The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-08-15
.CHAIRMANOFTHE
SCHOOL BOARD
ON NEW SCHOOL
CHAIRMAN ]. H. Sheriff.. IN
INTERVIEW, GOES INTO DE-
TAIL ON CRITICISMS OF SITE
FOR NEW GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

]. H. Sheriff., chairman of the
Board of Public Instruction, when
asked yesterday about the recent crit
icisms of the new site for a grammar
school building on the west side gave
out the following:
''There seems to be numerous pop
ular mistakes regarding the facts re-
lating to the selection of block 18 of
the Maxent tract, for the new gram
mar school," said Mr.. Sheriff..
cit is asserted that this location is
far from the center of the school pop
ulation west of Palafox street. This
is not fact. When a line is drawn
north and south through this loca-
ton and another east and west, thus
dividing the district into four sec
tons and the white school children
in these districts counted, the follow
ing results are obtained:
Northwest section, or that part of
the city known as West Hill, % 1-2
per cent; southwest section, or the
Baskerville and Little Bayou section,
II per cent; northeast section, or
what is known as North Hill, go IL
per cent; southeast or Bay Front sec
ton, Is per cent.
cit is asserted that a larger pro-
portion of the 80 IL per cent from
North Hill attend grammar school.
If that be so it is possibly due to
the fact that the remaining 81 IL per
cent have heretofore been prevented
by their distance from the present
grammar school at School No. /.
at has been asserted that block IL
Maxent tract, is in the center of a
negro neighborhood. This is not q
fact. It is fact that negroes live
within two blocks of this location, but
all land sold in this tract is restricted
to white occupancy. However, the
largest school in the city, No. 1, also
school No. 20 and school No. 35, each
is separated only by the width Of
one street from solid blocks of negro
! houses. sc ~
eft is objected that a negro school
is within two block of this location
This is true. However, the negro
school is for primary grades, meaning
young children, while the proposed
school is for grammar grades, mean
ing older children. This same condi-
ton exists with respect to school No
2, except here grades are the same
and friction seems not to have de-
veloped.
at is asserted that the children at
tending the proposed schools must
necessarily pass the negro school and
through a negro neighborhood. This
is not fact. 1t is fact that practi'
cally no child who will attend the new
school will be compelled to go more
than one block, or three hundred feet
farther than the nearest corner, t.
absolutely avoid all negro homes anC
school.
an this respect few schools in tn,
city are so well located.
"It is objected that no car ser
vice can be had for block 1s. Thu
DeVilliers street car runs within si1
blocks; the West Hill car within three
blocks and the manager of the Pen
sacola Electric Co. has stated that thu
Baseball park line will be extende'
to block 1s and run upon schoo
schedule. In other words car servic'
to the new school will be better thar
to the high school, schools numbe
IS, 81, 40, "a, or Al.
'aThe new location is better than an.
existing school in some respects; it j
better than the average of our schoo
locations in every respect and in n
respect is it as bad as some alread,
existing schools"