St. Johnsbury Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-1920, 1920-04-14

school official OF the town hay'
~hoWn Il similar ~pilit OF cooperation
There i one other matter y
which We desire To call attention an'
that relates to the future policy of thu
;cadcmy with reference to the ,choo
system OF the town.
At the opening of the school yea
last September, the academy faced :
serious situation. Its enrolment eX
cceded $50 pupils. the largest in it.
history: it.; accommodations were tay
"a to the limit; it needed additional
equipment and simple justice required
Il substantial increase in the Salaric,
of its teaching force. 1t had during
the preceding year expended from =
own funds, over $4,000 more than il
had received from buttons. If interest
upon the plant and equipment hal
been added it would nearly have
doubled this amount. For the past
/ three years receipts from i'll sources
| had not been sufficient to meet eS-
pcnscs, and last year the deficit was
! ovel $1,000. These deficits were met
by drawing from and reducing is
working funds, a practice which OF
course could not be continued.
The situation clearly demanded
careful study and wise consideration.
Would the board of trustees be jus
titled in attempting to raise ii sub
Ytantial amount of money, either by
loan or by donation, with which to
enlarge its buildings and increase it,
equipment? The question was a Sc
rious one, involving both the academy
and the town in the relationship
which had existed to the mutual ben
eft Of both for nearly two generations
In order to give it the consideration
which it deserved, the following reso-
luton was adopted by the board of
trustees, namely:
"That in view of the enlarged en-
rollment of pupils in the academy
and of the demand for increased ac-
commodations and equipment, the
president appoint committee of five
members Of tie board of trustees, of
whom the president of the board shall
be one, to fully consider what the fu-
ture policy of the academy should be
in fairness both to the academy and
to the town OF st. Johnsbuly with
reference to providing high school
courses for the town for its pupils,
and that such committee make Is
report to the board as soon as plac
ticable during the present academic
year"
The committee appointed under
this resolution is giving the matter
the study which its Importance de-
mands. Whatever the final action of
the board of trustees may be under
this resolution the citizens of St.
Johnsbury may rest assured that,
should it be found necessary for the
town to make other arrangements TO"
any part of the town pupils who at
tend the academy, they will have
ample time to do this, and that the
board of trustees will act with entire
fairness to the town.
The town of St. Johnsbury has
been, and is, the largest patron of
the academy. 1t has for long time
freely met any increase in tuition
which the circumstances required. |
The educational system Of our town |
is one of its chief public functions, in |
which the town school system and
the academy are cooperating factors,
and the success of the system requir-
es that there should be no lack of
nor any misunderstanding
between them, and that it should be !
kept free from all that savors of local
politics and prejudice. We sincerely /
rust that this statement of existing
facts will remove any ground for mis-
understanding, and that the coopera-
ion between the academy and the
own which has existed for so many
years and with such mutual advant-
lge and success, will continue indeii-
litely.
p. F. Hazcn, chairman,
l.. =. Slack,
l.. N. Smythe,
Executive Com. Board of Trustees