to have com
plete grade schools, where most of
the children are educated, i'm proved
and made as convenient as possible
in every way and that the voters
should: seriously. consider these
matters and determine, after careful
thought, az to what kind of a build
ing ought to be erected at the pres
ent time:
The conditions of the, miniuo
properties in the district are very
unsettled and if it should happen