The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-08
'STRATFORD SCHOOL
 SITES NOT LOCATED
 TO AID CONGESTION
Re-opening of Schools For Fall Term Presents New Prob
 IemS to Town.
Especial to The Farmer.)

Stratford, Sept. 8-With\ the open ing of the fall term of the public schools the problem of the education
 of it's children again becomes the all
 absorbing question confronting the
 town of Stratford. particularly the school committee. Labor Day closed the summer vacation and yesterday about 2,500. pupils took up their books and resumed their various studies.
 The school problem has developed into serious matter and has been
 the subject of much consideration and debate at recent meetings in the town hall and sessions of the school committee in the CenterI school. Every year the population of the town shows decided increase and
 number of school children have
 reached such proportions that they
 must be reckoned with. Two new, modern brick buildings, one on Nichols avenue and the other on Garden street, are in course of
 construction and, it is hoped, will be
 ready for use some 11me during the winted. Many had been under the i'm pression that these buildings would be ready when the term opened as the contracts were let at the same l time as that providing for four room addition to the Franklin school,
 although the latter was a more com ] plicated- job. The Franklin school addition has been completed and seats installed and it is estimated that this building will now accommodate about $50 scholars. Work seems to be dragging heavily at the other two schools, however, although January i 1 has been given as probable date for their completion.
 The opening of these two new hJJi NUi1 is r. ica1ly force the closing of the Wash ington school on, North avenue, a wooden structure, as there will not be enough pupils to warrant it's con- tinuation, although it is now crowd ed. The subject has causedZ much
 criticism, even the purchase of the lots for the two schools being pointed to with disfavor. Three thousand
 dollars was paid for the Nichols ave
 nue lot, while the Garden street
 district and in a, better location re-
 gards accessibility, cost less than
 $500. Speaking on the school ques- tion, member of the school com
 naittee said:
 ."The situation that will be brought
 about by the opening of the Nichols
 avenue and Garden street schools is due mainly to the fact that they are not properly located. The great trou-
 blee is that the school committee which makes a study of the schools
 and their management is not given the authority to say here al school shall be placed. Hampered by its limited powers, the school committee isf< therefore unable to show the re- suits that it would like to. If the committee had had the authority the new school on Nichols avenue, for example, would have been 1ocat- ed in the sputh end where it would have relieved a serious pressure and furnished accommodations for a larg- CT number of scholars, or placed a block west on Broadbridge road where it would care for that rapidly growing section.
 "As it is, when the two new schools are in use the present wooden one will be closed and it's pupils taken over by the other two. These are four room structures and probably three or, four of the eight rooms will be idle, while in the south end, the Sedgewick school will be forced to resume as it did last tern1-half the pupils attending school in the morn l ing and the remainder in the after 1 noon."
 At the last meeting the school budget was fixed at $46,OOo. This compares with $41,OOO for the previ- | ous year. The school commi%ee has kept within it's funds, it is learned, 1 although it was necessary to do with | I
 : When the school committee met in the Center school, last Thursday ev- ening, a representative appeared from | the Lordship district and the ques- l ton was brought up, What are we to do with the Lordship school chill ! dren ?" It developed that ten chill 1 dren would be ready to start the fall term and ways and means for their | accommodation were discussed. | Stratford's schools were too far away | and automobile transportation would cost about $500 a year. About $4, 1000 per year is paid to the town of Stratford in taxes from the Lordship l district but no school is located inNl that end of the town. It was fin ally decided that, temporarily the ten children shall attend school in Strat- | ford being divided between the Sedgewick and Center schools.
 It was also agreed that the board 1 of finance be asked to provide funds | to care for these children. in man | ner to be worked out later, probably l in October. The finance board can recommend the appropriation of funds, which must be approved by a town meeting
 Tn the meantime, the Lordship l children may cheer themselves with the prospect of an airy, mile-and-a- half walk to school, daily, before and after meals.
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