USA > Connecticut > New London County > Old Lyme > The educational history of Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1635-1935 > Part 18
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The building of the new school in 1895 had certain imme- diate observable results: it greatly reduced the per capita cost of education for the children in the consolidated area, it gave a real impetus to more regular attendance and it raised very definitely the whole standard of education within the town. It made possible the consideration of a curriculum leading to business schools and high schools. It also developed a new in- terest in the available library funds and encouraged profes- sional discussion among teachers. In all it gave more of com- fort and more of education at a greatly reduced per capita cost.28
Other important community influences were crystallized at or near the turn of the century. Outstanding among these was the building in 1898 of the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library. With adequate space and a generous endowment this library offered facilities for the genealogist, the artist, the literary- minded and the general reader. The tie-up between the li-
28. Old Lyme Town Report, September 1, 1896, pp. 23-24.
196 Educational History of Old Lyme.
brary and the Old Lyme schools has also provided a service of growing significance, which has been described in a recent statement of the board of managers.29
The thing that touches us all is the work done through the Chil- dren's Department. It is here that the boys and girls of Old Lyme are being given that touchstone to life: a love of good books. Every school day a class from the Old Lyme Graded School, under the guidance of a teacher, selects its reading, either for pleasure or in connection with current school work. And the teachers also may find books helpful to school problems or along lines of special school subjects. At this point it may be well to mention the fact that the school is closely in touch with Yale University and all it represents through the fact that it is under the direct supervision of the Graduate Department of Educa- tion of the University, with a supervisory principal and a woman primary supervisor, as well as music and art instructors in addition to the regular teaching staff. Under the inspiration of such an interesting educational experiment those with a far-seeing eye sense the possible development of the Children's Department into a reference library for the school, since with the growth of the school such a library will in time be needed.
In support of this growing literary need in the children's department there are the circulation figures which show that 1,154 nonfiction books were issued to children in 1930 and 2,958 nonfiction books in 1931. The reading-room attend- ance of children also increased from 5,254 in 1930 to 7,082 in 1931. This service at the main library was also extended to the South Lyme School. At the suggestion of the teachers at the consolidated school on Lyme Street, some 282 books were sent to the South Lyme School during 1931 for the benefit of the children in that rather remote section of the town.
Another movement of considerable economic, cultural and educational influence was initiated at this time when Miss Florence Griswold opened her commodious home on Lyme Street-previously used for a private school for girls-as a summer home for artists. Distinguished among her pioneer
29. Statement, Board of Managers, Ladies' Library Association, Old Lyme, Connecticut.
Public Schooling, 1855-1935. 197
following were Louis Paul Dessar and Henry Ranger, land- scape artists.
In the years that have followed, artists have thronged in their wake. Land and dwellings of every nature have been purchased by them. Land values have mounted and agricul- ture has declined. Transient guests have filled the inns in sea- son and local business facilities have multiplied.
The Old Lyme Art Association is now housed in a spacious and attractive building and the summer exhibits are antici- pated by art lovers throughout New England. Until her death Miss Florence Griswold continued to welcome an increasing following as they returned to the hamlet which writers have chosen to call "The Barbizon of America."
Transportation has played an important role in this new development. Roads and bridges have been either repaired or constructed. The present railroad and traffic bridges between Saybrook and Old Lyme were both built in the first decade of the century. With the latter came also through trolley-car service between New Haven and New London. With them the town grew both more accessible and more exclusive.
Increased appropriations and improved conditions in school- ing also came with the turn of the century. The recommended appropriation for all schools in 1900 was $2,700. Attendance, which had fallen drastically since 1895, was increased through the efforts of a paid attendance officer who devoted his time to the investigation of all cases of nonattendance. In 1900 the attendance at Old Lyme schools was 1 56.30
The cost of educating these children varied widely. In the outlying districts it ran as high as forty dollars per child, while the cost at the consolidated school was twenty dollars per child. These were among the significant facts that led ul- timately to further consolidation.
