The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-17
TAX BOARD TURNS
 COLD SHOULDER TO SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Can't See Way Clear To Adding To Fund Available For
 New High School
Committee Of Board Of Educa- ton Confers With Board
 Of Apportionment

| pIeLe a new high school, received a de-
 cided cold shoulder The. apportion- 1 ment board did not refuse additional | funds because the school boards com rn1ttee did not ask for them, but all the members expressed themselves as opposed to granting additional money 1 for the school by direct taxation
 Commissioners Ravens, Webster Cullinan and oBardnan of the school board were present. None of the com l mittee seemed to know just what they l wanted or how to go about getting 1t. They did not ask for the amount right out nor did they ask advice Of the beard as to means for raising the | money. Commissioner Ravens, who was spokesman, said:
 f'As understood it, we are. here at your request because bidsss exceeded l the appropriation for the new high school. After buying the site, deduct l ing architects fees, etc. we have left 1 about $314, 900. The lowest bid on the building you see it, iG about $3S5, ,O0O By cutting off two wings, or twelve class rooms 1t will reduce the lowest bid by about $55, GOO That building provides for an. auditorium capable Of seating 1,500 persons Under this is a gmynasium. If these are cut off we will reduce the cost by $4OOOO The present high school harbors 938 pupils and under the circI1m I think it 1 rnwise to cut off any of the things | have spoken of. believe we should construct a building capable of hous- ing 1,50O pupils"
 B. D. Pierce, Jr., then asked: Does you board come here recom- | mending anything for this board to do? Under the circumstances would
 you ask us to make an appropriation and thereby add a burden on the peo- pie by direct taxation? Do you want to ask our opinion as regards bringing this matter before the people under the new home rule law or do you want
 us to make an appropriation for you?' MT. Ravens explained that there
 were two ways in which the additional money might be raised, one by direct appropriation from the board of ap- portionment which would mean a
 slightly additional tax, the other; by
 going before the people at a, special
 election and asking that the money be raised by another bond issue.
 He said that if the money was not
 forthcoming the school board could
 build the school, leaving off two wings
 which were shown on huge drawing of the building prepared for the occa- sion. - He though the work could be
 commenced at once and by the time the main portion of the building was hnished the money would be forth coming for the wings z In response to a question regarding the legality Of proceeding. in this matterls
 proceeding in this manner Comnis- sioner Boardrnan of the school board said City Attorney Pullman had ex- p1ained they could not contract for
 $380, 900 worth of work because they have not the money. He says they could, how make a contract for S314,OOO worth of work and trust to the board of apportfonnent to appropriate the balance later or else go before the people at special election under the home rule act in an effort to. get the l balance later on. s+s"
 MT. Pierce than took another slap. at the school boards methods; saying:
 ftWhy didn't you make your architect 1 draw plans for a $315, GOO building?. It | seems to me you were very lame there | Wky don't you stay within your ap- | propriation? personally am opposed | to this board granting you any. more | money if it is to come by direct taxa | ton.
 wouldn't it be better to have that l money put into other graded schools? l Doesn't it seem that $40OOOO should | have been enough? Most of our chi1- | dren get out Of school at IA or before i Can't we get out of this school without l all the fri1ls. lunch rooms, etc. ?''
 Commissioner Cu1linan then said:.
 Hartford asked the legislature for | an issue of $5Oo.OO0 to build an addition | on the ma agnidcent high school it al- l ready has" 5.c5-
 ttHartford has half as many taxpay- | CTS as Bridgeport ,'' rejoined MT. Pierce, | which shows that we have, a. lot of 1 poor people here who own their little | homes and to whom taxation will be 8 | burden"
 Well, Springfield has just spent l nearly $1, ,0OO, 900 on its high school. It | has several high schools and it is not as large a city as Bridgeport" 1" returned | MT. Cullinan. ss
 When asked if the building would not be large enough without the wings Commissioner Boardma1n said:
 ''It has been figured by Superintend- ent Deane that. if the building. was opened today it would draw 1,2O0 pu- pills. There are at present 938 pupils in l the high school, but the building itself l. would draw many more because chill dren like to go to school in fine b1ild4ng.''
 2 Commissioners Leeds, Kirk and HfHcks again wanted to know why the board had not compelled: the ar. chitect to make plans for a $S15,000 building Commissioner E1avens saiG that the board had consulted 28 ar chitects and everyone had told them 1t would be impossible to build the |. school for the sum at hand.
 Commissioner -CuI1inan expIained-how the board had first decided on the sum needed He said:
 We took the splendid New Haven high school as a model. This nagnff1-- cent building cost $250, 900 ten years ago. It would cost much more to build now so we added 20 per cent. to the original cost with the idea of having our building cost $3OO,000 ana then d. lowing $10e,O0O more for the site, ar chitect's fees, etc. We thought we had enough, but it appears we haven't''
 stI am opposed to having this money given by the board Of apportfonnent E in direct taxation" declared Mayor wilson. t"The board of education went before the people at election time to ask for these $4OO,0OO bonds and be- h lieve they should go before the people again if they want more money.'' -.-
 None of the mem beTts Of the board of education had anything further to offer