Report of the city of Somerville 1909, Part 11

Author: Somerville (Mass.)
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Somerville, Mass.
Number of Pages: 510


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1909 > Part 11


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1 .- Summary of Statistics.


Population, United States census, 1890.


40,117


Population, state census, 1895


52,200


Population, United States census, 1900


61,643


Population, state census, 1905


69,272


Children between five and fifteen years of age, October,


1908, by school census.


12,217


Children between five and fifteen years of age, October, 1909, by school census


12,419


Increase


202


2 .- SCHOOL BUILDINGS.


1908.


1909.


Decrease.


Number of school buildings


26


20


0


Number of classrooms in use in December 287


286


1


Valuation of school property.


$1,443,280


3 .- TEACHERS.


1908.


1909.


Increase.


In high schools.


58


59


1 -


In grammar schools


164


166


2


In primary schools.


104


105


1


In kindergartens ..


8


8


0


Total in elementary schools.


276


279


3


Cadet teachers


1


3


2


Special


10


10


0


Total


345


351


6


4 .- ATTENDANCE FOR YEAR.


1908.


1909.


Increase.


Entire enrollment for the year.


15,105


15,363


253


Average number belonging


12,159


12,423


264


Average number attending


11,458


11,666


208


Per cent. of daily attendance.


94.2


93.9


-0.3


High school graduates ..


235


265


30


Grammar school graduates


742


741


-1


153


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


5 .- ATTENDANCE IN DECEMBER.


1908.


1909.


Increase.


Whole number attending.


14,640


14,813


173


In private schools.


1,838


1,906


68


In public schools


12,802


12,907


10


In high schools.


1,663


1,769


106


In elementary schools.


10,943


10,931


-12


In kindergarten


196


207


11


In first grade.


1,572


1,595


23


In second grade.


1,430


1,404


-26


In third grade.


1,349


1,346


-3


In fourth grade


1,307


1,307


0


In fifth grade.


1,300


1,249


-51


In sixth grade.


1,211


1,199


-12


In seventh grade


1,138


1,122


-16


In eighth grade


865


950


85


In ninth grade


771


759


-12


6 .- COST OF SCHOOL MAINTENANCE.


1908.


1909.


Increase.


Salaries of teachers


$289,190.45


$293,209.85


$4,019.40


Salaries of officers


5,210.50


5,629.17


418.67


Cost of books and supplies. .


26,377.15


21,818.93


-4,558.22


Cost of light ..


3,830.73


4,070.71


239.98


Cost of janitors' services ..


25,245.19


26,071.97


826.78


Cost of fuel


14,911.94


14,798.06


-113.88


Telephones


336.02


550.52


164.50


Total cost of day and evening schools


365,151.93


366,149.21


997.23


Per capita cost ..


30.03


29.47


-0.56


Cost of high school instruc- tion


68,029.27


69,084.54


1,055.27


Per capita cost.


43.52


41.82


-1.70


7 .- MISCELLANEOUS.


1908.


1909.


Increase.


Paid for new school


buildings


$18,271.25


$828.00 -$17,443.25


Repairs and permanent improvements


17,792.21


21,195.13


3,402.92


Total school expendi-


tures


401,215.44


388,172.34


-13,043.10


Valuation of city. .


63,158,400.00


63,659,201.00


500,801.00


Number


of dollars


spent to maintain


schools out of every


$1,000 of valuation ..


5.78


5.75


-0.03


Number of dollars


spent for all school


purposes out of


every


$1,000 of


valuation


6.35


6.10


-0.25


The laws of the state lay upon the School Committee the duty of making an annual count of all the children between the ages of five and fifteen, and of illiterate minors over fourteen. The purpose of this law is to provide a method of ascertaining facts which are needed to enable the authorities to know how many children there are of compulsory school ages, and how


154


ANNUAL REPORTS.


many more there are of school ages not included in the com- pulsory attendance period. Last September six persons were employed to make the enumeration, and they undertook the work with an intention to make the returns trustworthy and accurate. It is probable, therefore, that, so far as care in ob- taining the information recorded can safeguard against error, the figures are approximately true. But there are circum- stances entering as elements in the problem which work against the securing of entirely reliable returns. The length of the period over which the enumerating extends, the uncertainty as to the reliability of information given to the enumerators in some instances, and the coming to the city after the enumera- tor has passed a given locality of new families are such cir- cumstances.


