St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-02-26
The school HOUSE Question

Town meeting promises to be a
gathering of unusual interest TO
the town. There are two questions
put up to the voters that mean much
to the future of the town, the build
ing of a new school building and
the provision of a place where peo-
pie suffering from contagious dis
ease can be taken. The CaledOnian
has given much space to the discus
sion of the school question on &C
count of it's interest and Importance.
AS we are able to gather the in
formation it seems every school
building is filled to it's capacity and
the Summer Street schools are &C,
commodating ninety-tive more child
rem than their maximum should be.
In one room in those buildings there
are sixty-seven pupils while it should
under no condition accommodate
more than forty. This room lacks
proper. light and proper ventilation.
The seriousness of the situation
would be fully realized if sixty-seven
men would volunteer to go into that
room and stay four hours as the
children are forced to do. We know
in our own family that the opening
of the public schools is the begin
ming of colds and headaches in a
child that is free from them during
vacation. 1t must be the same in the
other homes in the village. That is
unmistakable evidence the children
are not properly cared for in the
schoolroom. There is no reason to
expect they can be until the school
authorities are given the power to
provide more Accommodations. With
the number of school children stead
lily increasing the necessity of prompt
action must be apparent to every cit
izen.
Another fact seems well establish
ed and that is no children are
brought into the village schools that
can be accommodated elsewhere eX-
cept seven from Clay Hill and it is
cheaper and more satisfactory to
care for those seven here than to
maintain a separate school for them
There remains the question of
cost and location. Anyone who has
followed the debate must realize
that the school directors have rec
commended the Howe site because
= L. hn found
at a reasonable cost; that the di-
rectors would be glad to go nearer
to Railroad street if they could find
a place to do so. 1t is also shown
that there would be more children
west of Main street to be accommo-
dated by the new school building
than there are east of it AS to the
price of the Howe lot, it has not
been liked by the directors. They
have the right to take it and have
it appraised by disinterested men if
the price made by the owner is not
satisfactory. Then there remains the
matter of bonding the town for
$4,000. This is a serious matter
and should not be done unless it is
necessary. But there seems to be no
question as to it's necessity. The
voters can do one of two things.
They can save their dollars, damage
their school children and limit the
growth of their town, or they can
spend their dollars judiciously, ben
eft their children and encourage the
growth and development of their
town. Mr.. Voter which do you stand
for, your dollar or your child?
In closing we would ask the voter
to credit the board of school direct
ors for the work they have done to
determine what is best to do. Their
know ledge regarding the matter ex-
ceeds that of the ordinary voter who
has not studied the matter as they
have. Therefore the voter will act
wisely if he refuses to be lined up
against this proposition by the flip
pant remark of some uniformed mar
and is guided by the facts in the
case. In a way it is unfortunate
that the town must increase its bond
ed indebtedness bat the necessity
for increased school acoommoda-
lions is unquestioned evidence of
the growth Of the town itself. 1t
means we have more taxpayers,
more consumers to patronize our To-
cal business men and it will be