New Britain herald., 1922-10-18

1 tain our own high school at a cos, below $1oO per pupil. Our costs both in the elementary school and ir
 the Junior High school, are now a. they have been for years below the average cost in the state. To be con. servative in its estimates the school
 committee has chosen $1oo, in order to use figure beyond which it knows
 it will not go.
 Were all of the children of grades
 10, II and 12, the grades of the
 Senior High school, attending non-
 local high schools the cost to the
 town would be s1S737. Yet these
 same children could be cared for in
 our own school, had we the facilities,
 at cost of $6,2o1, This would mean
 a net saving of s1o,53s to the town.
 Your school committee. by retain
 ing the 10th grade this year. has ef-
 tected net saving of s4,146 in this one grade alone. Yet it was moved
 to this action only in anticipation of a new building for the coming year Next year the Junior High school de-
 partment alone wsI exhaust the ca
 paclty of the present quarters, leav- Ing no room for the 10th year. much less any others. Since shis is true if would be unwise for yor. committee to continue the 10th grade in Berlin TOT the present year, only to send them out of town. together with the coming 10th, next year. It would be untalr to the present pupils.
 It must be borne in mind that tbe High School population is growing. that 1t will grow more ra pidly as To- cal facilities are offered Every mem per of the graduating class of the Junior High school of last year is now in the 10th grade. 1t is a sam pie of the holding power Of a local school. Each year there will be in creases in the number of children taking advantage of the higher edu cation offered. This means either that Berins cost for non-local high school tuition will mount year by ye.r or that the net saving to the town the establishment of the To- cal school will grow year by year,
 Committee Asks For Authority,
 Your committee is asking for au- thorlty to establish a Senior High school in addition to the Junior High school already authorized, and for permission to purchase a site for a new building You ask how the peo- pie can afford to do it. The answer is obvious. The people cannot afford not to do it. The net saving in tuition cost each year will suffice, both to pay the interest charges on the bond issue to carry the project, and to pay four or five thousand dol lars, and more as the school in- creases in size. into the sinking fund to retire the bond issues. At the same time the building erected through the saving in Senior High school tuition alone will house both Junior and Senior High school pupils, releasing the quarters now in use to the elementary department. In this way the problem of housing for the elementary school children can be postponed for few years.
 You ask, Why not put it off for a year or two?' Because our facili ties are exhausted. We have stretch ed to the bursting point. Without building the only thing we have to face is to send all of our high school | to out -of-town high schools. | This measure would be forced upon you within two years. You would then i face a tuition bill in excess of se5,ooO, | an objectionable extravaganza in a town of this size. In addition, there 1 would be nothing to show for your money save the tuition. Your com nittee's recommendation gives you hat tuition, plus building to house both junior and senior high school, It cost less than the tuition you would have to pay.
 ITO defer action would compel the abandonment of the Junior High school Those who are in a position o know what this school has accom- ,lished are stating freely that it is he greatest thing that has been done during the past 10 years n Berlin. Every parent of a seventh trade child who is not now in this chool has a right to feel aggrieved tome have said, Why send Sth grades rom East Berlin to kensington when |; .ou have room at East Berlin?' Sim ,ly because you have a junior high 'c chool, and these children have every (