Norwood annual report 1923-1927, Part 29

Author: Norwood (Mass.)
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1656


USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1923-1927 > Part 29


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Present and Immediate Future Building Needs


It is always a difficult matter for a growing community to comprehend what is taking place that affects existing institutions-especially what growth means in terms of new demands. The first fact to be squarely faced by the community, therefore, is that Norwood for fifteen years has been and now is a fast growing community; that its manufacturing enter- prises have been and now are prosperous and growing-a condition which has brought to the community its largest increments of population; that not only has its manufacturing equipment increased, but its local com- mercial establishments have been expanding-making Norwood a more attractive local trading center; that its suburban home population has also increased.


It is a matter of common experience that an increasing population or "congestion" makes it necessary (in the interest of public safety and health as well as public convenience) to adopt a more substantial and expensive kind of community equipment. This applies to school buildings as well as to other forms of public improvements; even if the community did not recognize this fact, the state law would force it on our attention. What the effect has been on the cost of school buildings was shown in a table published in last year's report. The old Everett School was not reported because the figures were too old to have value. But the 2-room West building cost only $4,868.99-i.e., only $2,434 per unit; the Guild 10-room school building cost $28,530.73, or $2,853 per unit; the 2-room East School building cost $8,023.09, or $4,011 per unit; the Shattuck 8-room school building cost $34,674.17, or $4,334 per unit; the Winslow 8-room school building cost $44,119.81, or $5,515 per unit; the new wing on the Balch building in 1923 cost a few dollars under $10,000 per unit. This last figure


211


is about the present-day cost of elementary school units of second-class construction. For first-class construction (which is now recommended for large school buildings as a matter of fire protection) the present-day cost is about $12,000 per unit. The foregoing shows concretely, as a matter of experience, how it is and why it is that the cost of building equipment has increased; it also shows why it is that, having incurred a large building shortage, the Town has been required to meet this shortage at a higher unit cost than if the needs had been met at the time they had accrued. As against this higher cost, however, the Town has assets in the form of better buildings and equipment, better adapted to present-day community requirements.


Another fact to be taken into account in explaining why it is that Nor- wood has cumulated a large school-building shortage-and why so much of this shortage still exists in the High School-is that there has been a dis- position on the part of pupils to remain longer in the schools, in other words, the percentage of loss in going from grade to grade, especially in the High School, has been smaller.


This is not a condition peculiar to Norwood. Reports of state and na- tional agencies show that the country over children now remain longer in school. The local experience is reflected in Tables I and II. In 1910 the population of Norwood was 8,014. This means that there has been an average annual increase in the population in the ten-year period from 1910 to 1920 of five and three-quarters per cent. The figures are not available to the School Committee showing the actual increase in the manufacturing and commercial business and suburban home building in Norwood during the period under review except as these are reflected in increased assessed valuations. Taking these for comparison, the manu- facturing properties have increased 146.2% from 1912 to 1923, the business properties 52.6%, and home properties 40.2%. The average annual increase in assessed valuation has been 33%. The basis of assessed valua- tions gives a somewhat distorted picture, but on the whole it may be said that the increase in population has represented a sound economic growth and that we are faced with a continuing increase in school needs.


The increasing demand for school equipment may be best measured by increases in actual membership. Table I analyzes the actual average membership so as to show the needs of each of the three classes of schools- Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High. Since 1912, the membership of the Elementary grades has increased 47.2%; the Junior High, 161.3%; and Senior High, 195.2%. In 1912 the estimated population was 9,793; in 1924, 13,947. The increase was 42%. From this it will be seen that the increase in membership of the elementary grades has been somewhat larger than the population increase-presumably accounted for by larger families of the newer population. Since 1912 the increase in both the Junior and Senior High grades, however, has far exceeded the population factor. While elementary grades increased only 47.2%, the increase in Junior High was 161.3% and the Senior High was 195.2%. These figures


212


show the extent to which the common disposition of children to remain longer in the schools must be taken into account. And while it has been asserted that the reason children remained in school longer is because they were required to do so by law, this inference is not borne out by the facts. It has been in the Senior High grades beyond the reach of the law that the increase has been the greatest. The compulsory education law may have accentuated the movement, but it is evident that the disadvantages of lack of education are coming to be more fully appreciated by the work- ing classes. Various estimates have been made by educators as to what the advantages of more adequate training are. Opinions differ as to the dollars and cents value to the individual and community; but all agree that it amounts to many times the cost of education. Whatever be the reason, the fact is that children and parents both demand a longer period of instruction at public expense. Table II tells the story in terms of the surprisingly few pupils who drop out.


