New-York tribune., 1916-02-16
A GARY SUCCESS
Personal Testimony of Conditions
Before and After Trial.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: As member Of the Vanderveer PARK
Taxpayers Association and as an indiydua-
have been greatly interested IN Public
School SO, Brooklyn. where the Gary system
is being tried out have resided in / lat
bush for twelve years and my four children
started their school career in that school
Previous TO the installation of the Gary sys
tenn they were in part-time classes. Ihois
progress through school was slow and dis
lcouraging. This was an intolerabe situation,
and constantly kept before the members Of
the association the necessity for unremtt;ns
efforts to secure some Improvement.
When school opened n September. 1913,
ard FOR the previous terms the sessions were
from S:l5 to l2:i5 and from l2:l5 TO A:l5
Three of my children were going TO school a.
that time. Two children were attending th
first session and the third the afternoon ses-
sion, the consequence being that Mrs. Ksin
hal to prepare luncheons at different times,
and generally had to search the neighborhood
TO .nd the little son and prepare him for
school. II would often mean putting him ~
the tub to put him in proper state to 90 to
school
About three weeks after the school opened
in September, 1913. the school became SO
lovercrowded, with l,40O out of l,S0O children
on part time. that the Board Of Superin
ttenucnts tried another scheme. They changed
the sessions TO this routine: S:i5 70 1896.
l0:3O to 1890. 1880 to 2:30, 2:30 to 4:Sc.
This meant that those children who went 20
school at s:i5 came home al l0:30 fol
luncheon, for which they had two hours,
which, OF course, they didn't need for the
purposes and if you had few children you
would have to chain them 10 keep therl
abreast such schedule.
The above readjustment didn't work and
the hoard put forward this nightmare system.
s:l5 to 1880. l2:30 70 2:90, for "A, 3B, 81
and 2B pupils; 9:20 20 1890 and 30 70
$3.50, for 2B2 and "a pupils; $3.50 to 1880
and $50 to 1880. for the I B and IA pupils.
Now. it happens that my children were so
pla, ed in school that one came at 1870 fer
luncheon and the other two az 1890, the
first returning at 1890, the second at l:2J
and the third at l:50. Time of starting for
school was different for each one.
Ihal is the sort OF planning for improvo-
ment which has been put forward in the pasc
schools. When I made protest two Of the
board, Messrs. Haaren and Ettinger, reported
that "the system at present in operation
practically does away with part time in this
school" but stating "of course, additional ac-
com modations are needed in this neighbor
hood, and when neighborhoods are relieved
in which the congestion IL greater something
ought 10 be done here"
1t is needless to state with such systems it
would be out Of the question for mother
with more than Yankee family 20 do am
thing else than watch the school schedules
in order that her flock might get there at the
appointed time.
The variou. menipulations OF time de-
rcriped above did not improve the conditions
BIZ any means When a committee Of the as
sociqtion called at the school 10 get some in
formstion at first hand they found children
sitting on the basement floor, about eight fee'
below the sidewalk. It had become necessary
20 pack the children in every room in the
basement; not even benches were provided
Some Of the children were seated on books
placed on the concrete floor. The teacher,
we're forced to wear their overcoats and hats
20 keep warm and stated that on rainy DAYS
the water leaked through the walls and food
ed the floor on which the children we're ia
the habit Of sitting. The auditorium, which
seated about 800 pupils. was used for stucy
purposes, without partitions TO separate ono
class from another.
With these facts in mind. the committee
appeared before the president OF the Board
OF Education and registered vigorous pro-
test So well did our spokesman and counsel,
George Boochever. present the facts that Mr
Writ, who heard the whole story, applied for
authority 20 install his system. The presi-
den. Of the board Immediately made a per
sonal investigation, accompanied by several
commissioners and supsrintsndents, ard they