New-York tribune., 1920-01-25
City's Schools
Called Unsafe,
Also Crowded
p,hI;c Education Associa-
lion Declares Buildings
Are Insanitary and Unfit
for Rearing of Children
Are Lacking in Facilities
R.uort Rooms Are Dark,
Ventilation Bad, Roofs
Leaking, Walls Crumbling

I Leaking, Walls Crumbling
I N. Public Education Association Of
.s. City of New York, in communica-
~, issued by its director. Howard W.
Nod calls attention to the alarming
.onditions which are declared to exist
in the puplc scnoois Oh Hreater ne"
York
,.hool buildings OF the city arc unsafe
.,d issanitary. classes are overcrowd-
Il teachers are underpaid and faciH-
-. are inadequate. Because Of the
,roblem offered by the public schools
=; New York. the association. after 4
horoueh investigation, asks this qucs-
1 ton:
would you send your children to
.ublic school in New York City if you
tould afford to send them to q private
ueT
I MANY of the public school buildings
|. the city" the associations report Of
,onditions says. care unsafe and totally
\ unss for the rearing of children. The
\, rooms are dark and badly ventilate d,
.he walls are grimv and crumbling, the
roofs are leaky. and the heating appa-
rstus more or less continually out of
! repair.
Result of False Economy
I These conditions are not of sudden
occurrence. They are the result Of
/ vesrs Of neglect. the outcome of false
1 principles OF economy. In order to
4 make the annual budget appear small
md tickle the fancy of irritable tax
nsyers. the sums appropriated in the
vast to keep the school plant in eff
icient working order have been woe
July inadequate.
"Instead of spending two or three
Millions year to keep the s150,000,000
sehool plant in proper condition, q sum
-hich any apartment house owner
would regard as extremely conservative
ia view of the wear and tear, the few
altry thousands which have been an
nually appropriated for this purpose
ave been almost wasted in hopelessly
pstching things up.
Repairs that could have been COM
hetely made at slight cost have been
.isher neglected or only partly effected
md have thus been allowed to become,
.ventually, requirements. AS a result,
he total sum now needed to put the
rhools back into shape is almost ap-
allng. It is estimated by the building
apartment of the Board OF Education
lat at least IS 900 900 is needed to
aake conditions even reasonably toler-
;Ye
Classes Overcrowded
Nearly 100000 children in the pub
i. schools are in badly diversified
elasses-classes having more than forty
children A quarter of million Of
these are in classes having more than
iorty-ive children Nearly 0,000 are
IN classes of fifty or over. At least
5000 are in classes Of more than fifty
ive
what private school could exist IN
der such conkested conditions? Would
YOU pay to send your child to such q
school, particularly if it were also as
unsafe and insanitary as the forego-
ing statement would indicate?
what is New York doing to remedy
this condition? Practically nothing.
The school building program, which
would require 100000 to meet this
condition alone. is concerned primarily
With the problem of reducing parttime
and not with -he problem Of reducing
the size OF classes,
Evidently, for several years to come,
the children in The public schools of
New York City Will not only be housed
IN unsafe and insanitary buildings that
are menace 20 life and health, but
Viii be crowded into grossly diversified
classes. How long Will the public per
MT this to continue?
Lack Of Teachers Demoralizing
The lack Of regular teachers and
substitute teachers is daily demoraliz-
.rg the class work and administration
= practically every school in the city.
Haen teachers are absent and where
'nere are vacancies, and there are
siways som. in every school. it is US
aaAy necessary either TO dismiss the
tlass for the day or distribute the chill
dren among other classes which are
already overcrowded. In many instances
MS means that the teachers have
,ae care OF upward of ninety children.
Us doubtful whether any real instruc-
aon can be given under such circum-
ttxnces.
The seriousness Of this situation is
.9rsaer evident when il is realized that
..e Classes withou, teachers vary from
.ay 70 day, go that in actual practice
.as school program is kept in con-
Iauai state Of Generalization. Nothing
ssofs Of adequate pay for teachers and
.ssser tser working conditions will remedy
.a's ss1i. This will cost many millions
aore. Would you subject your child
such conditions # you could help 1t?
We doubt il,
: Nowhere In tho public schools Of
~ IoIk City are there adequate op-
,m.VnAies for work and play. 1t is
s.nat .ss .nat there are srnatterings Of such
aisses here and there, but they are
- mesgre that few children have use
=. - mem s.. and those who do, use them
y s,,, as,le that they are Of relatively
ss....i s..sa lasting value. To provide such
.:i;iiaasles IN all the schools for all the
g.s ga'ien On scale Commensurate with
81 "a practice IN the better private
sss -soos o. the city, would cost many
,s.a ,.e millions than those enumerated
.,,s II the reserved seat hobby is TO
H.Esrsis.eti IN.
=. =. viii De many years, IL indeed over,
!, ~ ~ present rate, when the children
MI ias city schools Will be given the
rounded education resulting from
;aaaced -, .ad program Of work, study and
u.,.s' sns' Will make them the healthy,
ssaois and intelligent mon and
'as coming democracy needs"