School Registration. The chief service rendered to school authorities, by the school census is found in the comparison which it makes possible between the number of children in the city with the enrollment lists of the public schools and the facts of attendance in private schools. Turning to the latter record for information, it is shown that there were in attendance in the public schools on October first 10,768 children between the ages of five and fifteen years, 1,775 in the private schools, making a total of 12,543. The census report shows 12,419 as the number of children between the ages of five and fifteen years. The number obtained from the school registers is 124 in excess of that given by the school census. Correspondence between the two records is so close in this instance as to give the appearance of reliability to each. Passing to the records of children between the ages of seven and fourteen, the com- pulsory attendance period, the results are not correspondingly satisfactory. According to the school census, there are 9,378 children of compulsory school age, whereas the number shown to be in school is 8,977. If the school census figures are cor- rect in this particular, there were on October first 401 children of compulsory school age who were not actually in school. Of this number, there were reported as being out on account of sickness 62, which leaves 339 unexplained. It is not believed that such a large number of children were evading the requirement to attend school. It is probable that the number reported by the school census is made over-large by transferring to the group of seven to fourteen years children whose ages really are in groups bordering that period. The efficiency of our enforcement of the attendance law is too great to permit so large a number of children of compulsory school age to be overlooked.


School Attendance. The whole number. of pupils enrolled in 1909 was 15,363, an increase over last year of 258 pupils. The average membership is 12,423, an increase over last year of 264 pupils, The per cent, of attendance is 93,9; that of last


155


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


year, 94.2. Four thousand four hundred twenty-two cases of tardiness were reported, an increase of 540.


Schoolhouses. The number of schoolhouses has not been increased during the year. There are now 26 schoolhouses ; of these, the Forster is the oldest, having been in use for 43 years. The Prescott has been in use 42 years, the Morse 40, and the Edgerly 38 years. There are 5 buildings which have been in use less than 10 years. Within the last five years addi- tions have been made to the Latin High, the Bingham, the Brown, and the Hanscom, providing in the high school 8 rooms and in the elementary schools 16. In 1899 the average mem- bership of 9,502 was accommodated in 219 schoolrooms, with 43+ to a room; in 1909 an average membership of 12,423 is distributed among 286 rooms, with 43+ to a room. The in- crease in average membership during the last year was 264, a number sufficient to form six classes of normal size. This in- crease has produced in certain sections of the city over-crowd- ing of school buildings.


It has been necessary to crowd children into rooms which ought to accommodate a much smaller number, and to use hallways for recitation purposes. Certain rooms in basements now in use as classrooms are unfit for that purpose, and should be abandoned as soon as other provision can be made. This over-crowding of accommodations in several schools has led to an unsatisfactory classification of pupils and to an increase in the cost of their instruction. Relief from these conditions should be sought without delay.


The most important need of the schools to-day is addi-


1 tional room.


Another condition which should be noted is the rapid in- crease of population in West Somerville. There are many new houses in process of construction, and it is predicted that within the next year many more will be built. In this way there will arise a condition which the existing school facilities will be inadequate to meet. Some provision for this growth should be made before the opportunity to secure the needed land is lost. In discussing school accommodations, it is proper to take note of the fact that in several school districts it would be a wise policy to secure additional land, both for present play- ground needs and for future building purposes. The ratio of playground space to the number of children in attendance upon our schools is small in most instances. In some cases it is ab- solutely insufficient. It would be economy, both for present and for future well-being, to acquire in the neighborhood of the school buildings wherever land adjoining the schools is vacant enough additional space to provide adequate playgrounds for the children now, and for such future needs as the growth of the neighborhood shall dictate.


156


ANNUAL REPORTS.


In order to find present relief from the conditions of over- crowding noted above, I recommend that portable school- houses be purchased. These houses make provision for one class each and, as their name implies, they can be moved from locality to locality, as need for them makes desirable. Such houses could be set up adjacent to several of our school build- ings, and thereby provide rooms for pupils now poorly housed.