Teachers' salaries for 1900 showed a slight increase. One teacher received $5.00 per week, one received $6.25, three received $ 10.00 and one male teacher at the graded school re-
30. Old Lyme Town Report, 1900, pp. 22-23.
198 Educational History of Old Lyme.
ceived $ 12.00 per week. A beginning was made leading toward a more general practice of higher education. In each of the years 1899 and 1901 there were four graduates from the graded school at Old Lyme, and of these eight graduates one went to Northfield Academy and four to normal school.
There were numerous new developments in the state pro- gram of education which were soon reflected in the school program of Old Lyme. The cost of the local schools increased but as a result of the enumeration grant and the secondary education grant, voted by the state in 1897, supplementary state grants were noticeably increased. In 1903 school orders, previously written by the selectmen, were issued by the finan- cial agent of the town school committee, who was appointed by a vote of the committee in accordance with the statute of the state passed by the legislature that year. The first record of the high-school grant appeared in 1906. The state paid $41.73 for tuition and $82.00 for transportation, supple- menting the town fees of $63.00 for tuition and $84.00 for transportation. Eight pupils went to high school from Old Lyme in 1908.
With the addition of four rooms to the Center School building in 1909, there appeared also the first record of the state supervisor,31 F. W. Shearer. His immediate emphasis was placed upon grading, reading, word drill and attendance. He emphasized also the financial loss to the town during that year alone of $1,747.25 due to irregular attendance. The to- tal receipts from the state were $1,560.49 and the total cost of running all the schools was $5,930.64. Regular evening office hours for the convenience of parents were instituted by the supervisor in 19II.
The following year the State Board of Education set up as one of its objectives the organization of a model school in each town. In Old Lyme this took the form of a model schoolroom and an additional grant of three dollars a week toward the salary of the incumbent teacher was made by the state.
31. Old Lyme Town Report, 1909, pp. 5-6.
.
199
Public Schooling, 1855-1935.
In the years immediately following, every effort was made to increase the percentage attendance. Nonattendance was a menace to promotion and caused a reduction in state aid. In these same years the cost of education was increasing and all available funds were necessary. In 1914 alone, forty-seven pupils with an average age under fifteen years withdrew from school. No high-school graduates had as yet gone to college but of those attending high school better results were recorded in nonlocal schools. The discontinuance of the local high-school grades was therefore urged, together with the consolidation of the kindergarten and the first grade.32 The state course of study for eight grades was adopted. Many interesting items appear in the State Board of Education's summary report on Old Lyme for 1914-1915. These items emphasize the rela- tive position of Old Lyme among the towns of Connecticut with reference to educational practices. The town now had a population of 1,18 1 with a school enumeration of 255 and a registration of 233. This showed a considerable improvement in general school attendance. The eight district schools had been reduced to include the large consolidated school on Lyme Street and the one remaining district school in South Lyme. The school year had been increased to approximate the present requirement of 183 days. The men teachers of earlier years had been entirely replaced by women teachers who taught for an average salary of $44.52 a month. Two school libraries numbering six hundred books had been estab- lished. Thirty children were registered for the two years of high-school work given in the town and ten students were at- tending the upper classes in nonlocal high schools. A kinder- garten was being maintained in the town for eleven pupils at a cost of $279.80. But notwithstanding, in all matters of rank -in population, in grand list, in enumeration, in wages and in registration-Old Lyme still stood low in the list of towns in Connecticut. 33
The following year the kindergarten was discontinued and
32. Ibid., 1914, pp. 10-15.
33. Report of Connecticut State Board of Education, 1914-1915, p. 4.
200 Educational History of Old Lyme.
one teacher eliminated. Poor attendance and early school- leaving hastened the adoption of the state course of studies and modified the classical nature of the curriculum in the lo- cal high school. Finally in 1917 the school board, as a result of poor attendance, voted to discontinue the second year of the local high school and to concentrate their attention upon a new combination of the seventh, eighth and ninth grades un- der the direction of the principal.34 This increased the prob- lem of high-school transportation and tuition for the ten stu- dents attending a nonlocal high school. Their individual grants from the state allowed forty dollars for transportation and forty-five dollars for tuition. The cost of tuition varied with the selection of the high school. The choice of schools in- cluded the several high schools in New London, Pratt High School in Essex and Morgan School in Clinton. Some traveled by train and others by trolley. It was essentially a matter of individual needs and convenience.