Table I. Average Day-School Membership for Senior High, Junior High and Elementary, 1912-1924


Year


Elementary Grades


Junior High Grades


Senior High Grades


Total


Average Attendance


1912-1913


1341


261


105


1707


1618


1913-1914


1447


319


103


1869


1760


1914-1915


1484


387


118


1989


1886


1915-1916


1543


406


148


2097


1984


1916-1917


1573


376


153


2163


2036


1917-1918


1718


374


158


2250


2096


1918-1919


1631*


519*


188


2338


2202


1919-1920


1727


536


198


2461


2329


1920-1921


1872


503


254


2629


2510


1921-1922


1826


577


278


2681


2550


1922-1923


1902


611


300


2813


2672


1923-1924


1975


68


310


2967


2852


Increase in


percentages


47.2


161.3


195.2


73.8


76.2


* 9th grade abolished.


213


Table II. Showing Enrollment by Grades and Losses from Year to Year in Going from Grade to Grade


Enrollment


Losses Between Grades


Grade


Dec. 1 1921


Dec. 1 1922


Dec. 1 1923


Dec. 1 1924


1922


1923


1924


Senior High


283


307


319


353


57


55


83


12


67*


74*


97


11


13


10


11


102*


91* 87* 129


107 138


113 143


19


20


48


Junior High


579


628


693


763


71


70


36


9


148


158


191


222


33


28


10


S


191


219


232


264


21


19


6


7


240


251


270


277


17


23


20


Elementary


1826


1902


1969


2021


23


6


24


6


268


293


297


302


7+


1


10


5


286


298


312


336


3+


9


101


4


295


321


326


292


13


11


26


3


334


337


318±


354


14


32+


4+


2


351


286±


350


368


6


17


2


1


292


367


366


340


Special


18


29


11+


* Small numbers probably due to withdrawals for war industries during years 1916 to 1918.


+ Increases.


# Membership reduced by increasing entrance age.


It is on the basis of these recorded facts-the actual experience of the last few years-that estimates of the present and immediate future building needs are based. Tables III and IV show that before the S-room addition to the Balch School was built, there was a shortage of 7 rooms. This shortage was overcome when the addition was finished in 1923, but only for a year. There is at present a shortage in elementary grades of 2 rooms, so that next year we must again begin to put first grade pupils on half time. Because of the large expense entailed, as well as the pressing need for relief in the High School situation, it is thought that citizens will be


27


22


25


10


114*


214


glad to have included in this report the front elevation plan of the new High School building (see page 225). When the new Senior High School building is completed it is estimated that there will still be need for an addition to the present High School plant to accommodate the Junior High-thepresent membership of which is 763, the estimated member- ship for 1926 being 856 and 907 for 192S. The basis for the estimate of


Table III. Elementary School Seating Shortage and Teacher Shortage- Average 35 Pupils per Schoolroom


Year


Average Member- ship


Seatings Provided


* Rooms Required


Rooms Provided


Teachers Provided


Teacher Shortage


Room Shortage


1921 -- 22


1826


1575


52


45


52


1


7


1922-23


1902


1960


54


56


54


0


2+


1923-21


1975


1925


56


55±


56


0


1


1924-25


1992


1925


57


55


57


2


2


* Assuming 35 seats per room.


+ One more than required when new wing in Balch School completed.


į A room at the Guild was taken this year for a 7th year class for the Junior High.


Table IV. Estimated Membership and Room Requirements of Next Few Years for Elementary Classes, Based on Average Population Increase (1910-1920) and Average Membership Increase (1912-1922)


Year


Based on Popu- lation Increase*


Based on Membership Increase


Rooms Required (35 per Room) Based on Mem- bership Increaset


Room Shortage Present Equipment


Actual En- rollment


Dec. 1, 1924


2021


2021


57


2


1925-26


2137


2071


59


4


1926-27


2253


2124


61


6


1927-28


2369


2181


62


7


1928-29


24S5


2241


64


9


1929-30


2601


2305


66


11


Average yearly population increase 51%.


t The actual membership increases in the elementary grades is taken for the estimate of future room requirements because it is smaller. It may be that this may prove to be too small.


1


215


future needs is found in the actual membership of the classes which are coming into the Junior High grades together with experience considered in terms of average percentages of losses, repeaters, and new accessions by immigration, etc.


