Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-22

| Inc most extensive building enter
prise ever undertaken by the indianapolis
| school board is at Arsenal Technical High
School where the first unit of more than
fifty classrooms is under construction
and will cost when completed more than
100000, Coupled with this is the big
power house and shop building which
will cost more than 81 100000. Last year
Tech had 5000 pupils enrolled and it Is
| expected that this number will pass the
| 1000 mark when school opens in Sep
| TENDER.
ENIMERICH MANUAL
IMPROVEMENTS.
Next in line comes Emmerich Manual
Training High School, where the new
auditorium, gymnasium and lunch room
/ tC cost about $4,000 are now we'll I'M
der way. After this is done it will re-
quire another 100000 TO build new
power plant and remodel the old build
ing, which was built to accommodate 900
! students, so that it can take care Of the
1000 students enrolled at the present
time
This remodelling of the old building
! will be coupled with the erection of
new eighteen class room building on the
Madison avenue frontage of the old
building, the present small assembly
for class room extension.
The board has been criticized without
mercy for building a gymnasium, audi
forum and lunch room before giving any
attention to class rooms, on the ground
that too much money is being spsnt on
accessories and Injuries and that before
this is done the old building should be
remodelled. Board members in favor
of the building as it is being worked out
say that in order to relieve congestion
at the old building It was necessary to
adopt the present plan, which will per-
nit the removal Of z mnasium and lunch
room from the old building to the new
one, thus giving a great dea! more avail
able space In the old structure.
The building program as laid out for
Manual win take about three years to
complete.
shortridge graduates ani parents of
/ Shortridge children have become
/ thoroughly aroused by the amount of
money being spent on the two other high
schools. and are insisting that something
be done to give Shortrldge a new home
on the north side high school site at
Pennsylvania and Thirty Fourth street
before the limit Of bonded indebtedness
Of the school city IS reached.
CHARGE OF
PREJUDICE.
There is a well defined opinion among
Shortridge adherents that their school
has been relegated to the rear by a
school board which, they say, Is strongly
/ prejudiced in favor Of Tech with Manual
second in its graces snd Shortridge no
where. They have not hesitated TO
charge that school politics has played an
+ important part ard that George Buck
/ principal Of Shortridge, is a splendid
educator but a poor player OF petty
school politics and that as a result the
other high schools, particularly Tech, are
being unduly favored
! These alumni and the Shortridge Parent
Teacher Association probably Will be
heard very strongly within the next lew
months unless some definite steps are
taken by the board to do something to
! permanently better Shortridge conditions
Board members insist that shortridge
VIII be cared for. although they never
have given out any definite plans as to
/ when or how. Meantime the Shortridge
adherents have adopted the Missouri at
titude and are demanding TO be shown.
Grade schools under construction, many
Of Stch viii be ready for occupancy
when school opens in September and
their approximate costs are:
No. 20 Columbia avenue and Sixteenth
street for colored pupils. This is a
| twenty four classroom building the larg-
est single grade school building in the
city. its cost will be about S551 900.
No. 81, Dearborn and East Tenth
streets. Ten room addition and remodel
ing Of old building Cost, about s205 600
No. So. New York street and Linwood
avenue. Six room addition. Cost about
$4,000.
No. 43. Capitol avenue and Fortieth
street. Six room addition Cost about
| $4,000.
No. Il. Southeastern and English
| avenues. Eight classrooms, auditorium
and four basement rooms. Cost about
S1S3 500
No A. Sugar Grove avenue and Twenty
First street Six room addition. Cost
about StC9,00O.
No. 81. East Washington street and
| Ritter avenue. Auditorium and class
rooms etc. Cost about $4,000.
No. 70 Thirtleth and school streets.
! Eight classrooms, manual training, cook
ing, sewing rooms, etc. Cost about
$4,000
No ). West Washington and California
streets. Twelve classrcoms. assembly
hall. manual training, cooking, sewing
rooms etc. Cost about S231000.
No. o. Kansas, Illinois and Wis
consin streets. Twelve classrooms, two
manual training rooms, two sewing
rooms, cooking room. etc. Cost about
1925 600.
This program has cost money, but 1t
has afforded splendid buildings for
school children. Certain members Of the
board, Mr.. Barry notably, has insisted
that the high prices at which some of
these buildings were contracted for was
a shameful waste Of money, especially in
view Of the fact that the limit Of IT,
bonded Indebtedness of the school city
is distant only $4,000 Last year 1t
was found necessary in order to sell
81 CAS- 900 issue Of bonds at a discount
of $4,000 and Mr. Barry has pointed
out time after time that this amount
would have provided pOrtabes for every
unhoused child Of school age in the city
until building costs fell to n point where
the program could be presumed under
something approximating prewar prices
On the other hand the majority men,
bers of the board have held to the idea
that 1t is necessity to provide schools
now, and that the price at which they
are built becomes secondary to the neces-
sity In the case.
Which view Of the situation is correct
or more correctly, which view is the popu-
lar one, undoubtedly will be determined
by the voters at the November election
for the building program promises to be
very important issue in the school
board campaign this fall.