Trade-school education, established first in 1910, was now available and free to boys graduating from the town, while home economics courses were introduced and equipped in 192 1 for the girls, through the assistance of the Lyme High School Association. Their continuance was further secured through the efforts of an active Parent-Teachers Association.
During the same year Dr. Devitt gave his services free, in order to bring about a school program of medical care. A den- tal clinic was established that spring. With a new emphasis upon outdoor exercise and games, the addition of a nurse and the installation of an improved ventilating system, real prog- ress was made in the field of health.
With the adjustment of these major problems of reorgani- zation and administration, increased attention was given to the details of instruction. Standard tests were given in arith- metic, spelling and silent reading, with more consideration for the overaged and underaged children.
By 1922 a good start had been made in the development of a local junior high school. This was encouraged through a special grant of $ 1,600.00 from the Lyme High School Asso-
34. Old Lyme Town Report, 1917, pp. 10-13.
20I
Public Schooling, 1855-1935.
ciation.35 Vocational training courses were introduced at this time and maintained by federal funds made available under the Smith-Hughes Act. More of the older pupils were re- maining in school. The rapidly increasing cost of schools was met that year from three sources: from the state, $4,425.95; from the Lyme High School Association, $1,600.00; and from the town, $ 12,480.68. The items listed under expendi- tures indicate clearly the diversity and trend of the program. These included: teachers' salaries, transportation, tuition, janitor service, repairs, books and supplies, heat and light, in- surance, manual training, domestic science, school physician and the South Lyme branch. Items unthought of a few years before had become regular charges on the school budget.
The years immediately following were devoted to the rou- tine affairs of education. No drastic changes were made in curriculum or organization. Then in 1924 the tenth grade was returned to the local school and the four upper grades were departmentalized. Twenty of the 223 children enumer- ated in Old Lyme were reported to be privately taught, and of these about half received their instruction at home.
The many problems of this transition period seemed diffi- cult of solution. A motion was therefore entertained to secure Mr. F. W. Shearer as supervising principal of the school through a possible cooperative plan sponsored by the town and the Lyme High School Association. The Rev. Mr. Wells, having made the proposal, was chosen to inquire into its pos- sibilities and report at the next regular meeting. He did re- port but no details are given. His efforts were evidently not encouraging since both the former supervisor and principal continued in service the following year.
35. The report for 1922 was interesting and encouraging. "Fifty children have school banks. Emphasis upon instruction in fundamental subjects has brought spelling up to standard and reading above standard. All grades were well above in arithmetic skill but below in arithmetic problems and penman- ship. Health standards in the school are high for the state. The intermediate school has striven for a more differentiated course of practical subjects and a good start has been made in developing a junior high school." Old Lyme Town Report, 1922, PP. 30-37.
202 Educational History of Old Lyme.
Transportation problems tended to increase and transpor- tation costs mounted higher and higher until on November 14, 1928, after twenty years of hired service, the town voted to buy two Chevrolet busses and transport all their own chil- dren. This practice has continued.36
That there was an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the schools on the part of the school board was shown in the mo- tion of Mr. T. R. Ball on February 4, 1927, when he moved that a committee of three be appointed to make recommenda- tions in regard to the more efficient operation of the school. This committee included Mrs. William Coult, Mr. T. R. Ball and Mr. J. M. Brevoort. Their report was presented on February 28, 1927, and each of the four articles was read and voted upon separately.
