USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Saugus > Town annual report of Saugus 1956 > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
SAUGUS,
MASSACHUS
For Reference
Not to be taken
from this library
1956
TOWN REPORT PAGE ONE
The Saugus Advertiser, March 7, 1957
LOCAL HISTORY Ref. 352 Saugus v. 69
PAGE NINE
Saugus Town Officials
Board of Selectmen John J. Bucchiere, Chairman Myron Donoghue Vernon W. Evans Samuel Ludwig David R. Nagle School Committee Paul A. Haley, Chairman Alice G. Blood James W. Currier George A. McCarrier John L. Silver Town Accountant Carl E. Chapman Board of Assessors David J. Lucey, Chairman Charles Cooper Alexander S. Addison Town Clerk
Ruth E. Stevens
Town Collector Ruth E. Stevens
Town Counsel
C. Carroll Cuningham Town Treasurer Phyllis E. Dodge
Superintendent of Public Works Ernest Pesce Superintendent of Buildings Walter J. Daniels Board of Public Welfare George Anderson Walter T. Brander Ernest M. Hatch Board of Health Edwin Faulkner Peter L. Grady Harry Wentworth
Cemetery Commission Fred W. Butler Barbara J. Morse Vincent G. Pendleton
Playground Commission Kenneth Nies, Chairman Fred Callahan Arthur R. Metzger Westby Rogers John Scire Police Chief
Roland E. Mansfield Fire Chief
Joseph L. Maguire
Sealer of Weights and Measures
Wesley W. Gage
Director Civilian Defense L. Earle Dumas Planning Board
Lewis O. Gray, Chairman William Calhoun Henry Seaver
Andrew P. Sorenson Harvey P. Wasserboehr Board of Appeal
Peter Rossetti, Chairman Walter F. Hogan William E. Laverne Associate Members: Richard J. Spencer Daniel H. Silver Irving E. Campbell Library Trustees
Ernest L. Shapiro, Chairman Harold J. Adlington Kaler . A. Perkins Lillian D. George Catherine Reynolds Katherine Silver Registrars of Voters Francis Hill John B. Leahy Thomas A. Kelley
Finance Committee Bradbury Gilbert, Chairman Muriel E. Furbush Francis Farrankopf Edward Gibbs, Jr. Norman Hanson Dexter Q. Rich William Spencer Ransom G. Smith Alfred H. Woodward
Town Mecting Members: Precinct 1
C. Carroll Cunningham, Jr. Albert C. Day Ralph E. Gibbs Gordon H. Jameson Welcome W. Mccullough Precinct 2
Robert J. Chiabrandy
Arthur Dearing M. Esther Mansfield George N. Mckay William A. Nagle
Precinct 3
Nels A. Bloom Henry J. Iwanowicz William A. R. MacLaren Marion E. Needham
PREFACE
Citizens of Saugus:
The annual Town Report of your various Town Departments is be- ing printed in the Saugus Adver- tiser this year with the sincere hope that in doing so the reports of the various Town Departments will reach into every home in the Town of Saugus.
It is only fitting and proper that this should be done because in this day and age, when the conduct of your various governmental officials has such a direct bearing on your daily lives and the manner in which you rear your children, the better informed the people are of their governmental activities the better for all concerned.
I sincerely hope the publication members of the Board of Selectmen of your annual Town Report in your local newspaper will meet with your approval and I earnestly sol- icit any comments you may care to make on the subject.
In other pages of this publication will be found your Town Manager's Report so that in the opening par- agraphs of this message there isn't
really much that I can say. How- ever, I do want to say that since coming to Saugus I deeply appre- ciate the wholehearted cooperation which all the Town officials and employees have given me. I am sure that this type of cooperation, if con- tinued in the years to come. will give Saugus a type of government of which it can be justly proud. I am hoping that the year 1957 will be one in which the tax burden. now resting so heavily on our small homeowners, will be alleviated and I am hoping at the same time that we can continue our road program and give our motoring public the type of roads that they deserve.
I am especially grateful to the for the aid, assistance and coopera- tion they have given me since com- ing here last June.
