USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1922 > Part 21
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(e) The Adams Shore Portable. - This is a two-room building. Both rooms are occupied - one having thirty-four pupils, the other twenty- nine pupils.
3. Schools with Unoccupied Rooms.
(a) The Adams School. - There are twelve regular classrooms in this building, one of which is not at present occupied by a regular class.
The registration in the eleven rooms that are in use is sufficient to make an average of approximately thirty-eight pupils to a room.
(b) The Government School. - There are seventeen regular classrooms in this building. Two of these rooms are not occupied by regular classes.
The registration in the fifteen rooms that are in use is sufficient to make an average of approximately thirty-seven pupils to a room.
(c) The Montclair School. - This building has eight classrooms, of which seven are occupied by regular classes, leaving one available for future need.
The total registration of the school gives an average of thirty-three pupils for each of the seven rooms now used.
(d) The Quincy School. - In this building there are twelve classrooms, of which all but one are now occupied by regular classes. The number registered in these classes is sufficient to make an average of thirty-nine pupils per room.
(e) The Squantum School. - In this building there are at present two rooms that are not occupied by regular classes. The total registration of the school gives an average of thirty-two pupils to a room.
To summarize with respect to the unoccupied rooms, it appears that there are at present available for future increase in the membership of the elementary schools of the entire city only seven classrooms - three to provide for growth in the Houghs Neck, Adams Shore, Germantown, Merrymount, Quincy Center, Quincy Point, and South and West Quincy districts; and four to provide for growth in the Wollaston, Norfolk Downs, Montclair, Atlantic, and Squantum districts.
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CITY OF QUINCY
Increase of Membership in the Elementary Schools
During the past ten years there has been an increase of 2,800 pupils in the membership of the schools of the city below the high school grades. This increase represents an average annual growth of 280 pupils - the equivalent of a seven-room building filled with 40 pupils to a room.
For the first five years of this ten-year period the annual increase aver- aged 219 pupils - a growth sufficient to fill a five-room building each year with 40 pupils to a room; and for the last five years the annual increase averaged 341 pupils - a growth nearly sufficient to fill a nine-room build- ing each year with 40 pupils to a room.
It is obvious from the foregoing figures, not only that the membership of the elementary schools of the city is increasing rapidly, but also that the rate of annual growth is steadily increasing. These conditions should be kept clearly in mind in any consideration of the need for additional school accommodations.
The Conclusion that the Facts justify
In view of the facts set forth under the preceding headings, viz., (1) that eight of our eighteen elementary school buildings are now overcrowded; (2) that, in five other buildings, every regular classroom is in use; (3) that in the five remaining buildings there are only seven vacant rooms; (4) that the membership of our elementary grades is increasing annually at the rate of an eight or nine-room building of forty pupils to a room; and, also, in view of the further considerations: (1) that there seems no reason to believe that the present rate of growth will materially decrease for some years to come; (2) that, even if immediate action should be started to secure a new building or an enlargement of any of the existing buildings, it would be practically two years before the same would be ready for use, by which time the majority of the schools will be so congested as to make efficient teaching and management practically impossible; and (3) that, when conditions that cripple efficient administration of the schools are permitted to continue, there is waste, not only in the expenditure of public funds, but also in social well being, in that young people are not being prepared as they might and, therefore, should be, for the duties of life - the conclusion seems unavoidable that it is the duty of the School Com -. mittee to take action at once looking toward additional accommodations for the elementary schools.
A Building Program
Careful consideration of the conditions set forth in the earlier part of this report, and, also, of the fact that the School Committee, by formal vote, has authorized the junior high school plan of organization to be put into effect in the Quincy schools as rapidly as conditions permit, leads your Special Committee to believe that the proper development of the educa- tional interests of Quincy requires a building program for the next ten years that shall include the enlargement of the Massachusetts Fields, Daniel Webster, and Francis W. Parker buildings, a new building in the Adams Shore district and also one in southwest section of the city - the' enlargement at Francis W. Parker and Daniel Webster Schools and the new building in the southwest district to be for junior high school purposes, and the enlarged Massachusetts Fields School and the new building at Adams Shore to be for Grades I to VI, inclusive.
Your Committee has in mind that this program of building should be carried out in the following order: -
1. That the enlargement of the Massachusetts Fields School and the erection of a new building in the southwest district should be undertaken together as the first step.
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REPORT OF SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
2. That the enlargement of the Daniel Webster and Francis W. Parker Schools should be undertaken simultaneously as the second step.
3. That the erection of a new building at Adams Shore should constitute the final step in the program.
Respectfully submitted, ROBERT E. FOY, SYDNEY W. YOUNG, FRED H. NICKERSON, Special Committee on Additional School Accommodations.
