The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-02-05
SCHOOLS ARE
OVERCROWDED
EMERGENCY At PARk STRUCTURE
Old Building Declared nsanitary and Un-
economic Movement launched by
School Board to Replace it

At a meeting Of citizens with the
city school board and members OF the
city school faculty Tuesday night II
was unanimously decided that AN
emergency existed at the old Pa X
street grade school and that a new
structure should be built The cid
structure was generally condemntI
Miss Bessie Goyette, principal of the
school. gave Is reasons for its abandon
ment She cited its overcroWded c,n-
dltion, and that at present it had be-
come necessary TO place students 10 am
old supply room. ventilated only 5V
high windows opening into hall A
long stairwav. as she described il, wa6-
dled when the children trooped up and
down The heating device there, s1e
sand, is inadequate, and children were
forced during the cold weather. to IL
all day IN temperature of As degrees.
Outside toilets were characterize as
unsaultary and unsatisfactory The
children have no place to play. add
with the floors and walls of rooms of the
old building. one Of the Oldest in the
city, undeadened, work in all of the
rooms is Aampered by noises from the
others.
City Superintendent Robinson attend
ed the meeting and recommended that
a new building be cons tructed. He cited
that the average daily attendance At
the Park street school the past month
has been 30l. The building has eight
rooms As matter of sanitation and
efficiency, he stated, new schoolhouse
should be constructed. Mr. Robinson S
report also showed congestion in all
other grade schools. He recommended
an addition at the junior high school,
which was overerowded by an overflow
from the Park street school, furnishing
quarters for a playroom and assembly
hail lie pointed out how the Coe
primary school was OvercroWded to
such point that ii had been necessary
to Utilize one Of the basement play
rooms. His report showed that Hood
River schools now had a record school
attendance Of $40. three hundred and
eighty boys and 430 girls. He stated
that it was indicated that the attend
ance would increase
While all citizens present and mem
bers of the school board admitte of
hesnecssity Of new school facilities,
Chas. N.Clarke, president of the board,
pointed out that new building for the
Park street site, ac ording to estimates,
would cost an approximate $780, 600. At
the present time, he showed, the dis.
| trict's bonded Indebtedness is S88, 600,
| and under the law which limits bonded
Indebtedness of school districts to five
per cent Of assessed valuation, this
can be increased only to SIPS, 600.
Following a suggestion of the meet
| ing Mr.. Cla ahe appointed a committee,
composed of A j. Derby Truman But
Ter and ). j. Moore, to assist the board
in working ont details Of plan for
| financing new school structure. plan
| for refundlng existing bonds at lower
rate OF interest. for the sale of addi-
tiOnal bonds to the legal limit, and
raising balance Of funds necessary for
| the existing emergency by taxation.
seems feasible, The committee and
| the board Will make an exhaustive in
vestigation.
A feature of the meeting was warn
ing from CounY Supt. Gibson. who was
recently elected chairman of the Hood
| River Teachers Association. He de
clared that the teachers, while they
| favored new structures, would not be
pleased if the proposed building cam
Oaign were permitted to overshadow
their needs for higher salaries. Di-
rector Critics answered Mr.. Gibson by
declaring that the board was fully cog
infant Of the need for better salaries
and that this need would be met
Mrs c. II. tastrer, at whose in
stance the conference was held. pledged
The school board the support Of the
mothers Of the city in their movement
for better school structures.