During the last year the heating plant of the Highland School has been improved by the substitution of a new system, making probable a sufficient heating of that building. No other marked alteration of the building conditions has been made. It is to be hoped that in the near future money will be available for altering several of the old buildings, so as to pro- vide window space sufficient to remove the necessity of using artificial light. This change is entirely practicable, and one which consideration of sound financial policy would approve. There is now the need for artificial light in a number of school buildings which could be entirely overcome if more window space were provided. The cost for such a change would in a series of years be more than met by the outlay caused by the artificial illumination. There can be no question as to the de- sirability of this change from the standpoint of consideration for the children. The necessity for artificial illumination of a schoolroom is always to be deplored. Such lighting is not sat- isfactory, endangers the health of the children, and makes a large item of expense. It would seem to be good policy to in- augurate a plan for the altering of the older buildings, so as to provide a sufficiency of window space.


During the last year provision has been made for sanitary drinking fountains in a number of buildings. The danger from the common drinking cup is beginning to be recognized. That the public is not more concerned about the prevalence of the use of a common drinking cup by school children is probably due to the fact that the dangers of such use have not been set forth in such way as to command general attention. The Mas- sachusetts State Board of Health has recently sent out a cir- cular calling attention to the use of a common drinking cup in public places as a menace to the health of the community. This is in accordance with the best medical view, which regards the drinking cup as a source of danger which should be re- moved. This is fortunately not a difficult thing now to do. There are several devices which can be secured at a small ex- pense which provide opportunity for a pupil to get a drink of water without the interposition of any cup. Such devices are known as the bubble fountain. During the last year bubble fountains have been installed in a number of buildings. The following table shows where they are placed and how many drinking places equipped with cups still remain. These drink- ing cups should give way rapidly to the bubble fountain equip-


157


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


ment. Marked advance has been made, however, by the reduc- tion of the number of such places, and the hope is held out that they will soon disappear :-


Bubble Jan. 1, 1909.


Bubble During Year.


Cups.


Bubble Jan. 1, 1909.


Bubble During Year.


Cups.


Latin. .


9


Glines


2


2


English .


15


Forster


3


4


Prescott.


2


1


Bingham.


2


2


Hanscom.


2


Carr


2


5


Davis


2


2


Morse


2


8


Bennett


3


1


Proctor


2


2


1


Knapp


2


8


Burns .


5


Perry


2


Brown.


Highland


3


3


Bell


2


1


Hodgkins


2


4


Cummings


2


Lincoln


4


Edgerly


2


4


Lowe.


2


Totals ..


6


41


79


Baxter


2


Durell.


2


Pope


2


Changes of Teachers. Our schools have lost the services of twenty-two teachers during the last year. Of these, Miss Helen Tincker surrendered the office of principal of the Baxter School on October 1, after a service in the schools of more than thirty-six years. For a long time she continued in the work of teaching against the importunities of friends, who sought to draw her into a life of leisure and travel. A spirit singularly devoted to the interests of the children of the com- munity in which she worked forbade her to yield to such en- treaties. Her work for the children of the Baxter School was in a class by itself. Possessed of generous culture, a mind en- larged by travel, a temperament singularly responsive to the appeals of childhood, she devoted her time, and strength, and affection to the children whose interests were so dear to her. Such as she ennoble the teachers' calling. That she may enjoy and profit by the leisure which is now hers is the hearty wish of those who know the merit of her work.


Another loss to the schools was occasioned by the call of the Unseen Messenger. Miss Charlotte F. Mott, after a lin- gering illness, departed from this life February 11, 1909. No better memorial of her service can be given than the resolu- tions adopted in her memory by the Somerville Teachers' As- sociation. These resolutions appear in another place in this volume.


The others left either for the sake of professional advance- ment or to assume charge of homes of their own. They were men and women who gave freely of their energies and their talents to the interests of our schools, and their leaving is a loss keenly felt in many personal and official relations.


158


ANNUAL REPORTS.


The places so made vacant have not been readily filled. The problem of seeking. competent teachers is a difficult one, requiring the exercise of care and sometimes the spending of much time. It is believed that those who have been elected during the last year will all prove to be worthy of the places to which they have been called.


The Latin School. The membership of this school has risen from 504 to 570 within the year, an increase of sixty-six, without any change in the teaching force. This number is divided among the classes as follows :-


1909.


1908.


