The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-07
SCHOOL PROBLEM
HARD TO SOLVE
Many Buildings Now i'll Use
Have Outlived Their Day
and Are Crowded.
NO BOND ISSUE LIKELY
Continuous Appropriation Only
Means by Which Remedy
Can BE Supplied.

CWNcTInt
! dent J. y. Z. Chandler. of the public
school system OF Richmond. a crusade
Tor better public school buildings IS
being inansuratcd, which Will come to
head next Friday night. when the
CITY school Board appears before the
touhcii Committee on Finance with Il
sen ra' OF rs needs for 1911.
buildings is one which will require
close study OH the part both OF the
school Board and Finance Committee.
many of the buildings now In use for
old. dilapidated and unsuited for the
purposes. In fact. 1t is now frankly
admitted that the erection OF tho new
half million dollar John MARSHALL High
school. imposing and splendid as was
mat undertaking. was 10 some extenc
at the expense OF tho district schools.
which have been retarded In their de-
vciopment hy reason OF the centrinE
Of attention on the single great High
school structure.
Patrons Demanding Bettcr Conditions.
In some section of the cIty patrons
Of the. schools arc taking the matter
| in their own hands. notably at Belle
rue and Madison.
,.,i some weeks ago a delesation OF
Church Hill citizens. led by Principal
saunders. OF Bellevue school. appeared
before the Finance Committee in sup
port OF a proposition TO purchase what
owned bv Dr Parker, as a location for
| n new public school IN Church Hill.
the property occnnyinE the entire hloci,
tween Twenty third and Twenty fourth
/ streets. once used as the home OF tho
Virginia Club. and later as tubcrcu-
loSis Sanatorium.
More recently mass meeting has
/ hcen held OF patrons Of Madison school.
which Is represented az being over
crowded: in unsanitarv condition. and
| not well arranged for school pur-
poses.
Two New buildings Now Going Up.
The city now has In course OF cree
ton on money provided from the bono
on the High school, handsome new
| $4,000 building on Hanover Avenue.
which will be ready ~ the openinE
OF next session, and will greatly re-
lieve congestion in tho schools located
in the most rapidly growing section
| 81 the city. The Council has Just au
thorizcd an extensive wing to Chin
horazo nublic school. a. tho corner OF
Thirty-third and Marshall Streets.
which will make that school modern
and complete in every resnect. \ new
heen authorized On South Pine street
10 take tho place Of school supported
! privately hv Miss Grace Arcnts and tho
st. Andrews Association.
II is tho policy OF the present super
intendent OF schools to build larger
school houses Unlike his predeces
sor. Mr.. Fox. DR.. Chandler believes in
the Capitalization. to some extent at
least. of the district schools. since a
| large building with many rooms can
be operated at less cost than. several
| smaller ones, and secure 4 higher paid
and better type OF man AS principal.
Have Served Their Time.
II is an admitted fact that many 81
Of the school buildings now in use arc
| he replaced. In the early seventies
the city raised money by a bond issue
and erected number 81 school houses:
among those still III use being the old
| High school, now used by the John
Smith school: Nicholson school. Fulton:
| bellevue school. at Twenty second and
! Broad Streets: Madison school at Madi-
son and Cary streets. and Leigh school,
| at First and Leigh. recently transferred
! from white 10 colored children and
/ made into the Armstrong High School
| ings were erected the city was still
| feeling the burden Of war. They We're
the bes; that could be done under the
circumstances. and have all been in
continuous use since 1873 They were
| planned by assistants in the City En-
| gineers office. which at that tim-
| without the advice OF an expert In
| school architecture, and have never
been what might be regarded as mod
ern school property. To meet cmer-
wings were added at the old High
School building, patchwork repairs
with rooms on different levels. and the
whole structure bearing all the marks
Of nearly forty years OF hard and con-
| tinuous wear.
Some Urgent RepnIrs Made.
Several years ago. on urgent recon-
mendation OF Building Inspector Beck.
extensive repairs were made at several
! of the older schools. the Inspector
! threatening to condemn Bellevue out
right unless provision We're made for
greater safety of the pupils in case
Of panic. The Council finally provided
the means for alterations of tho stair
| ways, and for erection OF fire escapes
on many buildings and for other
emergency repairs to render the build
| ings safe.
According to school officials who
| have been looking into the matter.
school architecture has made great
advances In recent years. as is shown
by what Is being accomplished in the
| Hanover Avenue building, where mod
orn systems of heating. lighting and
ventilating are being installed. Ac-
| cording to these ofIlcials, the time has
| passed when Richmond can justify the
herdng of children into close. crowd
ed. Authenticated rooms. with poor
| light and doubtful sanitary arrange
ments. and with no moro attra ctive
prospect than four barren walls and
| a floor.
| shifting of Population.
The shifting population complic Gates
! the problem. according to DR. Chan
der. Central School. on Twelfth
ly full. and John Smith School, in tile
old High, School building at Eighth
ana MArBnaIl, draws all OF .1tS patron
ago west of First Street; while in
the residential sections all or tho
buildings are ovcrcrowded and about
thirty rooms are boing rented In out.
side buildings for school purposes. IN
view of the statement of Chairman
| Pollard. OF the Finance Committee
that he would oppose general bond
issue for improvements at this time
the only solution seems system ot
ontinuous appropriations from year
10 year in the annual budget by which
u faaa a.ttt AL. In 1.,,t1 4 t..
may DO replaced, one Mt n time. with
in the next three or four years.
The superintendent and School Board
have gone over the ground thorough
~, and are familiar with the needs
The problem is Il financial one. how
ever, and VIII be left largely to Tho
Committee on Finance to solve.
To Try Purycar on Wednesday.