The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-03-17

the public to decide the case OF wheth.
or or not the bonds shall be issued,
fatty upon It's merits.
The purpose of the bonds is to erect
an addition Of two rooms to the Grant
school building, and TO provide mod.
ern system of heating and ventilation
In the same, and to erect q four.room
addition to the West Lincoln school
to take the place of the old Lincoln
building, which must be abandoned in
the very near future because OF its
dangerous condition.
The addition to the Grant school is
an urgent necessity as all patrons of
that school will testify. The over.
crowded condition there has caused
the same condition in all our build
ings except the high school. We
should be able to accommodate six
grades ut the Grant school. Instead
of that We have none of the sixth
grade there, and only one.half OF the
fifth. These classcs-the ga, GA and
6B, must be accommodated at the Lin.
coin schools. This of course crowds
these buildings, which in turn over
flow into the Washington school.
Even without these three classes at
the Grant school, many others who
live In the Grant school district are
compelled to cross the tracks and at.
tend the Lincoln schools in order to
keep the Grant school enrolment low
enough to be handled by six teachers.
The bad results then OF this over.
crowding are as follows:
1. Ten OF our twenty.three grade
teachers have an enrolment of fifty or
more, no name counted twice in the
enrolment, and some have sixty or
more enrolled. No teacher should
have enrolled over forty-five, and
every pupil above forty in any school
room greatly lessons the efficiency of
the work done.
2. Many children are compelled TO
go long distances and across danger.
GUS railroad crossings. This is both
inconvenient and dangerous.
8. The kindergarten grades and
the IA grades in all buildings can
have but halliday sessions.
The addition of two rooms at the
Grant school would for some time at
least alleviate these evils.
The addition to the Lincoln school
is necessary because the East Lincoln
building is in a dangerous condition.
Our attention was recently called to
the fact that the floors of this build
ing We're very unstable. Upon exam
ination by competent authority, it was
found that the whole building was in
an unstable condition, and that while
it might be repaired so as to last for a
year or two, it ought as soon as pos.
sible to be abandoned. The stairways
in this building are so constructed as
to constitute O veritable trap in case
of fire. We have taken steps to have
the floors sufficiently repaired to last
through the present school year, but
we feel that the risk to the welfare
and even the lives Of our children Is
too great to warrant us in attempting
to use the building another year. We
are, therefore, asking these bonds that
n modern disable building may replace
the dangerous tire-trap now occupied
by 200 of our children.
Now a word as to the rate Of inter-
est asked upon the bonds. Six per-
cent school bonds will be easily mar
keted. We believe percent bonds
can be marketed. If the bonds are
voted at go it does not illegalize is
suing them at SO, but if voted at so
they cannot be issued at go. The
bonds will be issued at so unless the
bond market is so close as TO compel
us to make the issue at go. In call.
ing for the go issue we feel that we
are merely playing safe, for expert
ence in marketing our recent high
school bonds taught us that occasion.
ally very small technicalities may be
taken advantage Of.
We feel that in the expenditure Of
district money in the past we have in
some degree at least merited your
confidence, and We shall put forth
every effort to prove worthy OF the
further continuance of that same con.
fidence in this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
A TT Viele prasidant