This committee voted, with the approval of the town, to discontinue the ninth and tenth grades and to transport these children to New London high schools; to discontinue all classes in domestic science and manual training; to employ a new principal and to require all new teachers to be normal- school or college graduates. At the same time the parents in the South Lyme area were asked if they would like to send their children to the Center School for the following year. Eight parents voted no, and one, yes. The South Lyme School was continued.
Numerous changes in the teaching staff were made that spring, but the general organization of the school continued to be unsatisfactory. This dissatisfaction was connected with the two upper grades and was aggravated by the difficulties connected with transportation. In view of this, at the request of the Old Lyme school committee a very carefully prepared survey of the Old Lyme school situation was made in 1928 by James W. Frost, supervising agent in Old Lyme, and R. Maynard Bole, principal of the Old Lyme Center School.37 The purpose of this study, as given in the report, was "to in- quire into the present status of public education and to inter-
36. Old Lyme Town Report, 1928, pp. 26-28.
37. Frost and Bole, "Survey of Old Lyme Schools" (manuscript).
203
Public Schooling, 1855-1935.
pret the facts concerning the Old Lyme educational system; and on the basis of the results of the study to formulate and to recommend to the school committee an educational pro- gram that will meet the town's needs."
Certain statistical studies were made and evaluated, and from these specific recommendations were formulated which included detailed plans for a new building and a new admin- istrative program. Some of the findings of this survey are presented here since they show quite plainly the problems which confronted the Old Lyme school board.
We see that both the town population and the school enrollment have remained rather constant. Old Lyme is an old colonial type of town with the conservative element predominating. It is unlikely that there will be a decrease or any appreciable increase in population for several years.
The number of pupils Old Lyme will be called upon to educate in the near future will not greatly exceed the average for the past few years. If the educational opportunity can be brought to a higher de- gree of excellence there is every reason to suppose that the registra- tion will increase, particularly in the higher grades. . . Those at- tending the schools are very much scattered over the area of the town, and there are no classes which appear crowded. The Center School building occupies a site centrally located and easily accessible to all.
The Strayer-Englehardt Score Card for Elementary School Build- ings was used for collecting data and for scoring the building. A total of 574 points out of a possible 1000 is so poor a showing as to require an immediate correction of the defects found and a consideration for providing better housing for the Old Lyme School. It seems desirable therefore to replace the present Center School house with a new building.
Over a period of several years, we find that Old Lyme has been spending about one-third of its taxes on schools, about one-sixth on highways and the remainder on smaller items. During the school year 1927-28 Old Lyme spent 36% of its $50,340.59 tax income or $18,196.49 on schools. This fact justifies the next statement that 64% of the towns in Connecticut spend a greater portion of their tax income on schools than does the town of Old Lyme.
This survey led to the formulation of a group of general con- clusions and recommendations.
204 Educational History of Old Lyme.
The physical condition of the Old Lyme Center school building is unsatisfactory for fire safety and for carrying on the grade of educa- tional opportunity that Old Lyme citizens want and have a right to expect.
The best type of school organization for Old Lyme, as far as can be foreseen at the present time, is a 6-6 system with a six year elemen- tary school and a six year secondary school.38
The estimated net cost of maintaining a 6-6 organization would exceed by about $2000.00 a year the expense to the town under the present organization.
A new building to house this 6-6 organization and to provide gymnasium facilities both for pupils in school and for young people of the town can be built for approximately $13,000.
A bond issue to cover this expense could be floated at an additional tax of not over 4.2 mills on the dollar if 15 years is taken for payment or for 3 mills on the dollar if 20 years is taken for payment.
Such a school should have the following rooms: five classrooms, a library, a lunch room, I principal's room, I nurse's room, I teachers' room, I book and supplies storage, I locker-shower for boys, I locker-shower for girls, a gymnasium, a storage space, I boiler room and coal storage, and I janitor's room.
