Connecticut western news., 1915-04-15
THE SCHOOL PROBLEM
Plain Statement Of Conditions by a
 Competent Authority.

competent AuthorlfY.
 The nrnblem of accommodating pupils in the present school building for the coming school year under the present school organization and with the pres ent curriculum is an impossibility viewed from every point that present school officials have been able to attack the problem.
 The difficulties which confront us in solving this problem are these: First, there is the problem of accommodating approximately thirty more high school pupils in quarters already crowded to the maximum for proper handling and efficient instruction. Secondly, there is the problem of providing proper housing and instruction for fifty.seven fifth and sixth grade pupils who, under present conditions, will have to be housed in a room about the right size for forty and instructed by one teacher who should never be required to handle more than thirty pupils. I might add further that these two grades in which the congestion for the ensuing year comes represent the most difficult stages of school life which teachers have to control. For this reason there should be fewer pupils to teacher in these grades than in grades immediately above or below.
 There seems to be no possible way of satisfactorily triumphing over these difficulties except by providing two more school rooms. These might be added to the present school building. They might be obtained by construct ing two units of high school building on thes elevated section of the present school yard or elsewhere. This idea seems to be popular and has been ad- vanced by several Still another feasi- ble plan would be to rent two rooms in the village somewhere. This third plan seems iInpossible,' however, sinco no one knows of any suitable rooms for the purpose. The only possible one that I have been able to learn of is tho one under the town hall which is very unsatisfactory because of the fact that it is poorly lighted, obstructed by posts, and at times, I am told its quiet is dis turbed by the wild-sounding and thunderons escape of vapors of a sub stance popularly known as fire water which would not always contribute moral tone to the school environment
 The addition of two rooms to tho present budding will probably find A rather wide approval for the fact that the present. heating plant would Do adequate for heating this addition and because of the fact that an addition iH cheaper than a new building. This will at least appeal to those who think in terms of dollars and cents. To the idealist new building will appeal most effectively. There is no doubt that a separate high school building is the most attractive proposition to tho citizen who is striving to benefit the town as far as possible and to school teachers and officials who have to carry on the school work. To the former it appeals because it tends to attract families that have children to be educated, probably the most desirable kind of a population. The more ideal and attractive are tho public schools the more idea and attractive is the town to the prospective resident, and the more valuable and desirable are real estate and real estate investments.
 The only possible solution of our prob lems under present. housing condf- tions that can think of is the shut ting-out of out-of-town pupils, which would mean the loss of an income esti- mated at S1 200 for the coming school year, sum sufficient to pay the inter est on s24, 900. Such move certainly would not be looked upon with favor even by one whose ideal thoughts scared no higher than dollars and cents. The income derived from these out'of- town pupils are not the only benefit which they bring to our high school They are for the most part industrious and well-behaved pupils who make good associates and lend wholesome competition in school life and work in