The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-03-06
The Public Will

Tl HE majority members of the Indianapolis
! school board should be very thankful to
the alert citizens and the real estate board for
advice concerning the site for the new Short
ridge High School
Tt is to be presumed that these members
have no other interest or purpose than protect
ing the interests Of the public schools.
It is to be presumed that these gentlemen
are inspired only with desire to put into eff
feet what the parents Of children, the tax
payers who pay the bills, and the whole citizen
ship desire.
It is not often that public body is able
to secure advice, suggestion and direction
from those they serve and when this occurs,
real public servants welcome the opportunity
Of giving to the people who elected them what
the people desire.
Six years ago the school board bought
fve-acre tract of land on Thirty Fourth st. be-
tween Meridian and Pennsylvania SITS. as site
for badly needed new Shortridge High
School
Two years ago, architects started on plans
for the new building. When the old board
went out Of office the first of the year every
thing was ready to start construction of the
new building Meanwhile, the old Shortridge
building at Pennsylvania and Michigan SITS.
had been sold with an agreement to give the
new purchasers possession Of the property Jan.
/, 1929. This briefly; is the history of the
Shortridge movement up to the first of this
year.
The principal fact which must not be lost
Gil of 10 +Io+ +bo y1rocop+ Cbor+r;Jro TIL,
School plant is housing almost 1000 more pu-
pills than its normal capacity Indianapolis
must have a new high school and it must have
it at the earliest possible moment. Every day
Of delay means that more pupils are being de-
prived of the opportunity of attending school
under decent conditions
The plans Of the old school board for
new building on the Thirty Fourth St. site met
with no opposition. There never was sug-
gestion that some other site should be chosen.
The Thirty-Fourth St property is in the heart
of thetnorth side, it is sufficiently large for the
purpose for which it was intended, and. above
all, it has adequate transportation facilities so
that pupils may reach the school with the
least amount of time and difficulty,
The new board insists on abandoning this
location and building new Shortridge at
Forty Sixth St. and Central Ave The single
reason for the change thus far advanced is that
the new site is larger than the old one Just
why larger site should be necessary is not
clear. 1t is to be hoped that the school board
does not make the same mistake a previous
board made when it developed Technical High
@ehool indianapolis wants no more big high
chools. The need of this city is for more small
nigh schools that can be easily and quickly
reached by pupils in the various sections of the
city.
Easy access to school buildings is a dutv
to the pupils and especially children from
homes where the matter Of carfare NAV mean
difference between opportunity for an edu.
cation and leaving school,
There are many families, and these fami
lies form the very foundation of all our future
where carfare for one or two pupils of high
school age is an impossible barrier to their at.
tendance.
These are the boys and girls who, if given