The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-03-12
URGES BOND ISSUE
Prominent Member of the
School Board Shows Need
of New High School.
SHOWS SCHOOL CONDITIONS
S. G. Newman, Father Of Plan to Sub
NIT Bond Issue for New Building,
Gives People Lot of Light ON Con-
ditions Surrounding Schools.
lBy S. c. Newmanl

The question of a bond issue of
$300,000.00 for the purpose of building
a new high school comes before the
voters of the city of Kenosha at the
spring election. That the voters may
have knowledge of school conditions is
the object Of this letter
The board previous to the present
one recognized the need of more room,
by arranging to build an 5 room addi-
tion to the Balm school, which addition
has been completed and is now fully
occupied. Plans were drawn and &C
cepted for new 20 room building on
the Collins street site, in the south
western part of the city, but because
of the scare over the stability of the
Central high school, these plans were
put to one side for a time. The old
board frankly recognized the need of
more school rooms, and the present
board also recognizes such need.
Statistics can be juggled and are
sometimes defective, and frequently
when used in argument convey nothing
to the mass. / therefore will use
them sparingly.
In 1910-11, three years ago we had
SO teachers and supervisors, including
the superintendent. In 1928, one
year ago, lit. Today we have 123,
An increase of 40 per cent in teach
ers in three years, An exhibit Of aver
age attendance of pupils over the
same period cannot be made because
this year is not finished. Three port
able buildings accommodating over
forty pupils each have been erected,
and still we are crowded so that in
certain cases two teachers with their
different grades occupy the same room,
making it most difficult to proceed In
proper order, because Of the conflict
| of noises. Halls and cloak rooms are
used for school rooms in some cases.
Basement rooms also are used to the
disgust of pupils, teachers and patrons.
On the average our teachers have as
many in their charge as they can in
struct and discipline.
The present board wishes to erect
new high school because we have out
grown the old one. While we no long
er have an auditorium there, we have
managed to squeeze in three more
class rooms, so that each teacher has
| a recitation room. We now have
reached the limit The building is full
and running over The present board
desires to build new high school of
sufficient size to meet the needs of a
growing city, as we'll as to accommo
date the increasing number of child
rem who now desire to continue into
the high school when formerly they
ceased going to school. It is true that
we have large attendance from Ke-
nosha county outside of Kenosha
city. In former years the tuition re-
ceived from such pupils was joke-it
was not one-half of the cost of tuition.
Under new state law we now more
nearly receive the cost of educating
county pupils. We could cut out all
outsiders it is true, and get along for
a year or so without new building,
but, granted that our county pupils pay
their share of the cost, we should not
| do this, any more than we should in
vite the country people to SO to Ra-
cine or Waukegan to trade.
BY building new high school we
shall release for the use of the
grades some % rooms, so soon as the
new high school is finished. Each
ward school, and each part of the city
will obtain relief, for the higher grades
can be assembled in the old high school
which will then be termed the junior
high school, and each ward school ex-
cept the Gillett, will have from to
6 rooms made available for lower
grades. Such action will be in accord
ance with modern educational prac-
| tice, first because it will be possible
to utilize all space better. In some
ward schools the Sth grade has a
small number, and in others large
number 1t could not be otherwise IN
less some sth grade pupils were ar
bitarily sent to schools far from their
homes. Assembled in central build
ing the units can be arranged so that
all Sth grade teachers will have equal
numbers. 1t thus becomes very evi
dent that releasing the present high
school to the grades, viii obyiate the
building of new ward schools for some
time to come. If again ward school
should become crowded, the erection OF
portable school houses or the moving
OF those already erected to new loea
tions to fill pressing needs, will delay
erection of permanent buildings unit
the need of permanent building il
, any quarter is demonstrated beyond
all question Is it not, therefore, 3
better plan to relieve the pressure from
| above, than to allow the high sehoo