The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-05-27
FROM OUR READERS
SCHOOL SITUATION
Mr.. Editor:

Mr. Editor:
find quite a number of people who
have got the limits of the city OF
Lakeland and the limits of the Lake
land school district somewhat con-
fused, so if you will give me a little
more of your space | will explain the
difference, and also express some
views on the school question. The
original center OF the city OF Lake
land was at the crossing of Florida
Ave. and Main St, and the city limits
were just one mile north, south, east
and ives from this point making four
square miles in the city limits. There
has been a little more territory re-
Gently taken in on the south side and
possibly on the west side so we have
{ little over fOur square miles in the
city limits at the present. If | re-
amember correctly the center of the
Lakeland school district is at the
crossing of Florida Ave. and Lime ST.
which is the point where the section
line, running east and west, crosses
the range line, running north and
south. from this point it is two miles
north, south, east and west to the
Lakeland school district limits. with
the city OF Lakeland nearly in the
center of it. so the school district
covers between three and four times
as much territory as the city and in
cludes the city in its territory, but
the two are entirely separate in their
legal rights.
In my opinion we need for the
Lakeland school district three gram
mar schools and high school.
would consider 1t an ideal condition
if sufficient grounds could be obtain
ed at the Lake Morton school site, to
make that the location of the high
school, use the building now on that
site for the high school until such
time as we were able to build in
manner that would be a credit to the
district and then use the old building
for auxiliary high school purposes,
use the Lake Wire building for d
grammar school, build two more
grammar schools, one about half
mile south of the center of the dis
trict, which would place it near Flor
ida Ave. between Lake Hunter and
Lake Hollingswirth. the other about
a half mile northeast of the center OF
the district, which would put it some
where in East Lakeland, the Sloan or
Jones property would be ideal but i
little close in. We would then have
four school buildings. each one about
an equal distance from the center OF
the district and all at no greater cost
than the plans call for in the impend-
ing bond issue. with no overcrowding
Of too many children on one site. II
this plan or something better could
1Ne falyn I ii
tic bond man, but can not get my
consent to vote for bonds when eighty
thousand or sixty thousand dollars OF
the money is to be spent on d site that
does not belong to the district and has
other strings tied to it besides. Even
if the title to the property was clear,
| believe it would hardly be possibly
to do more unwise thing than to
carry out this item of the program
laid out in the call for the bond cleo
ton. Our motto should be- every dol
lar we can spare for our children but
not one red cent to throw away spend
foolishly. boost private interest or
pender to local Seltishness. If there
cannot he a REIMBURSEMENT cf the
plans for spending the money it would
re far better to defeat the bonds at
the coming election. call another cleo
ton and vote for only such bonds as
we can float at this time. viii the
parties who have the custody of the
more than hundred thousand dol
lars worth of bonds held over. that
cannot be sold at present. be under
sufficient bond themselves for the
safe keeping Of these bonds until such
time as they can be sold? These ques-
TONS should be thrashed out and
quickly. Another matter of vital i'm
pert is a change in our school laws.
Every school district that has within
the limits a town of two thousand in
habitants or more should have a
board of five or seven trustees with
absolute control of all school matters
IN that district. the county board
SHOULD have no authority beyond sup
efvision. except when the district be-
comes disrupted frcm some cause,
and then only so long as it would
teske to get matters properly adjusted
and the local board in running order
isSain. Other places are feeling the
effect of too much county board two
ti4irds Of which is always nonresident
md unacquainted with local condi-
tons. 1t is not possible to get this
matter adjusted Before the meeting Of
the next Legislature but should not be
neglected al that time. TAMPA. 81.
Petersburg and Miami are alive to the