Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-11

LAY BAD SCHOOLS
TOLACK OF CASH
Education Board Finance
Committee Favors Borrow
ing Million Dollars
10000 ON PART TIME
Lane Declares 800 Out of 400
Buildings Are Below Mod
ern Requirements
10000 ON PART TIME

Lack Of funds. which hampers the
Board of Education in it's work, Is said
today to be responsible for the fact that
800 city school buildings have been
branded as unfit for use, and 10000 chill
dren are on part time, due to a scarcity
of teachers.
At a meeting OF the finance committee
OF the Board of Education, approval was
given for the borrowing Of s1.00o,oo0
TO be applied to current school expenses.
until revenue due from delinquent taxes
is available.
DR.. John p CARRIER. superintendent
of schools. said millions are needed TO
remodel school buildings and make them
At for use.
"RamsIhacEIes," Says Lane
'Ramshackle" was the word applied
to the unfit buildings by David II. Lane.
q member of the board. This was after
a statement had been made showing
that fewer than 25 per cent OF the school
buildings in this city come up to the
modern requirements. Among the 4oo
schools in the district only 100 meet
the required standard.
Among the school buildings that Mr..
Lane classed as "ramshackle" are:
jefferson School, Fifth street above
Poplar. This is entirely unfit for school
purposes. The general condition OF the
building is bad and lacks adequate yard
or breathing space.
Rutledge School, Seventh and Norris
streets.
RoxborougE School
weccacoe School, Second and Reed
streets.
Stanton School, Seventeenth and
Christian streets
Northern Liberties School.
General Philip Kearney School, Sixth
street and Fairmount avenue
Florence School, Eighth and Catharine
streets.
In discussing conditions existing
among school buildings. Doctor CARRIER
said:
There are many schools which should
be remodeled and others that could be
remodeled TO great advantage. We are
sadly in need of school accommoda-
tions to meet the distressing over
crowded conditions.
Some Of the older buildings have
been remodeled. but cannot be so adj
justed that additional floor space is
available. They would have to be torn
down and rebuilt before this could be
done. Money available under the new
tax will help tremendously"
He suggested that If the tax could be
moved up to nine mills. money would be
available to meet all needs.
Secretary Dick Indorses Statements
Doctor CARRIERS statements were in
dorsed by William Dick, secretary of the
Board of Education, and by ]. d. Castle. |
acting superintendent of buildings.
The scarcity of teachers was COM
mented on last night by ]. Eugene Ba-
ker president of the Philadelphia
Teachers Association. Mr. Baker at a
meeting Of the Samuel 3. Huey Home
and School Association said that as
many as thirty classes of school children
have been dismissed in a single day
because there were not enough teachers
to go round. This condition he attributed
to the poor pay given to teachers in
Philadelphia. He said:
THE problem of supplying teachers |
Is an alarming one,' said Mr.. Baker |
1T is difficult to secure substitutes. and |
there have been as many as thirty
classes dismissed in a single day be- |
cause they couldn't find substitutes III
have been very much discouraged over
the small number of men and women |
who have come for examination as |
teachers. |
Enrollment IN the Normal School has
dropped from 720 three years ago 10 |
406 today and the graduating classes |
have fallen from 900 to 150. The de-
mand for teachers in Philadelphia" he |
said, SIS from 2so to 900 per year"
Says No Teachers Available
There are no teachers available To-
day. Members Of the little class of 102 |
girls graduated last week are Ali at |
work as substitutes. Next week I will |
have to send the senior class out as
substitutes before they have finished |
the course, cutting down the senior year
20 per cent.
"The reason for this is solely that the |
remuneration as compared with the cost |
of living and the pay given in other
lines of service is far too small. Those
teachers who left during the war period
benefited their income on the average
by $6S7.S0 and some doubled and trebled
their school salaries.
philadelphia is thirty-second on the
list of cities in this country as concerns
recognition of the teacher"
D0OV nANrCC DADDcn