The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1913-09-16
WOULD ASK STATE TO
INSPECT BUILDINGS

women Would Like q Report
/ on Town School Buildings.
After hearing statement by Su-
pefintendent OF Schools !. Burton
Wiley regarding the enrolment and
general conditions Of the public
| schools women in a public meeting
called by the Women's Town Improve
nent committee pissed resolutions
Offering tier aid 10 the boagd Of
education in solving the problems in
i cidental to crowding OF the schools
and also asking the board If it would
| be agreeable for the women to invite
! the state school authorities to Nor
rlstoWn to make an investigation and
report on the Morristown school
buildings. Mrs. Ralph B. Urmy pre-
! sided over the meeting which was at.
tended by about fifty women. She
appointed as a committee to draft
the resolutions Mrs. A. H. Pierson,
Mrs. w. w. Dean and Miss Smith.
Mr.. Wiley said that the total en-
i rollment of the schools was 1867 and
the total legal seating capacity was
l,422. In the Mills street school the
enrolment was 161 and the legal
seating capacity 1856, in the Liberty
] street school enrolment 1872 and legal
seating capacity IA, Speedwell ay-
enue building enrolment 359 and legal
seating capacity 410, Maple avenue
building enrolment 915 and legal
seating capacity 1872. In the grades
in the Maple avenue building there
/ are 600 pupils and $50 seats. In the
high school there are 315 pupils and
the legal seating is only lag. There
i are about sixteen more pupils in the
high school this year than last.
Mr.. Wiley asserted there were only
three regular class rooms in the high
school, pupils using temporary rooms
fitted up in the assembly hall, the
assembly hall itself and a front room
that should be devoted to laboratory
purposes.
OF non-residents in the high school
Mr.. Wiley said there were eighty-one
who are paying S45 each per year.
He said if there were ample accom-
modations in the high school he be-
i lieved the number would increase to
100 almost at once and the board of
/ education could raise the tuition to
$50.
Mr.. Wiley told of bringing the Sew
! enth and eighth grades from the
Speedwell avenue building to the
Maple avenue building and the send
ing of the fifth and sixth grades from
the Maple avenue building to the
Speedwell building. These seventh
and eighth grades We're all on the
! second floor of the Maple avenue
building, making possible a depart
mental system similar to that in the
high school The eighth grade is
divided into three groups. In the
academic department where the pu
pills are fitted particularly for the
high school with the future of col
lege work, little Latin is given
with their English study and a little
algebra with their arithmetic. This
gives them a better chance for fit
ting for college in the high school.
7 In the commercial division Mr..
WILEY told of there being 1874 this year
! last years number being ninety-one.
These pupils are given lots of arith-
metic and spelling so that if they
leave school at the end of their gram.
mar school course they will have an
education that will fit them to enter
offices, stores or shops In the in
dustrial section twice as much shop
work is given the pupils as those in
the other two divisions receive Me-
chanical drawing is also given them,
while both Industrial and commercial
divisions are drilled in spelling and
/ penmanship.
The speaker deplored the lack of
! domestic science work for the girls
but said that Miss VanHorn was CIV
ing sewing instruction to them as
well as drawing. the commercial and
industrial girls getting two periods of
sewing instructions to one given the
academic girls.
He told of the necessity for one
sessions for the lower grades because
of lack of room. 1t was not possible,
he declared, for the board of educa-
tion to rent rooms for these grades
outside the school building because of
the requirements of the state board.
But If the town should vote a bond
issue to erect building and thus
evince a desire to remedy conditions
the state board would suspend it's re-
quirements and outside rooms could
be rented until the new building or
buildings were ready.
The same difficulty over the seat
ing was experienced last year, said
Mr.. Wiley. The town has not grown
very much neither has the school en-
rollment.
The half time classes were nee
essary to get the shop work in as
the state board would not permit the
use of the basement as a work room.
He would put other classes on half
time, too, he declared, if he could
get domestic science introduced into
the schools.
Mr.. Wiley told of the two special
classes for sub-normal pupils-one for
those who are backward because of
incorrigibility and the other for those
mentally deficient. The state helps
in "a substantial way with the paying
of salaries for the teachers for these
classes.
Mr.. Wiley had good words to say
of the new school board, saying the
new administration had an open ear
for the hearing of the needs of the