The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-02-21
The New High school.

the decision for the erection Of two
new grade schools in Kenosha. We
believe that in the very near future,
if not at the present time, one more
modern grade school building is needed
for Kenosha. We do not believe that
the site for this building is at the
extreme north end of the city, but
rather somewhere out in the rapidly
developing west side of the city
possibly on the Bonny Hame property.
Notwithstanding this we believe
that it would be good sense to consider
at this time the building of two school
buildings. One of these should be a
modern grade school and the other
should be modern high school building.
We know that the suggestion of a
new high school is something like wav-
ing a red rag at bull, but at that II
is one of the greatest needs of the
educational system of Kenosha. In the
higher education of her children Ke-
nosha is about twenty years behind in
providing equipment. This is not
criticism of the heroic efforts that are
being made by school officials and
school teachers with the present equip
ment They are undoubtedly doing the
best they can under the present han
dicaps, But the high school facilities
of Kenosha are about such facilities
as would be offered in town of ten
thousand people or less.
We are not going to urge the CONVEX
sion of Bonny Hame INTO a great high
school plant. 1t is not our opinion that
Bonny Hame is in any way fitted for
this purpose. 1t may be that in some
distant future this tract of property,
splendidly situated and purchased at
price which indicted wisdom on the
part of members of the school board,
viii be available as a nigh school site,
but that time will come when the city
is in need of further high school facili-
ties than central high school. Bon
ny Hame is not located right for a
high school building of a Kenosha of
fifty or sixty thousand people and it
takes wide vision to locate it
right for a population of hundred
thousand people.
This does not mean that Bonny Hame
is poor investment. On the other
hand we consider it an excellent in
vestment of the money of the Board
of Education, even though it never be
used for school purposes. The prop
erty on which the Tribune building in
Chicago stands is owned by the
Chicago Board of Education 1t would
make poor site for school house,
but the city of Chicago does not want
to dispose of it. So may be the case
with Bonny Hame.
A central high school in Kenosha to
be of the greatest value to the greatest
number, must be centrally located and
now is the time to go out and buy a
site for such high school. Five acres
of land somewhere in the General dis
triet of the city should be secured now
with the understanding that the new
high school is going to be built just as
soon as the preliminaries can be carried
out. 1T is going to be necessary to buy
up whole blocks and some of these
blocks will contain homes of people.
Tt is going to cost money, but the
longer the Board of Education and the
City Council waits the more money it
is going to cost. Possibly it will be
necessary to spend seventy-fve thous-
and dollars to get five acre site for
this new high school, but it should be
secured before it costs hundred and
seventy-fve thousand dollars.
Tt will probably cost half a million
dollars to erect the kind of high
school that Kenosha should have and
there will be no better time to secure
this money than during the coming
year. In dreams of advancing Keno
sha we have been drawing pretty gen
orally on the income tax war chest
but we have not reached the bottom OF
it and Kenosha will be better able to
build a real high school next year than
at any time in its history.
1t is possible that only part of the
money necessary could be taken from
the war chest, but this would aid ma
terially and money invested in cen
trail high school is money mighty well
invested The time may come when tc
build such a high school would be really
burdensome to the people of the city
At the present time much of the cost
of the building could be taken from
income taxes and the average taxpag el
would feel the cost very little
IF the finance committees of thu
council want to begin sparring will
each other at the first mention of tht
plan, Kenosha will not get this mucl
needed improvement. Unity of pur
pose and unity of action is going to b.
demanded to put this over. We must
have the new high school and now i
the time to get it and get It in way
that the people at large win feel leas'
the drain upon theri purses.
With the new high school ready fo1
occupancy one of the big problems 0.