Laurel outlook., 1947-09-24
K|WAN|ANS HEAR CRAFT
SPEAK ON CITY SCHOOLS


day evening by the Kiwanis club
with men members of the Laurel
faculty as special guests. Fred w.
Graft, superintendent, was the prin-
cipal speaker.
President w. A. Ziegler relinquish-
ed to j. w. Baldwin, program chair
man, who introduced H. Lee HAM
lett, principal of the North school,
to present the school men. Not all
were able to be present. Those at
tending were James Morrison, agri-
culture and shop; John Billings,
band; Leon Foote, principal of the
junior high school and John Mac
Donald, principal of the senior high
school. Those mentioned but not
present were William Baker, teacher
of mathematics in the high school;
"Jinx" Anderson, coach and teacher
OF physical education and science,
and Arthur Smith, teacher of trades
and industries.
Other guests and visitors were
Joe E. Vending, Portland, Ore; AL
bert Leuthold, Laurel; E. Carl Lam
z~endorfer, Peter Yegen and Henry R.
all of Billings.
Graft, the principal speaker, open
ed by conveying greetings and good
from the Rotary club, of
which he is a charter member and
past president. His talk, which he
said was informal, pertained to the
of the Laurel school system
Is he has known it more than 25
years and the need for additional
buildings in which to carry on an
enriched OF expanded program for
he children and young people of the
community.
The figures quoted, he remarked,
would not delight the average
hamber of commerce, but were as
lie found them from examination of
chool records.
Comparing grade and high school
nrollments of 1923 with 1916 he
aid there was not much increase,
the growth in the number of
lomes in Laurel. The explanation
vas that years ago many of the
antilles were much larger than now.
small families reflect the
rend observed over the nation. ,
In 1923 children were crowded
ITO all available school space, the
minimum being about as in a
pom. Some roms had more than ]
0. Additional teachers are now
.mployed, compared to 25 years ago, {
umbering about seven or a present !
'tal of approximately 80. In adj !
to reducing the number of {
upils assigned to each teacher and c
lus permitting more individual at
ntion to pupils, the school program {
been enriched by introduction C
subjects. S
Cost of operation has increased o
lring the quarter-century period, v
ipecially in recent years. How b
'er, with the increased cost there "
Is been a gain in total property t
llue, resulting from housing and
dustrial increases. Another factor 4
the present cost is the recent adj t
stment in salaries, action that had II
en- long delayed. c.
The district has never had ade-
late house, Graft declared. He IL
commended additional elementary P
hools, one in the west and the Il
her in the east end of town. v
Now in prospect as result of leg 81
ative action is the consolidation of m
raj schools with town and city 81
hools, to give the rural children =
benefit of larger school systems. S
Laurel district, able to do in \
oportion as much as any other B
;rict, should have the benefit of I
state-produced revenue, the speak
averred. The remedy, as he saw (
is in the province of the legis- \
He urged that should a /
.posal to provide state aid come 4
fore the next legislature that the h
.posal be studied by the citizens Z
if found satisfactory, be ac- !.
'ded the necessary public support 4
inSura itS enactment. Ii