With every good wish to all the people of Saugus for the year 1957. I remain
Very truly yours. DANIEL E. MCLEAN Town Manager
Organization Of Saugus Town Government VOTERS ELECT
Board of Selectmen
School Committee
1
ELECTS
Board of Appeals
Town Manager
Library Trustees Election Officers
APPOINTS
Registrars of Voters
Town Accountant
SAMUEL W. LUDWIG . . . Selectman
VERNON W. EVANS Selectman
Frank J. Rogers Precinct 4 Milton W. Chambers Robert L. Davis Walter E. Neal
Dexter Q. Rich
Alfred H. Woodward
Precinct 5 Donald J. Flynn Chester P. Gibson Arthur E. Johnson Helen E. Rippon
Edwin P. Swett
Precinct 6
Charles D. Cooper Dorothy E. Mandeville Ralph W. Pearson William H. Robinson Fred E. Surabian
Precinct 7
Alexander S. Addison Walter F. Hogan Harriett A. McAdoo
(Continued on Page Fifteen)
Manager's Report.
Having assumed the position of Temporary Town Manager on June 18th and permanent Manager on October 8th my report will of nec- essity be brief.
Upon starting work here two re- quests were sent to me, number one being a vote of your Honorable Board to investigate expenditures from the proceeds of a Sewer Bond Issue, the second a vote to have me report to your Honorable Board on an investigation of the Police Department made by former temp- orary Town Manager, the late Charles C. DeFronzo. As you know, I subsequently submitted to your Honorable Board reports and find- ings relating to both of these mat- ters.
Shortly after July Fourth our road program got under way and a great deal of work was done, the streets under the provisions o Chapter 386. Two streets, namely Essex Street and Walnut Street, a part of each was constructed under the provisions of Chapter 90 by pri- vate contract and five streets re- (Continued on Page Three)
Majority Report Of Selectmen John J. Bucchiere David R. Nagle Samuel W. Ludwig
To the Citizens of the Town of Saugus:
Chapter 17, the Saugus Town Manager Act, charges your Board of Selectmen with the responsibility of examining all town departments and their budgets. We are charged with making specific recommenda- tions In respect to each. We must make these recommendations and transmit the same to our Finance Committee on or before December 20th of the year preceding the year for which such departmental ap- larger part of it on unaccepted propriation shall ultimately be made. Your Board of Selectmen have carried this out to the letter of the law.
MYRON D. DONOGHUE . . . Selectman
MINORITY REPORT OF SELECTMEN Myron D. Donoghue and Vernon W. Evans
TO THE CITIZENS OF SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS: During the past year our think- ing, and our actions, have differed in many instances from that of our colleagues on the Board of Select- men. It is not our purpose, however. Upon our election in November. 1955. we felt that we had been clect- at this time, to point out these dif- ed by the citizens of Saugus with ferences in our report to the citt- (Continued on Page Three)
(Continued on Page Three)
DANIEL E. McLEAN . . . Town Manager
Selectman JOHN J. BUCCHIERE
DAVID R. NAGLE . . . Seleetman
Assessors Town Clerk Town Collector Town Counsel Town Treasurer
FOR'IA
Superintendent of Public Works Superintendent of Public Buildings Board of Public Welfare Board of Health
Board of Playground Commissioners Planning Board Cemetery Commissioners Chief of Police Department Chief of Fire Department Director of Civilian Defense Sealer of Weights and Measures Veterans' Benefits
annual®
SAUGUS PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1729 00051 5822
TOWN REPORT
TOWN REPORT PAGE TWO
The Saugus Advertiser, March 7, 1957
PAGE TEN
PAUL A. HALEY . . . School Committee
GEORGE A. McCARRIER . . . School Committee
JAMES W. CURRIER . . . School Committee
DR. JOHN L. SILVER . . . School Committee
ALICE G. BLOOD . . . School Committee
Superintendent of Schools
(Sixty-fourth)
Personnel Changes
The year 1956 has sharply brought home the fact that there is a teacher shortage. In past years we have constantly read of the thou- sands of classrooms in the country with sub-standard teachers. In fact in many there were none. Up to this year we have had, due to our fortunate location, a good teacher for each vacancy. Sometimes it has not been easy, but it has always been possible.
This year for the first time a vacancy occurred for which no qualified instructor could be en- gaged. After searching from early spring to August for a teacher of physics, it was necessary to ask the head of the science department to take over the position. The next greatest difficulty was experienced in filling the positions of high school mathematics, woodworking and foreign language. There is general shortage not only of house- hold arts, shop, natural science, and mathematics teachers, but also In every subject matter field in the secondary school and at every ele- mentary grade level.
