New Britain herald., 1919-10-02
SCHOOL PROBLEMS TAKEN UP BY SUPT. HOLMES IN HIS REPORT Would Transfer Trade School Department to State Board of Education and Erect Addition to Vocational High SchooI-Enlargen1ents of Other Schools Suggested Report Deals in Comprehensive Way Subject Vitaly Important to Every Citizen,

The report of the superintendent of | schools 10 be presented to members 1 of the school board follows: l Gentlemen of the School Committee: Two Problems. This report deals With two dis 1 tinct problems:
 1 l-The problem of school accom- 1 modatiOnS.
 2-The problem of the teaching | force.
 The school system of New Britain has enjoyed for many years a reputa- ton, more than local, for efficiency and good standing among school sNs- | tenls that are rated as among the l best This has been possible only 1 GD because of the generous support, financial and otherwise, which the people of this community have ac- corded to their schools; CD because at all times the schools have been ofIicered by eaching force of more than ordinary merit and efficiency. It has been the policy of the present school administration to see to 1t that in all respects high standards of or ganization and efficiency are main taned, with the conviction that in so doing the administration Is carry | ing out policy fully approved by | every thoughtful and public spirited 1 citizen of New Britain.
 School Accommodations. 1 During the war period school ] building operations were suspended by l order of the federal government. This l has served to put the city far behind i in the provision of an adequate num- l Der of school rooms for the growing school population. This problem, difficult enough under ordinary cir cumstances, is thus made much larg- l CT and more difficult of solution. \ solution must be reached, how 1 ever, if the schools of the city are 1 to be adequately housed and properly 1 organized, and if justice is to be done to the children This implies. there fore, a building program of large proportions, made much larger, of course by reason of the delay caused by the suspension of building during 1 the war.
 | SiN-TwO-FOur Plan. i As now organized the school sys- tenn of New Britain is arranged on | what is known amoug school eX- | perts as the six-two four plan. This means that above the kindergarten | the elementary schools of the city ! have grades one to six only; that next | above comes the Grammar school or l junior High school with grades seven and eight, centralized in a separate ,schoo! plant and serving the entire i city; and at the top et senior High school, centralized in a single school i center with grades nine, ten, eleven, ! and twelve only.
 i As adjuncts to the above the city 1 provides for trade instruction in the Trade school; for special instruction ! for typical, average, and backward i~children in the open air school. The six x-two-four plan is however, less common than the so-ca1led six ; three-three plan of organization which is followed in many cities of ! the country The six-three-t three plan , differs from the siX-two-four plan in
 one particular only, namely, that the ] junior High school embraces grades
 seven, eight and nine and the senior
 High school grades ten. eleven, and
 twelve
 It would be possible to present ar
 guments in favor of each of these
 plans of organization, but too lengthy
 to have a place in this report. It Is
 safe to say that good school work
 may be accomplished under either
 plan, and that the choice between the
  financial considerations and considera- tons of distance and accessibility than by other reasons.
 High and Grammar Schools Over crowded.
 The distinction between these plans
 is made clear at this point because the determination of a general building
 program should be made only after
 careful consideration of the question
 of the future of the High school and
 the Grammar school. Both of these
 schools have reached the limit of their
 accommodations. The next step is to provide more school room for the pu- | pills of grades ', s, 9, 10, II and 12 : Shall it be secured by the present
 6-2-4 plan, or by a change to the
 63-3 plan, placing grades ', and
 in the junior high school division and i grades 10. Il, 3 in the senior high school division?
 Center in North End.
 If the latter plan is finally deter mined upon, it will necessitate the es- : tablishing of another center in the north end of the city and the assign
 ment of grades 7, and to each o1
 the two junior high school centers
 i e. to the present Grammar schoo
 and to the new school each school tc . be known as an intermediate or Jun | for high school of approximately SOC pupils due to the withdrawal of al pupils of grade 9.
 The adoption of this plan woulC solve both the Grammar school an(
 the High school problems. It vii . provide for Grammar school grades
 and at the same time will defer for . ! time the need for additional schoo s room for the senior high school. Or ! the other hand, if the present plan ot \ 6-2-4 organization is adhered to there