Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1909-05-21
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.
Shall we Erect an Addition to the
Wabeno Building?

i TO the Editor: Your reques
for ! statement of the reasons
that have prompted the Board o.
School Directors to ask for al
appropriation for the construc
tion of an addition to the Wa
beno School building will bt
gladly complied with.
The question of more schoo
rooms for Wabeno is not new
one to the Board. The need has
been manifest for some time bul
in view of the past liberality Of
our people the Board has hesi-
tated to ask for further appro'
priations.
With tha.bpening Of school in
the fall additional school accom-
modations will become impera-
tive. The enrolment in the Wa
beno School during. the present
year is 353 pupils whil9 the seat
ing capacity Of the building is
but 24O. During the past two
years only half day sessions
could bs given to the first prima-
~ pupils, but even this expedi-
ent will be inadequate next year.
IF, therefore, the people do
not see fit to appropriate money
for additional school rooms, the
Board must either rent rooms
for school purposes or the peo-
pie must byfvote abolish the
high school which is now esta5-
lished on sound and successful
basis.
AT the beginning of next year
there should be ar enrolment in
the high school of about fifty
students and this number will be
increased each year by the ac-
csssion of larger classes from
the grades below. To discon-
tinue the high school would
mean the denial of educational
advantages beyond the grades to
these promising young people
because very few of these stu
dents could afford to leave home
to attend school. We do not be-
lieve that any considerable num-
Der OF citizens on Afhis intelligent
and progressive CO % mu nity
would favor such a backward
move. A high class school sys-
tenn including q recognized high
school is one of the best adver-
tisements for any community.
The renting of school accom-
mediation is an expensive and
unsatisfactory makeshift q n d
only keeps off, for a time, the
providing of permanent quarters.
Furthermore, as the forests are
depleted the wealth of the town
will be decreased and larger
proportion of the taxes will have
to be paid by the owners of small
properties. Il is, therefore, in
the Interest," Tof the permanent
residents to make appropriations
for all public purposes as early
as possible.
The estimated cost of the pro-
posed addition to the Wabeno
building is greater than tn g
Board anticipated, but we must
assume that the architects fig
ures are approximately correct.
II she building can be erected
for q smaller sum that amount
only need be borrowed from the
state.
While the total sum may seem
large, it should be remembered
that the payments will be ex-
tended over . period OF ten
years SO that the. annual pay
ments will be but s\POO and int
crest at 3 per cent. Beginning
with next year the state will re-
turn to US ct least 5000 per
year for maintaining the high
school in addition to the $500. 90
thai We are already receiving.
Therefore the annual increase in
taxeS because Of the high school
addition Will amount to only
$500. 90 or two per cent Of the
total tax of the town. More