The reasons for this situation have been discussed in detail too many times in magazines, news- papers, on radio and television, and in public forums to require lengthy treatment here. Of all the reasons given two stand out: the need for a constantly increasing number of teachers due to greater numbers of school pupils and the low -salaries paid in the profession. There is a total of thirty-six new teachers in the Saugus Schools and although the reasons for changes are sometimes mixed, I have at- tempted to classify theose leaving in a few natural groups.
Teachers
1. Better paying positions.
2. Family reasons
3. Marriage
4. Leaving teaching
5. Professional advancement
6. Draft
7. Health
8. To teach in home town 1
9. Superannuation 1
2
Total
28
In addition three custodians and one clerk left for better paying positions,
From this summary it is clear that the most common reason for teachers leaving is to accept posl- tions with higher pay. The School Committee recognizing that the
salaries were too low to hold teach- ers, has made a strong attempt to improve our competitive bargaining position by adopting a new, higher salary schedule for 1957. In addi- tion the Committee placed substan- tial increases in the 1957 Budget for present members of the staff. The special January first increases are graduated on the basis of length of service from two hundred to five hundred dollars: the average being three hundred forty-four dollars. If reguiar September increments for service are included the average ad- ditional amount is approximately one hundred forty-nine dollars. To- tal average increase for 1957 is four hundred ninety-three dollars.
Custodians and clerks were given one hundred fifty dollars on Janu- ary first, pius regular January In- ereases for those not at the maxi- mum. Following are the new sched- ules:
Teachers: Minimum $3200: maxi- mum $5000. Custodians: Minimum
maximum $3815.
Clerks: Minimum $2340. Junlor Clerk and Typist, no maximum established. Senior and Principal Clerks' schedules are not estab- lished.
This action should bring our sal- aries well into proper position for this area. However, this may only be a temporary gain since other communitles may, by similar ad- Justments, rise above us again. Comparative figures will be avall-
able shortly after January first. Preliminary reports from a few neighboring systems indicate in- creases of from three to eight hun- dred dollars. Like the Saugus in- creases, they are graduated on the basis of length of service.
The second most important rea- son for the scarcity mentioned above is the increasing need for more teachers in each community. We have experienced great growth the five year period 1951 to 1956: Grades 1951 1952
1953
1954
1955
1956 5 yr. Increase
1-6
2007
2089
2147
2215
2231
2224
217
7-8
520
511
566
647
707
694
174
9-12
740
757
808
859
956
1036
298
Totals
3267
3357
3521
3721
3894
3956
6.89
"Increase five year period is 21%.
Last fall eight additional teachers were added. In the high school there were four: shop, math and science, English and guidance, and foreign languages. It was necessary to remodel the antiquated Centre School to house two additional fifth and one first grades. The additional Special Class for trainable children was also assigned here; thus re- occupying the four rooms and add- ing four elementary teachers. The plans for 1957 indicate that next September
the Emerson School. abandoned September 1955, will be put in use once again.
Additional Personnel 1950-1956
As a matter of record there fol- lows & chart showing growth In number of school employees from 1950 to 1956. most of those added were appointed because of increase in enrollment. The remainder were for the expansion and enrichment of the curriculum of the schools, and as such represent real progress. Inc. Imp. Custo- Ciks. Nurses Tl.
H.S. Jr.H.S. Elm. Total Enrol. Cur'ic. dians
Inc.
1950
35
14
60
109 used as base
14%
2
1 Base
1951
36
15
72
123
14
1
1
0
0
2
1953
37
16
74
127
1
0
0
0
3
1954
38
20
79
137
1
1
1
0
12
1955
48
24
82
154
7
10
1
1
23%
1956
52
24
86
162
1
2
1
0
11
Increase .. 17
10
26
53
39
14 10%%
4
1
684
classrooms. Eight of the additional seventeen | housed in our present Saugus High School teachers were: a full-time librarian, a full-time speech and dramatic instructor. boys' and girls' physical education teachers, and four homemaking in- sixth grade pupils for whom there structors.
In the Junior High School three of the eleven added since 1950 were to broaden the curriculum. These were teachers of industrial arts, household arts, and physical education.
During this period the elementary school curriculum was enriched by the addition of an elementary Su- pervisor, a' speech therapist and & special class for the trainable.
Therefore fourteen of the teach- ing personnel added since 1950 may be labelled as new services to im- prove the basic learning situation, grades in at least three rooms with The remaining thirty-nine repre- sent a holding operation due to the increase of approximately seven hundred pupils and some improve- ment of classroom conditions.
The result of the steady increase in pupil numbers is inevitable over- crowding with subsequent lowering of the quality of education in Sau- gus.