Table V has been prepared to get before citizens a condition to be remedied. It shows the present need for school buildings on the south- east side of the Wrentham Branch of the New Haven Road where now no school building exists except the two-room East School. From this it will be seen that there are now 358 children attending school from that general district-all but 68 of whom must find schooling by crossing the railroad and traveling long distances. The worst part of this situation is that there are only three places to cross the tracks in the stretch of a mile and a half- two of these being dangerous under-ways, congested with truck and auto- mobile traffic, and the other being a dangerous surface crossing. It is to be noted that 242 of these children attend the Guild School, and most of them have to go through under the railroad on Guild Street between buildings of the Plimpton Press. This is one of the most dangerous places, both to automobiles and foot-passengers, in the Town. At certain times in the day it is crowded; at all times it is dangerous, because of the blind corners which children and autos must turn. From all four directions the approaches to the under-way are at right angles so that there is no vision as to what one may meet when one turns into or out of the tunnel. During the year several of the children have suffered from accidents. One of these was very serious-a girl of eight having been run down and very badly mutilated by a car: Aside from the danger at these crossings, there is every reason, in justice to the large number of residents on the East side, not to force them to send their small children out of the district through congested traffic for their elementary schooling. Because in the ele- inentary grades the children are small, these schools should be located near home. At the Town Meeting, December 29, a site was purchased near Pleasant Street, north of Railroad Avenue on Fisher Hill. This will provide for the extreme northeast area, but it will not serve the present and future needs of a considerable portion of those who now go through the Guild Street under-way. In the opinion of the School Committee one or more other sites should be purchased for elementary school purposes some- where near the middle of the large and growing resident district located south and east of factories where adult members of families are employed.


Since the 6-3-3 system of grading has been adopted in public schools throughout the country, there has been a growing tendency to provide for the education of small children in relatively small, one-story structures located near their homes. As bearing on the present situation discussed above, the School Committee has had the advice of Dr. Jesse B. Davis and Dr. Arthur W. Wilde-two outstanding experts in school administration and planning. They agree that the Town can be best served by having its immediate needs for added elementary school equipment supplied by construction of the one-story, small building type, with plenty of play-


216


ground space around the buildings. Then if population needs require, several of these one-story small buildings may be built around a single large playground. (See illustration, page 227.)


Table V. Number of Children Attending Elementary Schools Who Live East of Railroad and South of Wrentham Branch, 1923-1924


Grades


School


Total


1


2


3


4


. 5


6


Special


East


35


33


6S


Guild


26


17


55


28


60


56


242


Beacon


4


4


Balch


6


4


12


9


7


5


1


44


Totals


67


54


67


37


67


61


5


358


Table VI. Estimated Junior and Senior High School Requirements for Next Five Years


Estimated in Report of 1923


Year


Junior High


Senior High


Total


Jr. High


Sr. High


Total


1925-26


809*


450


1259


793


459


1252


1926-27


856


558


1414


854


562


1416


1927-28


857


643


1500


855


661


1516


1928-29


907


684


1591


SS5


735


1620


1929-30


937


725


1662


4


* From this table it will be seen that the present membership of the Junior High is about 200 more than the present High School was built to accommodate-that as soon as the new Senior High is completed two more bays should be added to the Washington Street structure opposite the Civic.


Estimated Financial Requirements


The estimated finaneial requirements present two aspects: (1) the amount necessary to overcome the present building and equipment short- age, and (2) the added amount which from year to year will be required to meet the needs that grow out of an inereasing school membership. In recent reports the Committee have sought to make these forecasts, but,


217


as has been already suggested, the estimates then made have proved to be too low. The facts necessary to the determination of the amount re- quired to overcome the existing building shortage are now before us. These are shown by Table IX.


The main contract of the new High School having been let, there re- mains only the question of supplementary contracts, from which it appears that this new High School building, when completed, will require about $565,000 (including auditorium)-an amount about equal to the cost of the present High School plus the amount that would be required if an auditorium and gymnasium were added as originally planned. Taking into account the cost of the added rooms required to accommodate the present Junior High membership (part of which is now housed in the Everett and Guild Schools) and the cost of two elementary rooms at present needed to overcome the shortage, the Town must provide about $220,000 more than has already been appropriated before the future can be faced on the basis of taking care of normal growth of the schools.


