The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-05-18
WHY TUCUMCAR| IS
IN NEED OF MORE
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
TO the Patrons Of the Tucumcari
p,kl;, C,hnnI..

some Of the reasons why we are in
such urgent need Of additional school
room, and why think fifty thousand
dollar bond issue is not in excess of
the needs Of the district. II is my
wish to place the information ] have
regarding the conditions in our schools
in the hands of the patrons so that
they can decide for themselves wheth-
er their children need the increased
facilities which the Board has asked
the district to supply.
A bond issue is not proposition the
ultimate value Of which can be meas
urcd in dollars and cents. When a
man or woman goes to the polls on
next Friday May 26, to vote on the
question Of issuing fifty thousand dol
lars Of additional school bonds, that
man or woman will not vote because IL
is in any sense financial proposition.
Where the question of educating ones
children is concerned. no such increase
in taxation as this bond issue would
incur will stand between parents and
better educational facilities for their
children. The only question to be con-
Sidered Is whether we need the build
ings and equipment which the Board
has asked the patrons of the district
to vote. Parents, il is your children
who are TO receive the benefits of these
much needed facilities; and you know
tha. n dollar spent on their education
today is worth twenty dollars spent
five years from now.
G.. e.. 4 ,.hl S., la.
there are hut two arguments against
the contemplated bond issue: First,
that under present conditions we do
not need the amount asked for; sec
ond, that we would need no additional
room is nonresident pupils of the
county were not admitted free to our
schools.
In considering the amount actually
needed TO adequately provide for our
needs. we can arrive very closely,
believe. TO the facts in the case by
means Of little study and comparison
In the first place, the buildings at
present owned by the district cost
something less than forty thousand
dollars. OF this amount little, il any,
was used in furnishing and equipping
the buildings. | understand that in
addition to the twenty-seven thousand
dollars voted to erect and equip the
present High School building, that
some three thousand dollars additional
was required to furnish the basement
And as far as equipment is concerned,
il is not at this time properly equip
ped. Judging from careful estimates,
believe ! am not far wrong when
say that our High School building and
equipment alone cost near thirty-ive
thousand dollars.
This building should serve rs n
StaTdprd for any comparisons one de-
iires to make regarding what should
u, expected from an expenditure OF
fifty thousand dollars. This building
contains seven regular recitation
rooms with II combined seating ca
pacity cf two hundred and ninety pu-
pills, and an assembly room and study
hall with seating capacity of one
hundred and fifty pupils In addition
there are two basement rooms, at
present used for the domestic science
and manual training departments, One
OF these can be arranged, II not used
by the manual training department, 10
seat fifty pupils, The other room j.
too poorly lighted TO be used as reg
ular class room, and was originally
used aS laboratory. II is now used
as "A domestic science room. and L.
very unsatisfactory for this purpose.
In addition to the rooms mentioned the
l.,l
supply closets and cloak rooms.
With prices for material advanced
as at present, il is generally admitted
that thirty-five thousand dollars would
not erect such building as our High
School building.
The total seating capacity of the
class rooms in our present buildings
is about six hundred and thirty pupils,
and our average monthly enrolment
was about eight hundred pupils. BY
using only the buildings owned by the
district and allowing al pupils to at
tend school the entire day we would
have had something like one hundred
and seventy pupils without seats
enough to fill five ordinary school
rooms. And when you consider the
average daily attendance for the past
year-750 pupils---you will see that we
had more pupils in attendance every
day of school than we had seats in
class rooms by matter Of one hundred
and twenty pupils.
But the two Annexes on Central
grounds are unsatisfactory, and were
originally intended to offer but TEN.
porary relief, In the interest of ths
children who are forced TO spend six
hours of each school day in thes,
buildings the Board proposed TO re-
place them with rooms suitably and
permanently constructed, and proper
ly heated and lighted. BY combining
the rooms which should replace thes,
buildings with the needs in the grades