The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-05-15

j What is to be Done?
| When the new high school was built
in Mount Holly it was thought that il
was larger than necessary, and the
Board of Education then in office was
criticised and told there was no neces-
sity for putting up such school
house. But it now turns out that
there is not sufficient room to take
care of the pupils that are enrolled-a
list that grows larger every year under
the operation of the compulsory educa-
ton law.
This condition is generally known,
and has been a matter of much con-
Germ to the board of education for some
time. The statement is frequently
made by people who have not investi-
gated the situation, that if there were
not so many nonresident pupils COM
ing here to school, there would be no
crowding. AS matter of fact, the
out-of-town pupils are nearly all en-
rolled in the high school, and the town.
ship receives about $4,000 annually
from their tuition fees. The congestion
is in the primary grades.
Propositions to relieve this situation
have been suggested, and it is proba-
BILE the voters will be given an oppor-
tunity to decide what is the best move
to be made. The building on Button
! wood street erected for the use of Miss
Jamison's private school some years
ago and now owned by the Young
Mems Christian Association, has been
offered for sale. 1t can be purchased
for $4,000, and it will take 800 to put it
in proper shape for the use of the
school. This purchase would seem to
be a very good idea. Not only will
this give two additional rooms that
are badly needed, but it will remove
the kindergarten pupils and one grade
of small pupils from those of larger
growth. The fact that these pupils
are compelled to be kept together has
caused much inconvenience, and has
bothered the school authorities for
some time.
A contractor has made an examina-
ton of the present Buttonwood street
school, and he says that building is
not strong enough to stand another
story being added to it. This was con-
sidered by the Board, but even if it
had been feasible it would still have
i kept the smaller children in the places
where they now are, and it seems to be
very desirable that such condition be
changed.
Another plan that has been suggest
ed is that the partition between the
office of the supervising principal and
the room occupied by the medical in
spector and the Board of Education,
in the high school, be torn down, and
the principal put back in the old Office,
now used as store room, on the other
side of the street. This action would
not give much relief, providing only
one room, and being open to the same
objection as the other propositions
that of placing children of and 6
years of age in the same building with
those of II and IS.
Another idea has been mentioned,
which has not been considered serious
ly, as it would require radical change
in the entire arrangement of the
rooms and resulting in much incon-
venience and loss of time. 1t is that
the high school classes be moved across
the street. and placed on the second
floor of that building, while the lower
grades would take the rooms thus va
Gated in the high school building. 1t
requires very little consideration to
realize how such action would result.
1t is impossible to move the manual
training and domestic science depart
ments from their present locations. If
the high school classes were scattered
on both sides of the street, there would
be constant stream of pupils going
across the road from one recitation to
another, and the time thus lost, and in
putting on and taking off wraps in
cold or stormy weather. would be a
great detriment. Large and small
children would then be together in two
buildings.
The other alternative. presented to
the Board is to place partition in the
auditorium and turn it permanently
into class rooms. This will undoubted-
ly be objected to by the majority of
people, who have realized the value of
the auditorium as place for holding
meetings.
The purchase of the Y. M. c. A,
property looks like very good propo-
sition. The interest on the amount
named would be a very reasonable
rental, and two new rooms would be
secured. II the suggestion of tearing
out the partition alluded to above
should be adopted, there would still re-
main the fact that only one room
would be gained, and the auditorium
would have to be used and be given up
as place for the public to assemble.
The matter will be presented to the
voters in short time.