Assuming that the present building shortage was entirely overcome, the financial requirements for meeting the estimated increase in school mem- bership may be reduced to simple terms. Past experience shows that it would require only from 2 to 3 additional rooms a year to accommodate the growth of elementary grades. This calculation is based on Tables IV and IX. If parochial elementary schools are established in Norwood, as we are given to understand is contemplated, the lower grade require- ments would be to that extent reduced. This would not, however, relieve the Town from the necessity of building whatever elementary schools are needed in that large district southeast of the railroad, and it would not relieve the Town of its increasing High School needs. The point here made is that after schools were established southeast of the railroad, the problem of keeping up with construction costs will not be great. Carry- ing out the policy suggested by the Finance Commission at the last March Town Meeting (of appropriating $100,000 a year until the shortage of buildings is overcome) it seems probable that this point will be reached three or four years hence.


Increasing Cost of Education per Pupil


Table VII shows that the average direct cost of education per pupil has increased from $33.14 in 1912 to $80.49 in 1923. This increase has been largely due to higher salaries paid to teachers, in order to meet the com- petition of other towns, and the other chief element, already commented on, is the increase in building costs-partly due to higher prices of materi- als, but more largely due to change in type of construction. Table VIII shows that the present average per-pupil cost, including interest and over- head, is $79.63 for elementary grades, $100.49 for Junior High, and $158.61 for Senior High. Table X shows that when the new High School shall have been completed, and the other shortages shall have been overcome, the average elementary pupil cost will be $87.15, the Junior High pupil


218


cost will be $113.64, and the Senior High pupil cost will be $174.87. In other words, the present per-pupil cost of carrying on the school system as now operated is lower than it should be because of the present inade- quacy of equipment. The figures last above shown may be thought of therefore as the "normal." This present "normal," it is thought by the School Committee, to be about which we must reckon with so long as the present basis of fixed charges and operating charges is maintained. What is said below about the possibility of reducing the per-pupil cost of educa- tion has reference to questions of public policy which if answered one way or another would affect this basis.


Table VII. Increase in School Membership and in Amount Expended for School Support from 1912 to 1924-Population and per Capita


Year


Average Member- ship


Amount Expended (Direct)


Per Capita Pupil Cost


Population


Cost per Capita Population


1912-13


1707


$ 56,576.22


$33.14


9,793


5.78


1913-14


1839


66,679.52


36.26


1914-15


1990


68,348.98


34.34


1915-16


2097


74,109.04


35.34


10,977


6.23


1916-17


2163


77,801.45


35.97


1917-18


2250


87,571.84


38.92


1918-19


2329


97,967.41


42.06


1919-20


2461


137,414.81


55.84


12,627


10.88


1920-21


2629


180,025.65


68.48


1921-22


2681


205,965.16


76.82


1922-23


2789


226,774.25


81.31


(Estimate)


1923-24


2967


238,824.45


80.49


13,947


17.12


Table VIII. Cost per Pupil (Direct and Indirect) for Elementary, High, Evening and Vacation School Education 1923-24


Per Pupil


Schools


Direct Expense 1923-24


Interest 42% on Cost of Plant


Total


Direct Cost of In- strur- tion


Int. Adm. on Cost of Plant and Over- head


Actual Pupil Cost


Wt. Pupil


Adminstration Elementary Junior High


$ 8,007.09


$2.70


$ 2.70


139,782.78 $13,950.46 $153,733.24 $ 70.77


77.83 $ 79.63


99.87


100.49


Senior High


59,043.24 39,998.43 1,219.21 562.04


9,070.54 9,070.54


68,113.78 49,068.97 1,219.21 562.04


86.57 129.03 4.05 4.79


$ 7.06 13.30 29.30 4.05


158.33


158.61


4.05


4.17


Evening classes Vacation


4.79


4.79


4.84


Gen- eral


219


Table IX. Estimated Cost of Providing Added School Equipment Needed During Next Five Years


Schools


Years


Elementary


Junior High


Senior High


Present Shortage


$20,000


$100,000


$565,000*


1925-26


20,000


30,000


1926-27


20,000


20,000


1927-28


20,000


1928-29


20,000


20,000


20,000


1929-30


20,000


10,000


20,000


* 400,000 appropriated for a new Senior High School, with understand- ing that $100,000 more will be required to complete. In addition about $65,000 will be needed for the auditorium.


