The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-12-16

L do not THINK That Lhey are worth
what they are costing"
Kenosha Not Ready.
"Kenosha is growing at the rate OF
one school-room every twenty days"
declared Mr.. Obey. "The system OF
building combination elementary and
junior high school buildings is not
meeting this situation adequately and
never will. The longer we continue to
try it, the worse off we will be. We
have just completed the Washington
school and February LIST, when the new
term commences, l am going to leave
Kenosha because that building is now
inadequate. Patrons cannot under
stand the needs of junior high school
and the space the system requires"
Commissioner Obey declared that
the junior high schools met with his
favor but that Kenosha was not in a
position to have them. He pointed ont
that Racine was just now attempting
to put them into their system and that
only in California where the school
systems had an excess of money had
they proved advisable. He declared
that Waterbury, Conn, had found the.
system too expensive. we cannot
put it in until we can put it IN right"
was the statement there, according to
Mr.. Obey. "And Kenosha never put it
in right" he declared.
Pleads for the 1900.
Commissioner Obey pointed out that
the three junior high schools of Keno
sha had a total Of LILO pupils with At
teachers, whose salaries aggregated
$70,800 The 1876 elementary pupils
have 144 teachers at salary of $144,-
000 Chairman Obey declared that the
junior nigh system benefited only
those who reached the ninth grade,
one-thirteenth of the entire number in
the school. He also declared that in
order to get room for the junior high
system, 1900 students Of the elemen-
tary grades were either taught on
half-time or put in unsanitary school
rooms. He took each of the schools
where both systems are in vogue as
examples and produced the figures to
illustrate his point.
Then he declared that by reverting
to the old system and assigning So
children to each room and eliminating
the junior high schools, space could
be provided and to spare to give each
and every child in the schools a desk
at whole time. This would necessi-
tate adding the ninth grade now in the
junior high system to the senior high
school, but it was said that buildings
could be secured for this purpose.
Eliminate Seventy Teachers.
According to Commissioner Oley's
figures, the plan would eliminate 70
teachers and would thus prove a great
saving to the city financially.
"The conditions confronting US are
such that We cannot care for the 1900
children now on half-time-and that
number will grow to $4,000 in three
years-and keep the junior high
schools. Are we to continue to keep
/ children in portables to keep up this
/ system? If l wanted to bring suit
against the city Of Kenosha could do
it because thirteen hundred little tots
have had educational privileges denied
them. Thirteen hundred little chill
dren in unsanitary, dingy and germ
ridden rooms! Our system is going
/ down in the rut deeper and deeper
every day and as I see it the only way
out is to abolish the junior high
schools"
Commissioner Obey made it plain
that he had no criticism of the way
the schools had been handled and that
the plan had been worked as effec-
lively as possible under the conditions.
He declared the mistake was when the
board adopted the junior high system.
Ready to Debate Plan.
The suggestion is not an entirely
1 a new one to some members of the
board, all of whom we're ready to de-
vote some time to the report of the
committee before taking any action on
it. The question is to be discussed at
the next meeting of the board and the
| discussion promises to bring some in
teresting developments for the school
system of Kenosha.
/ Chairman Obey did not have an op-
portunity to present his report until
| late hour, but his enthusiasm in the
/ question involved made up for that in
placing the problem before the board
/ for consideration. Il am willing to
debate this problem openly any place
/ before a Kenosha audience" declared
Commissioner Obey this morning 81
believe the people of Kenosha should
know the situation and Tn willing to
do my part in showing them what
A---- - IL sa--.~--s:----- - -