The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1923-11-07
Proposed Grade and Ju lior
High School Building
fContin,ted from FIRST pare)

High School Building
CONTINUED from first page)
cided that twenty-four room build
ing would be necessary. This woulc
consist Of twelve grade rooms, six re.
citation rooms, one large study room
domestic science and manual train
ing room, general laboratory, small
library, and a combined gymnasium
and auditorium. Such a building
fully equipped would call for a bond
issue of $175,OOO.
School Taxation.
The question naturally arises, can
Redwood Falls afford to build new
grade school building? Our taxes
are said to be high and the average
tax payer prefers not to have them
increased. But the real question
should not be the above but should
be, "Can Redwood Falls afford not
to provide suitable educational facili-
ties for it's boys and girls :"
What are the facts in regard to
school taxation?
The assessed valuation of District
Number One for both real and person
al property amounts to $l,333, 44O.
The &c for school purposes, includ-
ing maintenance, interest and retire
ment of bonds, amounts to 81 mills on
the dollar on assessed valuation. The
total rate for the city and the district
amounts to 1872 mills. The percent
of the total for school purposes am
cunts to 81 percent. The indebtedness
of District Number One amounts to
$4,000. $4,000 bond issue would
increase the rate for school purposes
about 6 mills, raising the total for
school purposes to 43 mills. 1t now
requires 81 mills to finance the schools.
After bond issue of SITS, 900 is made
it would cost 43 mills. On 81 900
assessed valuation the increase would
be about $500 additional tax.
Crowded Conditions.
The high school building is over
crowded and there is imperative need
for relieving this situation. At the
present time we have no sewing room
for the Home Economics Department,
that room being used for one division
of the Seventh Grade. The Physics
Laboratory has been converted into
a Biology Laboratory and recitation
room. In order to continue to draw
our state aid both of these depart
ments will have to be given sufficient
room in order to live up to the STAN
dards set by the State Department.
To relieve this over-crowded condition
in High School the seventh and eighth
grades must be transferred to a new
building which would mean trans
ferring of a 100 to 120 pupils.
The Commercial Department, now
located in crowded basement rooms,
will have to be given adequate space
according to the State Department
rules, which will mean moving it to
the first floor, where it was first in
tended to be. If this adjustment is
made, practically every room in the
high school will be taken.
The Future. ..
In order to provide for future
growth it will also be necessary to
transfer the ninth grade to the new
building. The 7th, 9Th and 9th grades
will constitute true Junior High
School and would then leave the high
school building for the three upper
classes. This will provide for future
growth and also for the establishing
of Junior college, when the time
seems appropriate. In. transferring
the f" year high, at least 80 pupils
would be sent to the new building.
Our present high school building can
accommodate comfortably two hundred
and sixty pupils. After transferring
the seventh and eighth grades and the
first year high we would have about
$50 pulls left. This would leave
room for growth of 80 pupils, which
undoubtedly is small enough.
In the new building with IL grade
rooms there will be maximum pos
sibility Of housing 440 pupils from the
first through the sixth grades. At
the present time we have 1886 pupils
which would leave room for growth
of 10E pupils. The capacity of the
Junior high would accommodate about
240 students. After transfers were
made there would be 1870 students
there which would leave room for 60
additional pupils. 1t is plain to be
seen that the proposed new building
is the minimum which could be plan
ned for term Of ten years growth
We cannot all agree on the building
program but let us remember that our
children are by far the most valuable
asset of this community. Remember
that it is economy sometimes to spend
money. We must build in the near
future. The sooner we build, that
much sooner will the repair waste be
eliminated and our children have the
same advantages as those Of our
neighbpring cities.