Table X. Estimated Cost per Pupil of Schools if Town Were Fully Equipped to Carry on Educational Program Needed for Present Population


Schools


Direct Expense


Interest 42% · on Cost Plant


Total


Present Cost


Added Cost


Present Cost


Added Cost


Elementary Junior High Senior High


$ 70.77 86.57 129.03


$1.80


$ 7.06


$ .46


$ 87.15


.62


21.19*


5.26


113.64


.28


45.56+


174.87


Interest on present High School building charged entirely to Junior High, because of withdrawal of Senior High to new building. (Based on probable membership 1926-27).


t Interest on new Senior High, based on probable membership 1926-27.


The Possibility of Reducing the Per-Pupil Cost of Education


The first possibility of reducing the per-pupil cost of education lies in a change of policy that would affect fixed charges. When the new High School building is completed the total interest charges on the school debt will amount to approximately $62,916.54 per year. This is equal to $21.21 per pupil. It has been seriously urged that the Town wipe out its school debt (that which has been and is about to be incurred to overcome shortage)


220


by a levy of a special $.005 tax until the buildings have been paid for. This would yield about $100,000-an amount which would soon leave the Town school debt free. So far the proposition has not been looked on with favor.


The more hopeful prospect would seem to lie in reduction of per-pupil operating expenses. There is little likelihood that the salaries of teachers, janitors, etc., will be reduced in the near future. The salaries paid here are fairly comparable with rates paid in other towns. There is a possi- bility to which consideration is being given in many places however-the possibility of making a more intensive use of school equipment. We will soon have about one and a half million dollars invested in school properties; and the cost of operation is already $248,612.78 a year. The past practice has been to use our school equipment only 180 school days during the year; and to use the most expensive part of our equipment (the High School) on a half day basis-which makes it equal to a 90-days-a-year use. Such a situation is challenging. One possibility suggested is the adoption of an "all day and all the year around" school policy. Such a policy if adopted would require many changes-in curriculum, in administration policy, and in community life generally so far as it relates to the schools. Unquestionably the immediate effect would be to increase the annual per-pupil cost, because there would be more teacher time to be paid for. But it is urged by advocates of the "all day and all the year around" plan that the ultimate results would be beneficial. Among the advantages claimed for the proposal are these: (1) It would be necessary to arrange the curriculum so that pupils could enter grades at half year or quarter year periods-giving better opportunity for promotions; (2) in case of individual failure in promotion a whole year would not be lost by the pupil; (3) pupils who elect to continue in school throughout the year (and the families of only a small percentage of pupils leave Town for the summer) could finish the elementary grades when 10} years old; they might complete the Junior High when 122 years old; they might complete the Senior High at 15 years of age instead of being required to attend until 18 as is the present plan. This, it is urged, would save the pupil and parents three years, and would release one-fourth of the seatings after the plan was in full operation. One of the objections offered to such a plan is the increase in "nervous strain." This, it is urged, could be taken care of by the development of more extra classroom activities of educational value-"learning by doing"; and in the last six years these extra class- room activities inight take the form of what is called "the platoon system."


"The platoon system," however, need not be considered as a part of an "all day and all the year around" system; it may be considered as having advantages of its own as applied to the present school year arrangement. The platoon system is a plan for linking up the curriculum with useful employment-a system that is being tried out in many places with seeming success, not only in the secondary schools, but in institutions of higher education as well. In its operation the student is required to attend the


221


school only one-half the time-the other half being so used that it counts toward the completion of a required course. To achieve this result, the half time employed outside the school would be arranged through and supervised by the school authorities-thereby assuring such a routine and progress of employments as to entitle a student to credit for "making good on the job." This scheme, as it is worked out, entails arrangements with leaders in the industrial and business life of the community-thereby making it possible for school life, home life, and industrial life to be utilized for education. Where the platoon system is used, students work in relays ---- as, for example, a week on and a week off of duty-the succession being provided for and arranged between the employers and the persons in the school administration responsible for the vocational guidance. The success of a plan of this kind depends on gradual adaptation. The possible advantages are not to be passed over lightly. As related to the subject in hand there is a possibility of cutting the per-pupil cost to the Town of instruction nearly in half. Quite as important is the possibility of a much larger reduction of cost to parents incurred while maintaining the child in school. The possibility is also presented of making the child self-support- ing, to a considerable extent at least. It is claimed also that it serves to develop capacity for judgment and appreciation of continuing educational opportunities. Still better (it is said by advocates of "the platoon system" as it is being worked out), it helps the individual student to find himself, so to speak, and to get the right attitude toward his work and toward his community. Such a policy, once established, would seem to have in it the possibility of serving twice as many students in the High Schools as can now be served with the same equipment.




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