The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1963-02-28
Letter to The Editor

February 25. 1868.
Mr.. George HanSt. Editor
The Republican
Is the proposed new Junior High
School necessary? / would like to
present the following facts which
were not covered in the letter APP
pearing in the February 14th issue
of The Republican signed by Har-
land Bowman, President of Citi-
zens For Garrett County.
The following statements appear
on page II of Our Garrett County
Schools. published as an annual
report by authority of the Garrett
County Board of Education, No
vember, 1862:
THE Board of Education gave
further study at a recent meeting
to the need for additional class
room space in the Oakland area.
Based on thirty pupils to a class
room, enrolment figures indicate
that there is now on roll at Center
Street an overcapacity of so pupils
and at bennett Road an overca-
pacity of 55 pupils. Southern High
School can house comfortably
around 900 pupils. There are now
enrolled in this school IT'S pupils.
This makes an overload of APP
proXimately 375 pupils in the three
schools at Oakland. In all other
areas in the county there are ample
claSSrooms for the number of chill
dren now enrolled, as we'll as for
the number expected within the
fOreseeable future. What school
population growth there has been
in the county has been largely in
the Oakland area. thus crOWding
the Oakland schools beyond capaci-
ty. when based upon 80 pupils per
teacher"
Southern High has a total of 81
teachers and the enrolment de
cember 1862 was ISL When based
upon 80 pupils per teacher. this is
less than 22.6 pupils per teacher.
Subtract two principals, librarian
and guidance counselor, and you
still have less than 24,5 pupils per
teacher-Not 80.
The bennett Road School had
375 pupils enrolled December.
1922 with - teachers, this would
be slightly more than 81 pupils per
teacher
Center Street School with 400
pupils and Is teachers also aver
ages just over 81 pupils per teach
er.
From the Annual Report issued
in November, 1861, page 4, l quote,
"A review of major school i'm
provementS during the past several
years shows the following a.
New II room elementary school
with needed facilities at bennett
Road"
Going back to the first quote,
Based on 80 pupils per class
room, I find that bennett Road
with 375 pupils and II rooms has
an overload of Is pupils Center
Street with 400 pupils and II class
rooms has an overload of 40 pupils
When Southern High was built, it
was designed to accommodate HOO
pupils. With the present enroll
ment of ISL, the overload would
be 81 pupils. This makes a total of
Ito pupllS over capacity III the
three schools. Does this number
overcapacity justify the expendi-
ture of 100000 to construct a new
Junior High School?
A total of four classrooms added
to the three schools would accom-
modate 120 pupils. A better solu-
ton would be to alter the bus
routes SO as to send some of the
pupils to Northern, thus utilizing
existing facilities there. The same
could be done at Kitzmiller and
North Glade. Is it unreasonable
to allow children to attend school
in their own communities rather
than haul them to the Oakland
schools, thus adding to the school
population growth in the Oakland
area? North Glade is a good ex-
ample of transporting children
from their own community to Oak
land, leaving vacant room at
North Glade.
Very truly yours,
Mr.. and Mrs. William Merrill