In 1951 the schools werc jammed. The building of the Veterans' Me- morial School eased the situation for the two and one-half year period January 1952 to June 1954. although much shifting of pupils was necessary during this period. In 1854 It was necessary to utilize a tiny third floor room at Roby. rent quarters from two churches and both rooms of the American Legion Building. In 1855 the open- Ing of the New High School tempo- rarily eliminated this condition.
September 1957 will show all ele- mentary and junior high school rooms filled except one room at Emerson, while the New High School will be about one year from Its maximum load. In mentioning the New High School, it should be pointed out that the building was originally planned for classroom capacity of 800 pupils (of Saugus
Advertiser, page 10, September 18, 1952) with special facilities for 1200 pupils. The Advisory Committee and the Town Manager wisely contract- ed for four additional rooms at a cost, including equipment, of $40.000 which increased the regular class- room capacity to over 900. Of course it was realized that this money must be taken from equlp- ment and site improvement. How- ever, the cost of the four rooms was so far below that of constructing them at a later date that the Com- mittee and the Town Manager would have been derelict in their duty had they proceeded in any other manner. At present we are most grateful to them for their ac- tion, for with 1050 pupils in the building it would be almost impos- sible to operate without the four rooms. The Committee has been cri- ticized in town for spending the forty thousand dollars for the four rooms. At the same time they have been reprimanded for not building all of the classrooms needed to bring the building up to a capacity of twelve hundred pupils. Ignoring these post-mortems and remember- ing that many were surprised when the $2.200,000 was appropriated after twenty odd years of turning the project down. the fact remains that the Saugus High School needs eight more classrooms and the expansion of some special areas, not in the distant future, but as soon as pos- sible.
In the Oaklandvale, Lynnhurst and North Saugus areas new hous- ing is being constructed. Growth to date has already been such that at Oaklandvale and Lynnhurst, grådes five and six have been transferred to Saugus Center while at North Saugus grade six has been removed. In a relatively short period of time the buildings will be overcrowded agaln. Since Saugus Center Schools are full there will be no place to transfer them,
The Old High School Building. now in use as a junior high and elementary school building, presents another immediate problem. There is unanimous agreement that the
old portion of the bullding Is at of University Extension, State De- present unfit for the use of chil- dren
A repetition of the heating, light- ing, plumbing and seating situation is unnecessary; it has been dis- cussed adequately in previous re- ports. I should like to call atten- tion to the Report of the Special Town Meeting Committee on
"Renovations of the Old Saugus High School" made at the Annual Town Meeting in 1956. They follow: 1. The interior and furnishings have far exceeded their use.
2. Do not recommend renovation of the bullding.
3. Recommend general repairs.
4. Expect the building will be used
for a number of years.
5. Consider a New Junior High School.
I heartily concur with this report. I recommend that the School Com- mittee take the leadership in launching a determined campaign to accomplish the following objec- tives.
1. Repair the Old Saugus High School (including new lighting, plumbing and heating plant).
2. Replace obsolete and worn out furnishings.
3. Secure a site and formulate plans for a new Junior High School. 4. Provide a proper parking area at the Saugus High School.
5. Provide proper exterior lighting at Saugus High School.
6. Provide proper access ways to
the Saugus High School.
7. Provide necessary additional equipment for the Saugus High School and grounds.
8. Secure a proper school site. elther on the Lynn Fells Parkway or some other suitable location in the neighborhood of Oaklandvale, North Saugus, or Lynnhurst Schools. (Sultable sites are rapidly disappearing.)
9. Formulate plans for the con- struction of a new, consolidated, eighteen room or larger building to replace the present Oaklandvale,
Lynnhurst and North Saugus He- mentary Schools.
10. Eliminate the business section south of the Saugus High School. It is realized that all of these things cannot be done at once, but the longer the delay the greater the expense. The need for positive, im- medlate action is urgent.
The teachers and pupils have been without the use of the High School Auditorium for the second successive fall. It would seem that the past six months should have been adequate for making the necessary corrections in the wiring defects discovered last summer.
There is great need for the use of this room for it may be likened to the heart of a person. Here pu- pils meet as a group and feel the unity that comes from close associa- tion. Here are conducted the group assemblies where "the school" as a whole may be inspired by its own and outside programs. The con- tinued lack of a group meeting- place has been a most hampering factor in building school morale. It is earnestly hoped that the repairs will be completed soon and the school will have an opportunity to settle down to a normal routine. The auditorium is a far more im- portant factor in the successful ad- ministratlon of a school building than is commonly realized.