In 1928 this survey was extended and completed. It was no doubt carefully and impartially prepared. It brought to- gether, in a brief, concise and convincing manner, the real cir- cumstances affecting schooling at that time. It revealed the great inadequacy of the rather good-looking school building on Lyme Street and clearly indicated the limitations which this building imposed upon the curriculum. The building
38. Cubberly, Public Education in the United States, pp. 554-555. "Up to about 1909-1910 the question of educational reorganization remained largely an academic question. The next generation brought more light through the use of standard tests. New intermediate or junior high schools were organized at Berkeley, California in 1909 and at Los Angeles in 1910. In each case the sev- enth, eighth and ninth grades were regrouped to form a new school. By 1930 there were approximately four thousand junior high schools in the United States enrolling over a million and a quarter pupils." The four-year high school under this plan became a three-year high school. In this manner a 6-3-3 type of organization replaced the old 8-4 type. In many places the junior and senior high schools are separate units under one administration and the phrase "6-6 plan" of school organization is used.
205
Public Schooling, 1855-1935.
program was projected at this time as the most necessary fac- tor in the reorganization and revitalization of the curriculum. The alternative curriculum changes were proposed with a new building definitely in mind. This survey became the basis of wide discussion both within the school committee and in the town generally. It stimulated thinking along definitely constructive and progressive lines and finally brought about a condition of enlightened dissatisfaction among the school ad- ministrators and townspeople as well. It created a growing demand for improved conditions of schooling in line with the most approved educational practices. As a result, in 1930 Old Lyme was prepared for another step ahead.
This was the seventy-fifth anniversary of the incorporation of the town. Great social changes had taken place and though the area of the town was unchanged and the population had decreased, the educational needs and their contingent costs had greatly increased.
The school statistics of Old Lyme for this period, from 1855 to 1930, are voluminous. These are classified in four huge divisions under population and enumeration, expendi- tures, receipts and teachers. These have been assembled here with as much exactness as the interlocking town and state re- ports permit. The results are not perfect but are highly sug- gestive of the long-time trends in educational affairs. Some of these statistics have been reduced to graphic representation and are included here. Many others are available but those chosen cover the fundamental items affecting school adminis- tration in Old Lyme.
Graph I is developed from the statistics on population, school enumeration and average attendance in Old Lyme for the years 1855 to 1930. This graph clearly shows the con- tinuous decline in population following the census of 1885. The record further indicates a relative similarity between the number of children of school age enumerated and the number in actual attendance. The percentage of children not attending is also shown to have been relatively constant. The effective- ness of the attendance officers is also apparent when the de- cline in population is compared with the relative increases in
Population ----
Enumeration
Average Attendance ....
2400
-
1200
1
A
1000
1
800
600
400
..
200
1855
1865 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925
1930
GRAPH I. Population, enumeration and average attendance, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1855-1930.
-
$
3,500,000
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
1
1855
1865
1875
1885 1895 1905
1915
1925
1930
GRAPH II. Grand list of Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1855-1930.
Total Receipts -
State grant
$32,000
28,000
24,000
20,000
16,000
12,000
8,000
1
4,000
2,000
1855
1865 1875
1885 1895
1905 1915
1925
1930
GRAPH III. School funds, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1855-1930.
$15,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
1,000
1855
1865 1875
1885 1895 1905 1915
1925
1930
GRAPH IV. Teachers' salary costs, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1855-1930.
210 Educational History of Old Lyme.
enumeration and average attendance beginning in 1895. A further increase in the percentage of attendance can be seen in the period from 1915 to 1930, due, no doubt, to the growing impetus of state grants.
Graph II shows the upward trend of the town's wealth judged by property evaluation. This records the yearly state- ment of the valuation of Old Lyme for the same period, 1855-1930. From this graph it appears that the property valuation of the town remained very close to $ 500,000 for the years 1865 to 1905. Beginning with 1905 there is a sharp and continuous increase in the valuation of the town. This in- crease reaches the high point of approximately $3,700,000 in 1929. The valuation for 1930 then falls suddenly to $2,900,- 000. The great increase in the wealth of the town after 1905 anticipates a similar increase in appropriations for public edu- cation.
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