Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-21
CITY SCHOOLS
CROWDED; MORE
ROOMS NEEDED
Several New Buildings Re-
quired to Give Proper Edu-
catiOnal Facilities.
1900 HALF-TIME PUPILS
BY BLYTHE Q. HENDRICKS.

By BLY, ne y. hENDHiCNo'
Few persons in the city have any
conception of the seriousness of one
problem which the Indianapolis
board of school commissioners is fac
ing today; a problem that at times
seems almost impossible of solution,
a problem that grows worse as time
passes, and yet which must be solved.
That is the problem of how to
provide school facilities for the chill
dren of school age In the city, city
with a steadily growing population.
with a corresponding increase of
school children.
Today there arc approximately, includ-
ing both grade a1d high schools, Z 500
half time pupils in Indianapolis; 1900
pupils for whom there are no school
buildings. This means that these chill
dren must be educated on a half-time
basis; that they must be given only half
day schooling in order that some sort
of educational facilities be given every
child Of school age in the city.
FIRST, BUILDINGS
ARE NEEDED.
In order to giver every child full days
schooling It would be necessary for the
board TO build enough new buildings to
take care Of $3.50 school children. School
tuildings of sixteen classrooms, for grade
school purposes, are the largest build
ings now used IN Indianapolis, and
school officials say that this is as large
-h En
As a matter Of fact, vast majority of
school buildings now in use are smaller.
Glasses average about forty-hve pupils
each. This means that a sixteen class
room school building viii take care Of
72O pupils at a liberal estimate.
To house 1850 pupils would require
five new sixteen classroom school build
ings and would still leave an extra 100
pupils unprovided for. But even this
would not solve the prablem. for 1t fails
TO take into account the natural increase
In children Of school age due to the con
stantly growing population of the city.
School officials estimate that between
1900 and 100 more children will attend
public school in September than were In
attendance during the past year To this
must be added another 200. thanks 10 the
passage of a new law NJ the last session
Of the Legislature which requires TINT
beginning In September no working per
nlts" be granted to children Of less than
fourteen years Of aee aud that even
these must have completed the eighth
grade before they are eligible for per
mits. The old law had the same age
| minimum but required that children TO
whom permits wera granted must have
completed enly .the fiftb grade.
" taess additional 2T0U pupils, takiu Z
the minimum figures. are TO be educated
on a fun time basis during the coming
year almost four new sixteen-room build
! ings would be required. These four
buildings added to the five necessary to
take care of the deficiency already exist
ing in school buildings brings the total
to nine new buildings needed TO put every
pupil in the city in school on a full time
basis.
It has been costing the city of Indian
apolis $4,000 to SIS 600 a room 10 build
Its school buildings. Many persons in
sist this figure is entirely too high and
set forth convincing comparative cost
igures IN other Indiana cities TO back
up their arguments. But IN this article
that factor VIII not be discussed al
though 1t will be considered at a later
date.
At this figure a sixteen class room
Continued on Page Six)