Appended Reports
We have some fine things going on in our schools; unfortunately they are not as well publicized as some other things.
The reports of other members of the school staff follow. To gain & good idea of the inner working of our schools they should all be read. They have in them many fine and important points of practice and philosophy. I mention one taken at random.
From the report of the Guidance Director, John Leahy: "The core of guldance is individual conference."
Evening Classes for Adults
In October the School Committee voted to sponsor evening classes for adults, with the aid of the Division partment of Education. Two classes in typewriting and one in stenog- raphy have already completed a first term of eight weeks. On Janu- ary ninth a second term will begin. At the present time the last de- tails of organizing classes in sewing are being concluded. The Division of Vocational Education, State De- partment of Education, will pay al- most all expenses, including teach- ers' salaries. There are forty-eight registrants at present, thus requir- ing at least three classes. The first meeting will be on January ninth. The next step planned is Ameri- canization classes for aliens.
These classes are the small be- gInning of a program which, it is hoped, will spread over a large field and will cater to the needs of great numbers of the citizens of Saugus. The School Committee holds to the philosophy that the New High School belongs to the citizens of the community and that it should be available for their use at all times. Comparative Costs
School year 1955-1956, ending June 30, 1856.
A comparison of the cost per pu- pil in average membership in Sau- gus with the sixty-four" towns of 10.000 population and over, for the school year 1955-1956, shows us well down on the list, as usual, in fact nearly at the bottom. The figures annually released by the State De- partment of Education are not yet available. However, the following were obtained from the research department of the Massachusetts Teachers' Association, Bulletin P 7-11 A:
State average, all cities
and towns
. . $273.51
Group HI, 64 towns' of 10,000 and over. medlan cost per pupil 245.00
Saugus cost per pupil. 221 00
*Four small cities included in this group
Thus the cost per pupll in Sau- (Continued on Page Three)
1
0
16
1952
36
15
73
124
955
1
The additional personnel in the offices, the additional nurse and all but three of the custodians were due to more school rooms and more pupils. One custodian became neces- sary due to the forty-hour week for custodians adopted by the voters In 1951. The remaining two were add- ed at the Old High School, after It had been converted to junior high school use, because it became more difficult to maintain as It deteori- ated through advanced age.
1957.
In the 1857 budget provision has been made for three additional high school teachers, needed because of a large increase in numbers, three additional elementary teachers and one custodian necessary due to in- creased enrollment and the opening of the Emerson School. If all of our elementary pupils could be distrib- uted evenly throughout the build- ings of the town, they could be
in the numbers of pupils in the elementary and junior high schools during the past ten years. Many additional teachers have been need- ed. This year in Saugus our first large post-war grade has pro- gressed into grade ten. In most other communities it is only ad- vanced as far as grade eight or nine, The following tables show en- rollment growth in Saugus during
From this it can be easily secn that we have experienced rapid ex- pansion in the five year period, an increase of approximately twenty- one per cent. It can be clearly noted that the increase In elemen- tary and junior high school grades has slowed down while the high school enrollment which started accelerating at the beginning of the decade is now growing by leaps and bounds. We can expect continual moderate increases in the elemen- tary and junior high school grades in the future, accompanied for two years by rapid growth in the high school. By September 1959 the post- war boom in children will have worked its way from grade one through grade twelve and the
schools will settle down to a more steady growth at all levels. of course the effects of major disas- ters, great properity or economic depression always have to be con- sidered in making such predictions. These enrollment Algures explain one reason for the teacher shortage. Sept. Teaching Staff
Unfortuntaely, this is impossible. Assuming the same number of first graders in 1957 as in 1956, tbere will be three rooms of fifth and will be no classrooms. The total elementary enrollment in 1957 will probably not be much greater than [in 1956. The number in the upper grades will be larger, in the lower grades the same or smaller, but not small enough to save a classroom. Even though we might have only two first grades at Saugus Center. two extra rooms at Emerson School will be needed. If the two present fourth grades were to be left at the Ballard School next fall there would be 250 pupils and five grades in the building. It would mean double
overcrowding in at least three others. Thus the gains of past years would be lost. As someone has sald. "this is retrogression." A third room may be required at Emerson.
The' addition of these sixty-eight employees over the six-year perlod accounts for over $225.000 of the budgetary increase from 1952 to
$2900;
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.