The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-04-19
Both Agree That Grammar
School Should Be Provided
at This Time.
Willing To Vote Money
Neither of Them Will Consider
Addition to Present
High School.
An Unwise Proposition

Incident to the proposition for rails
ing SOS, 900 for the building of a
grade school and also a four-room ad-
dition to the present High School,
there has been considerable contro-
versy. Twice has the Board of School
Estimates come before City Council
requesting for that amount of money
and each time Council has turned the
matter down. The Board of Educa-
ton is now taking the matter up
with Commissioner of Education En-
right. President of Council, James
Yates, and Councilman Edward I.
Stephenson are also members of the
Board of School Estimates. Neither
of them favored the asking OF money
for an addition to the present High
School, but both are ready to vote for
a sum of money that may be needed
to furnish a grade school.
In an interview on the school ques-
ton, Councilman Stephenson on Mon
day night, said: 81 desire to enlighten
the taxpayers of the First Ward that
as the facts have been presented to
me as a member of the Board of
School Estimates, that with $50 of our
city's pupils on half time, it is i'm
possible for me to vote for an addi-
ton to the High School when We
have in the High School 1853 out of
town pupils. | feel that the first need
is a grammar school, sufficient to take
care, not only of the present, but the
future as well, of the primary and
grammar school departments. | also
realize the fact that the bonding ca
pacity of the city for school purposes
at the present time is just a little I'M
der 800, 900, but | am not opposed to
raising sos, 900 if it is to be used
where it is most needed.
"A petition submitted to Council
and referred to the Board of School
Estimates requesting Council to give
favorable conditions to the residents
of the First Ward on the Leeds Ave
nue. School was not given any consid-
Grafton whatever by the Board of
School Estimates. This school does
not meet the requirements of the
State school law, and feel that the
taxpayers of u city, in that location,
should be given some consideration.
| am in favor of the new grammar
school being located in any section of
the city hat will relieve the conges-
ton that now exists. Since the first
of the year | believe there have been
approximately 200 new dwellings built
in our city, which shows that at this
rapid growth an eight-room school
will only relieve the congestion tenn
porarily at best.
I'VE are told that the High School
is a paying proposition at this time.
This may be true, but if SO why do
we raise our tuition fee this year? /
am of the opinion hat we should not
run u schools for financial benefit,
but for educational purposes.
"If the Board of Education wants to
take care of the situation now exist
ing, why do they not present to City
Council a proposition for a grammar
school and a separate proposition for
the addition to the High SCHOOL,"
President Yates also commented on
the school question, and in doing so
~concurred in all that Councilman
Stephenson had said. He further
said: Il have heard it stated that the
members of the Board of Education
are unanimous for an addition to the
High School, and while this may or
may not be true, | desire to call the
attention of the citizens generally to
the fact that the members of Council
are answerable directly to the people
while the members of the Board of
Education, not being elected by the
people, are not 81 obligated. | am,
and always have been, in favor of a
grammar school that will meet the
conditions needed at this time. l be-
lieve it is not practicable to make the
addition to the High School that is
contemplated. This would be a very
unwise and costly procedure.
Il feel that the recommendation of
the Board of Education and the Board
of School Estimates, as made to City
Council, is not the desire of the peo-
pie, but rather that the people who
have children who attend school want
a grammar grade building, SO hat
their children will be provided with
an education without having to wait
twice as long as they should to re-
ceive it, which they are now doing
by going to school only on half time.
| am willing to vote to give them this
relief at any time"