The first step toward the realization of this program was the adoption by the Committee on October 31, 1922, of the following report of a Special Committee upon additional accommodations for the children of the Mas- sachusetts Fields district: -
OCTOBER 31, 1922.
To the School Committee of Quincy.
Your Special Committee, appointed to investigate and report upon the need for enlarged school accommodations in the Massachusetts Fields district, submits the following statement :
The present school building in that district contains nine classrooms. It has no assembly hall in which to bring together the pupils of the entire school for exercises of a general educational character. The only space available for such purpose is the corridor of the building, which is wholly inadequate.
The children of the first six grades only are accommodated in the pres- ent building, those in Grades VII and VIII being sent to the schools in the neighboring districts, principally to the Francis W. Parker School.
The total registration in the Massachusetts Fields School on September 20, 1922, was 382 pupils - a number large enough to make an average of practically 43 pupils to a room.
It is obvious that the limit of the capacity of the building has been prac- tically reached already, and that further increase in the attendance will bring serious impairment of efficiency in the administration and teaching of the school - a result that means not only educational loss to our young people, but also waste of the city's money.
In view of the foregoing facts, your Committee believes that action is demanded looking toward an enlargement of the school accommodations for this district at the earliest possible moment.
Regarding the extent of the needed enlargement, it seems to your Com- inittee that it would be unwise to provide for less than ten years ahead, so far as the need for that period can be anticipated.
As a basis for such anticipation, a review was made of the growth of the elementary school population during the past ten years, both in the area served by the Massachusetts Fields, Francis W. Parker, and Quincy Schools (the Norfolk Downs-Atlantic section) and in the city as a whole.
From that review, it was ascertained (1) that the total increase of the elementary school population during the past ten years in the Norfolk Downs-Atlantic section had been 80 per cent or an average of 8 per cent yearly; (2) that, during the same period, the similar increase for the city as a whole had been equivalent to an average of 5.5 per cent yearly.
It was further ascertained that the increase in the school population of the Norfolk Downs-Atlantic section during the past six years represented an average of 6 per cent yearly, - a per cent somewhat less than the average yearly increase for the four preceding years, but approximately the same as the average yearly increase for the entire city during the past ten years.
In view of the foregoing facts and also of the amount of available area for further building in the above-mentioned district, it is the opinion of
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CITY OF QUINCY
your Committee that the school population in that district may not be expected to increase during the next ten years more rapidly than 6 per cent annually.
A computation based upon that assumption shows that not less than seventeen classrooms will be required to provide reasonably adequate classroom accommodations for the pupils of the Massachusetts Fields dis- trict by 1932.
Therefore, since the present building in that district contains nine class- rooms, it is evident that an addition of at least eight classrooms is needed to meet the requirement of the growth for ten years ahead.
As a result of its investigation, your Special Committee believes that the plain duty of the School Committee at this time is to take immediate action calling the attention of His Honor the Mayor and the City Council to the imperative need of an early appropriation sufficient to add eight classrooms and an auditorium to the present school accommodations at the Massachusetts Fields School.
Respectfully submitted, WARREN E. SWEETSER, SYDNEY W. YOUNG, FRED H. NICKERSON, Special Committee on Additional Accommodations at Massachusetts Fields School.
This report was forwarded to His Honor the Mayor on December 27, 1922, with the request that he secure plans for the proposed enlargement at this point.
It is hoped that such plans may be ready for consideration by the Com- mittee in the near future.
The High School
The importance of this division of the school system justifies its special consideration. Therefore, I am submitting herewith the annual report of the headmaster of that school.
Mr. F. H. NICKERSON, Superintendent of Schools.
The report for the High School for the past year cannot be one of progress except in the matter of numbers. The following comparative statement will show our numbers on December 1, 1922, and on the same date in previous years: -
1920
1921
1922
Whole number enrolled
1,224
1,425
1,596
Whole number at date
1,190
1,389
1,550
In January, 1923, we graduated our first midyear class, numbering 67. Of these, a few have remained in the school to continue preparation for college entrance examinations in June. Several pupils from other classes withdrew from the school at the end of the half year, but a large entering class from the grammar schools gave us a net increase of 122, making our membership 1,672 on February 1, 1923. It is well to make note again of the fact that this number is being accommodated in a building which will comfortably accommodate 850 pupils in one session. Next year, unless the
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new building is completed it will be necessary to secure quarters outside the present building, since we are using the present building to its entire capacity all day. We are even holding three and sometimes four classes simultaneously in the assembly hall. I am of the opinion that additional quarters mentioned above can best be afforded by portable buildings, because there does not appear to be any desirable building near the present one which could be obtained for school purposes.
