Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-03
PETITION COUNCIL
FOR BUILDING PERMIT
School Board Wants Privilege
of Erecting Portable School
Buildings.

Robert c. Bruce. business manager
OF the Board OF Education, last night
appealed TO the public building COM
mittce CT City Council for a permit to
erect two portable frame school build
ings on the lot adjoining public
school No. "a in Washington street
north of Fourteenth. After explain
ing the reasons for this request Mr..
Bruce was instructed TO prepare
formal petition TO the Council and to
have II ready for presentation at tho
meeting tonight.
1t was shown that under the law
the building committee can sit only
a. a board of appeals from refusals
OF the building inspectors to grant
permits and that, according to an
opinion handed down by the city
solicitor, the building committee then
Is empowered only to grant permits
within the limitations set forth In the
building law
Mr.. Bruce explained in detail the
difficulties the school beard is having
In its efforts to relieve the overcrowd-
ed conditions in the public schools.
He said the seating capacity of No.
"a school is COG including the audi
torium. Last year. by utilizing every
available inch of space the board had
been able 10 accommodate 666 chill
dren in the school. The plan sug-
gested as result Of the recent survey,
he added. would provide seating
capacity for q maximum of 900 at the
school. Under the platoon system
there would be twenty divisions Of 40
children each. susceptible to an in
crease TO as 10 n division, Of 100 chill
dren additional.
Since No. school. he explained
has been turned over to colored
children No. "a school will be called
upon TO accommodate 20 additional
children from Nos. % and 20. from
No. S, and room for between sever
and eight hundred children will be
needed at No. "a next term Eighty
children. he said. can be accommo-
dated in each OF the portable build
ings.
While the boards plan Of con-
Nerting rooms at No. school into
administrative offices. he said. Will
turn 100 children cut of No. . school,
they would be accommodated at Nos.
"a and under the platoon system.
and this would make available five
rooms in the High School now used
for administrative Offices.
Councilman James Il. McManus
suggestion that Mr.. Bruce ask the
Public Building Commission permits.
sion 10 partition Off the auditorium,
In the Public Building now usad bv
the board for meetings was looked
upon favorably by Mr. Bruce. who
said the board had temporarily post
poned it's plan of centralizing the ad-
ministrative offices in school No, 2
lie promised 10 take the matter ur
with the Commission.
But unless the board can get per
mission 10 erect the two portable
buildings at No. "a school, Mr.
Bruce said, it would mean the board
would have to materially change its
plans for the Inauguration Of the
platoon system. which would mean
an increase in the number Of par,
time pupils. This. he said. under 8
recent resolution OF the State Board
Of Education, might mean that tho
city would lose several thousa nj
dollars OF the states appropriation
which is based upon the number a.
children attending school at leas
four hours each day.
Mr.. Bruce promised TO have III,
boards appeal prepared today fo
presentation at the meeting of Cit,
Council tonight.