New Britain herald., 1924-02-05
Tax Rate Will Jump If All Budgets
 Are Approved By Board of Finance

I to the state board of education this year, meaning that total of $53,300
 must be appropriated for this pur-
 pose.
 The item of janitors salaries calls
 for an increase of $6,1o0 over last
 year. s4o.oo0 being asked.
 Employment of woman physician and an additional nurse will be made
 possible by the additional s4,95o that
 has been asked under the item of
 medical inspection. This item calls for an appropriation of S14,200 and will enable the school department to
 extend the advantages of medical in-
 spection to the children of the par
 ochial schools. who number at the
 present time between $500 and 4,000.
 The salary for the woman physician
 is set at $2,500 and her duties will be
 to take charge of the medical inspec-
 tion and give the examination to the
 girls of the junior high and senior
 high that is required by law. The
 girls and their parents have protest
 cd against them being examined by a male doctor.
 An increase of $200 for the school
 physician and the two nurses is pro- vided for and s100 increase for the
 dental officer.
 An increase of se.o00 in the appro- priation for the attendance bureau is asked to enable the department to employ an additional attendance offi- cer at salary of s1,s0O, making a total of four Of these officers to care for the children who are absent from school without sufficient excuse.
 Mayor Paonessa asked him if he did not think that a salary of $500 was not big for such a position, and he answered that it was not as he con- sidered that a person who was em- 1 ployed for that position should be i qualified as teacher, as the parents ! of the children in the cases investigat- l ed need instruction in the need of sec ing to it that their children attend ! school. 4 man qualified for the posi- | ton would require a salary of s4oo0 a yeacs he added.
 Asked by the mayor if he thought | that it was essential that a specialist i be employed; he said "I certainly do. | would 20 without ono before I would go out on the street and pick up anybody I met for the position"
 Evening schools will cosc the city | s4500 more than last year, according to the estimate made. This is caused ] by the fact that it has been necessary to open up night school sessions at the Bartlett school. About $50 pupils at- tend the night schools. It was neces- sary to give the teachers In tho night schools a raise. that went into effect the first of January because, as Supt. Holmes put it although we didn't have strike, we had an 'insistent gem cral demand for onc." Tho night school teachers in New Britain were tho lowest paid in the state.
 When Mir. Traut told the board that an additional s7o00 would be required to put tho school buildings in repair during the next year. he was asked by Thomas II. Kehoo will that he suf- fieient to put the buildings in good shape? 1 was amazed at the condi- tions that I saw when I visited the schools.
 'In one building 1t was impossible 10 open the door to one of the Arc es- apes, and in another, the windows in mo Of the rooms could not be open d at all so as to allow proper ventiia- ion" Mir. Traut answered that he bought that the amount would be 
 Chairman Hall remarked that he bought that it would result in great aying to tho city if the heating plants { If some Of the schools were put in l ,ropcr shape. He asked Mir. Traut o bring in m estimate Of the cost of Ioing this work to the board before hc budget hearings are closed.
 Insurance is tho only item in the ist for which the appropriation asked or the coming year is less than last I car. Tho decrease of s4,250 is [ auscd by tho fact that there are not [ 0 many premiums due this year. For ! expenses ,1o,000 is : sked.
 Tho only special item listed on the ( udgct is an appropriation of s2,o00 { hat is asked for building a retaining ! -all and grading work around the | fonroe street school. Chairman Hall s nd Mayor Pdonessa said that they Q ave been swampcd with complaints ( bout this school. fl
 Patrick r. King. chairman of the n shool accommodation committee. h ,ok up plans that the committee had h utlincd for improving the school sys- ,m during the coming year. The N nly new work was tho addition to s, le Smaliey school. the cost Of which \ as estimated at s230,000. \ There was considerable discussion \ the building plans. Mir. Kehoe say n Ig that he thought that the greatest " ped for school at the present time d as in the "Nigger Hill' section. He p lid that the school board had the 'putation for being very free and cx- ct avagant In expenditures. Mir. King nj lswered that what was extrayagant n,
 some people was essential 10 others l st Frederick 4. Searles expressed the n, ,inion that building program ,., Iould be taken up at this time that ould give the children of the city q, e opportunity to attend school full :. me and in suitable buildings. ,. Supt. Holmes read off the building .s -ogram that was submitted last pril and which would require an ex- m .nditure of s7s0,O00 10 complete. it