The two-platoon system has been in force long enough now for us to see how undesirable is such an arrangement, especially when each platoon completely fills the building. This arrangement has been the direct cause of a large number of pupils leaving the school, either because they did not care to attend school in the afternoon or because there was no opportunity afforded them of getting extra help from the teachers and thus preventing failure in one or more subjects. There is absolutely no quiet place in the building where a teacher may take a few pupils out of regular hours for makeup work or for special help. Stairways and rooms already occupied by classes are the only places available for this purpose. Pupils attending the morning session who are to receive extra coaching for college entrance examinations must wait until late in the afternoon before a room is avail- able, and then only a few pupils at a time can be accommodated. I am convinced that the two-platoon system deadens the interest of the pupils, encourages irregular attendance, and is undesirable from every point of view except as a housing proposition. Because of existing conditions we have not been able to give several courses previously offered, particularly in the music and art departments. Unless relief comes soon, we shall be obliged to omit many other courses, some of which are very much desired and very useful.
While conditions have not allowed us to venture far from the beaten path in the administration of the school, we have been trying out our first definite experiment with student participation in school government, and this with considerable success, I believe. Several months ago traffic squads were organized in both sessions whose duty is to direct the filing whenever classes are passing through the corridors. From the first the members of the squads assumed the responsibility of their positions with dignity and efficiency and the pupils in the school immediately showed disposition to follow cheerfully the direction of their fellows. The value of this experi- ment is evident not only in improved conditions in the corridors, but also in the manner in which the pupils give directions or follow the directions of others.
Continuing the experiment in student participation in school govern- ment, we hope in a short time to establish a school council consisting of members elected from each class and members from the faculty, which council shall consult with the headmaster from time to time in order that through their representatives the pupils may understand the government of the school and in order that the faculty may always have the viewpoint of the pupils. In these various experiments there is no intention of relaxing the discipline of the school, but rather there is the hope that by partici- pating in the government of the school the young people will learn some- thing of the responsibility of governing and being governed.
During the present year we hope to make a successful start along the line of vocational 'guidance and hope to find some means of bringing grad- uates and those who decide to leave school before graduation in contact with suitable employment. A survey of available occupations and per- sonal consultation with pupils is part of our plan at present. We do not expect to accomplish wonders, but we do hope to furnish the young people with information and advice which may help them to get into useful and profitable employment without great loss of time.
In one or two previous reports I have taken occasion to call attention to
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CITY OF QUINCY
the healthy condition of athletics in the school and have expressed great satisfaction at the absolute lack of pernicious outside influences which have hampered athletics in many other schools. Our teams have been uniformly successful and large numbers of citizens have enjoyed the clean, . hard games which our boys have played with worthy opponents. Football last fall aroused such an intense interest and the boys so completely won the respect and admiration of the business men of the city that the latter gave the team a complimentary banquet at the end of the season and pre- sented the boys and the coach with fitting mementoes of the season.
In closing, I avail myself of the opportunity to express to the School Committee and yourself our sincere appreciation of your hearty co-opera- tion and help in the difficult situation which has confronted us. If we had not always felt that you were ready to support us in every worthy endeavor, the task would have been well nigh hopeless.
Respectfully submitted,
ERNEST L. COLLINS.
School Costs
The public at large has properly a vital interest in the cost of school maintenance and is sometimes disposed to regard such cost as excessive. Therefore, the following facts are submitted, in addition to those given in the general financial statement for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1922, which may be found in Table I of Appendix B.
ITEMIZED COST PER PUPIL FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDING WITH JUNE, 1922, BASED ON THE AVERAGE MEMBERSHIP OF THE SCHOOLS
ITEMS
Average per Capita Ex- penditure for Quincy
Average per Capita Ex- penditure for Thirty-seven Other Cities
Average per Capita Ex- penditure for the State
Instruction
$52 36
$58 10
$54 84
Administration
2 68
3 33
3 61
Textbooks and supplies for instruction
3 76
3 80
3 84
Operation of school plant
7 73
8 98
8 90
Maintenance of school plant
1 12
4 12
3 64
Miscellaneous
1 11
1 32
3 27
Total
$68 76
$79 65
$78 10
From the foregoing figures it appears that the average per capita cost for school support in Quincy for the past school year is $10.89 below that for the thirty-seven other cities of the commonwealth and $9.34 below that for the state at large for the corresponding period.
A simple computation based upon the average membership of the schools - 8,955 - shows that, if our per capita expenditure for the past school year had equaled the average for the thirty-seven other cities, it would have cost Quincy for school support $97,519.95 more than it did, or $83,639.70 more if our per capita expenditure had equaled the state av- erage. These results indicate a reasonably economical administration of the city's school interests judged by school costs throughout the common- wealth.
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REPORT OF SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
The Selection of Teachers
Occasionally some one criticizes the School Committee because the teachers in our schools are not selected chiefly, if not exclusively, from residents of Quincy. Such criticisin warrants a brief statement of the policy of the school administration in this respect.
