Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-27
STAMM SHOWS WHY
LOAN SHOULD PASS

STAMM SHOWS WHY
LOAN SHOULD PASS
[Continued From First Pnse1
readily understand. Here arc the
questions-and the answers:
A. Carson Stamm, president of the
Harrisburg School Board. to-day an
| swered the following question on the
high school loan:
What is the amount and purpose
of this loan?
The voters are asked to authorize
the School Board to expend $1,25O,000
for the purpose of erecting high school
buildings and buying sites for them
Specihcally, If this authority is given,
the School, Board proposes
ITO buy ground in a central location
and erect thereon a high school for
girls;
ITO convert the Technical high
school into boys high school for all
courses and. when the capacity of the
present building shall have been
reached. make the necessary additions
thereto upon ground to be purchased
out of this loan;
ITO enlarge and remodel the Camp
curtin building for the purposes of a
| Junior high school for the uptown sec
ton;
ITO, remodel the Central high school
building for the purposes of a junior
high school in the central section;
ITO Greet a junior high school on a
lot owned by the School Board on
Eighteenth street for the use of the
Hill section.
What is junior high school?
"A junior high school includes the
present seventh and eighth grades and
the freshman class of the present high
school. There are now eight years in
the grades and four years in the high
school. With the adoption of the
Junior high school into the system. six
wears in the grades, three years in the
| junior high school and three years in
the senior high school.
What is the necessity for this
| building program?
Primarily, it grows out of the con-
| gested condition of the Central high
school, This building was first occu-
pied in 1893. BY 1900 it's capacity had
been reached. and then began the
! doubling up process and the trespass-
ing upon other facilities of the build
| ing. In 1904 some relief was afforded
| by the organization of the Technical
high school. which took, and continues
| to take, large numbers of the boys.
III lSUS OF 1S1U JDe CnurCn at Ine cor
ner of Sixth and Forster stress was
purchased and used for the overflow
for several years. For the last four
years double sessions have been neces-
sary-that is to say, half the pupils
SO 10 school in the morning and half
in the afternoon.
''The Central high school building
has capacity of $50. 1t now has 1,050
students. The situation in many re-
spects is intolerable, but especially be-
cause every pupil is on part time. both
study and recitation periods being
necessarily shortened, with the result
that the standard of scholarship must
obviously be lowered. In other words,
these boys and girls are being denied
something which it is the duty of the
city TO give them and which they can
never make up.
However, it is not only necessary
10 relieve the conditions at the Central
high school but also to provide further
accommodations for the primary
grades. There is not a single empty
room in the Allison Hill section. There
are only eight empty rooms in the up
town section. Under the present plan
of the board the necessity for other
grade buildings in these localities will
be avoided.
How will this plan avoid the
necessity for other grade build
ings?
THE organization of the three Junior
high schools, taking, as they will, all
the present seventh and eighth grade
pupils and the freshman class in the
high school. will empty approximately
fifty rooms in the grade buildings,
which rooms, of course, will be avail
able for primary pupils for long time
to come"
Will the school tax be increased?
"The statement has been made sew
eral times in the newspapers that it
will not be. l have never made any
such statement. and l doubt whether
any other member of the board has.
1t can hardly be expected that the in
terest and sinking fund charges on the
loan can be met without some addition
10 the tax rate. One would have to be
either foolhardy or have the gift of
prophecy to say Just how this will
work out. There are many elements
involved, the chief of which, perhaps.
is the real estate assessment upon
which the tax is based. 1t is quite pos
sible that the School Board may be
able TO get along for a year or two, or
even longer, on its present revenue;
and, in any event, it would seem to me
that this loan would not require at any
time an increase of more than a mill
in the school tax. If the city continues
TO grow and the assessments are equal
lied, it may be that the board can get
along with less.
'The primary question is, shall our
boys and girls have adequate school
facilities in order that they may enter
into the duties of citizenship without
handicap? IT is the determination of
the School Board to administer the
affairs of the district with the utmost
economy consistent with the highest
efficiency; and if the people want an
adequate system, they will be willing
to pay what it costs on this basis.
There is a minimum below which the
cost can't go, and this cost must be
met by taxation. The rate of taxation
will depend upon the growth of the
city and the amounts of its assessed
valuation.
Would any other plan to meet
existing conditions be more
economical?
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