The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-02-26
BOARD WANTS
MEMBERS CUT
School Board to Ask Ref
erendum for 7-Member
Elective Board.
SEEK ACTION AT ONCE
Commissioners Also Find that
Board Faces Big Deficit
at End of the Year.

In a survey Of 10 cities averaging
from 10000 to 100000 in population
the largest school board of any
the CITY of Kenosha is found to have
eighteen members. The average mem
bership on the boards of education In
these ITO cities is I'd. The survey
also shows that in 100 out OF 100
cities considered the members of the
ooard are elected at large and not by
wards. In only 10 out of the 130-or
7.6 per cent--of the cities are school
commissioners elected from various
wards.
With these obvious facts before
them showing how Kenosha is out OF
step with the nation in this respect,
the members of the board of education
at their meeting on Tuesday evening
spent considerable time in discussing
the local problem and in contemplate
ing proposals for remedying the sit
uation here. The final agreement
places the board on record as favor
ing a school board of seven members
elected from the city at large, and In
order to gee this done at once the
board asks that the city council be
petitioned to submit this proposition
to the citizens Of Kenosha for refer
endum at once. -
This revolutionary action on the
part Of the board on Tuesday evening
brings to head the months of dis
cussion which were started sometime
ago when the Kenosha Civic council
memorialized the city council to con-
slider redistricting the entire city in
to twelve equal wards with two pre-
cincts each, stating at the time points
pro and con for this procedure. The
board at previous meetings discussed
the problems which such redistricting
would create and went on record as
opposing such a move IL it would in
crease the size of the present school
board. On further consideration a
committee named by President Lewis
Powell, consisting of Elmer E. Swartz,
James w. Blair and George H. Cook,
reported, further recommendation
which on Tuesday evening was
unanimously adopted. The committee
now recommends--since it has no au-
thority to take any action in its own
right-that they be authorized to at
tend the public hearings on the mat
%Gr before the city council and pre-
sent certain arguments as follows:
"That the arrangement for twelve
wards" the committees report enum-
crates, would under the present plan
REQUIRE q board of "a school commits
sioners.
"That such a large board is not de-
sirable to efficiently administer to the
public schools.
"That Of the ITO cities Of 10000 to
100000 population in the United
States, Kenosha now has the largest
of all boards with 1S members.
"And that to promote efficiency in
the school system, the board here
with goes on record as favoring the
adoption of seven-mepber board in
Kenosha, to be elected at large as pro-
vided by statute"
1t was pointed out at the meeting
that this procedure would necessitate
a city referendum before it could be
adopted and this was recognized as
a move upon which action should be
taken at once. The committee was in
structed to hold itself in readiness to
appear before the city council with
their recommendations and uphold
their side of the discussion at their
next meeting. Whether the agitation
which the school board has now start
ed will result in adoption of the
change in time for the April elections
was not admitted on Tuesday evening
but an attempt will be made to push
the matter with all the force which
the committee members can generate.
Estimate Budgets for 1925-26.
Another part of the business dis
cussed before the board on Tuesday
evening was of equal interest, but it
hardly brought forth an equal amount
f enthusiasm. The auditing com
ittee submitted a statement cover
capital resources and estimated
oital expenditures for the years 1926
nd 1925, and this report showed that
2 the board estimates that it will have
a deficit at the end of the year 1926
of $28,s37, and at the end of the year
1926 this will be increased to SS6,262
with possible addition of some $45.-
600 more for additional expenditures
now under consideration by the board,
bringing the total deficit at the end
Of 1926-if all of the. present plans
of the board are carried QUITO the
sum of S131,262.
There were several conditional pro-
visions added to the report which
made these figures purely an estimate
and not at all definite. Chairman
Continued on page I'D