Our schools are maintained for the benefit of the children and not for the purpose of furnishing employment for persons who reside either in Quincy or elsewhere; and the most vital single factor in the realization of that purpose is the character of the teaching corps. Therefore, as va- cancies occur in that corps, it is essential that each new teacher be chosen with reference to his or her fitness for the particular position open, regard- less of the question of residence or any other consideration. In no other way can the best interests of the children in the schools be promoted.
The policy indicated in the foregoing statement is the absolute basis upon which teachers are selected for the schools of Quincy; and any criti- cism of school authorities, because they do not act upon the antiquated and pernicious slogan of "local schools for local teachers," suggests that the critic either fails to understand the purpose for which the schools are maintained, or lacks proper regard for the educational welfare of our young people.
Special Lines of Work
I omit discussion of such special undertakings as the Industrial School, the Home-Making School, the Continuation School, the Evening Prac- tical Arts Classes, Americanization Work, and Physical Training, since reports from the directors of these activities are given in full in Appendix A to which you are referred.
Conclusion
The foregoing discussion, with the special reports, statistics, and other matter exhibited in the several appendices, is sufficient, I think, to fulfill the purpose announced in the opening paragraph of this report, viz., "to set forth such facts with respect to the schools as may furnish a sound basis for judgment as to the efficiency with which the public school inter- ests of the city are being administered."
In closing, I desire to acknowledge gratefully the splendid support which I have received on every hand. Such support has made a difficult task pleasurable.
Respectfully submitted,
FRED H. NICKERSON, Superintendent of Schools.
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CITY OF QUINCY
APPENDIX A
SPECIAL REPORTS
1. Industrial School
Mr. FRED H. NICKERSON, Superintendent of Schools, Quincy, Mass.
MY DEAR MR. NICKERSON: - I herewith submit the eleventh annual report of the Quincy Industrial School.
We had enrolled during the year 147 pupils, distributed as follows: -
Electrical department .
32
Sheet metal
18
Woodworking
48
Machine
31
Plumbing
18
Total
147
Our average enrollment was 134.8, our average attendance 122.06 and percentage of attendance 90.55. During the summer vacation a substan- tial addition to the woodworking shop was built and we started in the fall with an enlarged department and a new instructor, Mr. W. R. Ferris, who took care of the related work for the woodworking department, Eng- lish for the electricians and woodworkers and civics for the whole school, which put rather too much of a burden on his shoulders, and I thoroughly believe that the time has now arrived when it is necessary for us to have an instructor who will give all of his time to the non-related academic subjects. I would also again call your attention to the increasing impossi- bility of our outside electrical instructor doing his best work while depend- ing on the street cars for transportation. I would recommend a light truck in which instructor, materials and boys could be transported; this truck would be used to some extent by the plumbing department, which has the same problem in a minor degree.
This year we thought it better to have our exhibition and graduation at separate times, and on June 2, in conjunction with the Home-Making School, we had a very successful exhibition which we felt well paid us for the work involved. The joint graduation was held at the Coddington School on Tuesday evening, June 22, and at that time seven boys were given diplomas and thirteen, certificates.
The State requests that no boy be given a diploma who cannot show six months' successful trade experience outside the school.
In order to give the boys some evidence of completion of their school period and also to insure that they have the chance to appear before the public in that capacity, they are given a certificate signed by the head of the department and the director of the school, which they can exchange for a regular diploma upon producing evidence of the completion of the six months' probationary period. We have but one graduation a year and at that time all the boys who have successfully completed our full course are either given diplomas or certificates.
We feel that a midyear graduation not only entails considerable work but takes a good deal of time for preparation which could be better em- ployed in the regular school work and the State ruling as outlined above gives us a good way out of it.
Respectfully submitted, ELIJAH P. BARROWS, Director.
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REPORT OF SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
2. Home-Making School
Mr. FRED H. NICKERSON, Superintendent of Schools, Quincy, Mass.
MY DEAR MR. NICKERSON: - The sixth annual report of the Quincy Home-Making School is herewith submitted.
The first half of the school year was uneventful. We carried on the policies of the former years and did our work as well as possible under the crowded conditions of the old school building. A class of fifteen entered in February and nine girls received diplomas from the school in June. Three of these entered the High School to continue their studies.
On September 6 the school opened in its new building. This building is an improvement over the other building in that there is a separate laundry and the kitchen and classrooms are larger. The enrollment in September was thirty-six, thirty of whom are still with us. Two of these will receive diplomas in February and enter the High School. Although the school was established for the purpose of giving those girls who would be able to remain in school only two years beyond the eighth grade a finished course in Home-Making, several have taken advantage of the opportunity given by the school board to go on to the High School receiving a high school diploma on the successful completion of the last two years of the Household Arts course. One of our graduates not only took advantage of the chance to go to High School, but has gone on and is doing excellent work in Fram- ingham Normal College. Two more are working toward the same goal.
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