New-York tribune., 1920-01-25
City's Schools
Called Unsafe,
Also Crowded

| IRE Lacking in Facilities
| peuort Rooms Arc Dark,
/ Ventilation Bad, Roofs
1 Leaking, " alls Crunbling
2 rhs Public Education Association Of
i. c;ty Of New York, in communica-
..o, issued by its director. Howard W.
i y,5s calls attention to the alarming
..,iitions which are declared to exist
A ,he public schools of Greater New
4 York.
q ..,ool bu!dinSs Of the city arc unsafe
nd insanitary. classes arc overcrowd-
u teachers are underpaid and facili-
/ .ss are inadequate. Because of the
i -,obem offered by the public schools
sf.New York. the association. after
.torough investigation, asks this ques-
ton:
Would YOU send your children TO a
,pblic school in New York City if you
i .sujd afford to send them to a private
1 rnee"
Many of the public school buildings
N the city" the associations report of
4 .onditions says. ARE unsafe and totally
4 Unfit for the rearing OF children. The
\ ,ooms are dark and badly ventilated,
II he walls are grmy and crumb bling, the
Il roofs are eaky and the heating appa-
rstus more or less continually out of
repair
Result Of False Economy
"These conditions are not Of Sudden
q Of
Years of neglect, the outcome of false
principles Of economy. In order to
mske the annual budget appear small
and tickle the fancy of irritable tax
payers the sums appropriated in the
rast to keep the school plant in ef-
fcient working order have been woe
fully inadequate
"Instead of spending two or three
millions a year to keep the 150,000.000
school plant in proper condition, a sum
which any APARTMENT house owner
would regard as extremely conservative
in view OF the wear and tear, the few
paltry thousands which have been an
nually appropriated for this purpose
have been almost wasted in hopelessly
patching things up.
"Repairs that could have been COM
pletelv made ct slight cost have been
either neglected or only partly effected
and have thus been allowed to become,
eventually. requirements. AS result,
The total sum now needed to put the
schools back into shape is almost ap
palling It is estimated by the building
ionartment Of the Board of Education
thai at least SS 900 900 is needed to
make conditions even reasonably toler
ihle,
Glasses Cvercrowded
"Nearly 100000 children in the pub
lie schools are in badly diversified
.lssses-classes having more than forty
children \ quarter of d million OF
,lese are in classes having more than
'orty-five children. Nearly 10000 are
in classes Of fifty or over. At least
5000 are in classes OF more than fifty
five
What private school could exist, un
der such congested conditions? Would
you pay to send your child to such a
unsafe and insanitary as the forego-
ing sta a.ement would indica.e2
"Wha. 5 New York doing TO remedy
this condition.? Practically nothing.
The school building program. which
would require 5000 600 to meet this
condition alone, is concerned primarily
with the problem OF reducing part-time
and not with the problem of reducing
The size OF classes,
Evidently. for several years to come,
ne children N the public schools OF
New York CITY vii! not only be housed
In unsafe and insanitary buildings that
are menace TO life and health, but
viii be crowded into grossly diversified
classes. How lono viii the public per
MT this % comtnue??
Lack OF Teachers Demoralizing
The lack o. regular teachers and
Substitute teachers is daily demoraiiz-
ing the class work and administration
n practically every school in the city
Waen teachers are absent and where
taere are vacancies, and there are
Always some IN every school, it is US
uaiiy necessary either TO dismiss the /
cas5 for the day or distribute the chill (
dren among other classes which are /
already overcrowded. In many instances +
jae care of upward Of ninety childrenl
+ IS doubtful whether any real instruc-
aoa can be given under such crcum
Stances.
The seriousness OF this situation is
..urtner esidea, when it IS realized that
ne classes wlthou, teachers vary from
aay TO day, so that in actual practice
ne school program is kept in con-
Naual state of Generalization. Nothing
(aort Of adequate pay for teachers and
EIter working conditions viii remedy
Us evil. This viii cost many millions
S"re Would YOU subject your child
r sueh conditions # you could help it?
"e douht r.
:, @Nowhere in the public schools Of
New York City are there adequate OPP
p'r'unities for work and play. 1t is
rue thas there are smattcrings Of such
..sscil'tios mere and there, but they are
>. meagre that few children have use
u hem and those VINO do. use them
= hule that they are Of relatively
s''ie lasting yalue. To provide such
,,ri1itses IN all the schools for all the
,nn'aofen on = scale commensurate with
Mat IN Practice in the better private /
.."oo's % the city, would cost many
s'fe iiipns than those enumerated
s''FH ~ tnc reserved scat hobby IL to .
, persstcd IN.
- !, VIII 'e many ycara, # indeed ever,
.ne pFfsent rate, "ncn the children .
- 'he cify scnools VII be given the /
'vH foDnaed education resulting from .
d, 70 'ance1 program Of work. study and .
~ mat ~iN make them the healthy. >
lapsaoie and Intelligent men and
""'h we coming democracy needs"
''ocol for Deaf Seeks Aid