Change.


Post-graduate


7


Senior


100


104


1


Junior


133


100


+33


Sophomore


127


143


-16


Freshman


203


156


+47


With the head master, there are fifteen teachers in the school, six of whom are men. Including the principal, who teaches two-thirds of the time, the average class unit is thirty- three.


There have been two changes of instructors during the year. Miss Gertrude M. Hall, the head of the English depart- ment, left the school for professional advancement. Her place was taken by Miss Natalie A. Smith, a teacher in the Reading high school and a graduate of Wellesley. £ Miss Mabel E. Bowker, who resigned to enter the schools of Boston, was suc- ceeded by Miss Kate M. Monro, a graduate of Mt. Holyoke, who at the time of her election was a teacher in the high school at Biddeford, Me.


Ninety-one pupils were graduated from the school in June, fifty of whom entered college or technical schools.


The standing of the school among institutions that fit for college is unsurpassed. Its graduates take high rank wherever they go, and reflect honor not only upon the school and its teachers, but upon the city as well. The number pursuing each study is shown in the following table :-


English


572


French 142


History


336


German


204


Mathematics


572


Greek 135


Physics


65


Drawing


30


Latin


552


Chemistry 19


The following table shows the extent to which pupils drop out of the school during their four-years' course :-


159


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


TABLE SHOWING LOSSES OF CLASSES IN LATIN HIGH SCHOOL EACH YEAR.


MEMBERSHIP.


Class of 1904.


Class of 1905.


Class of 1906.


Class of 1907.


Class of 1908.


Class o f 1909.


Class of 1910.


Class of 1911.


Class of 1912.


Class of 1913.


December 15, 1st year .


103 93


111 9 95 81 76


125 106 93 93 81


121 112 92 83 75


136 120 101 102 94


139 124 107 104 91


124 109 100 100


162 143


156


203


2nd


3rd


88


133


. .


. .


. .


Graduates


.


.


The English School. One thousand two hundred and forty-five pupils have been members of the school since the opening of the term in September. Forty-six of these have dropped out, leaving at the present time a membership of 1,199, thirty-nine more than there were a year ago at this time. They are classified as follows :-


1909.


1908.


Change.


Post-graduate


8


10


-2


Senior


185


182


+3


Junior


227


218


+9


Sophomore


345


309


+36


Freshman


434


441


-7


66


3rd


4.5


14.7


66


4th


13.1


6.1


15.2 14.0 0.0 12.9 35.2


7.4 17.9 9.8 9.6 38.0


11.8 15.8 0.0 7.8 30.9


12.5 34.5


...


...


...


Total


.


.


.. .


...


...


. .


There are forty-one teachers, exclusive of head master and secretary, thirteen of whom are men, three of them being em- ployed in the manual training department. The average num- ber of pupils to a teacher is twenty-six.


Five new teachers were added to the corps in September :-


Cara F. Dillingham, Mt. Holyoke, French and German.


Roy W. Hatch, Dartmouth, '02, history.


Frank A. Scott, Harvard, '03, physics.


Stephen E. Wright, Brown, '06, algebra, geometry, and German. Augustus B. Tripp, laboratory assistant.


The school lost four teachers.


The following table shows the losses that the school has sustained during the last ten years :-


..


. .


66


4th


.


84


73


..


Loss per cent. 1st year


66


[2nd


5.4


12.6 2.1


10.8 13.7


12.1 8.2 0.0


11.7 7.0


18.6


..


...


...


29.1


31.5


.


127


...


·


9.7


66


2.8


160


ANNUAL REPORTS.


TABLE SHOWING LOSSES OF CLASSES IN ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL EACH YEAR.


MEMBERSHIP.


Class of 1904.


Class of 1905.


Class of 1906.


Class of 1907.


Class of 1908.


Class of 1909.


Class of 1910.


Class of 1911.


Class of 1912.


Class of 1913.


December 15, 1st year


246


261 214


250


252


2nd **


178


190


2:20


3rd “


.


147


180 148


158 140


187 162


267 224 194 164 141


350 $286 205 182 174


185


...


...


...


Graduates


·


. .


...


In June the school graduated 174. Twelve of these entered college, eight, technical schools, and eleven, normal schools.


The twenty-four subjects of the curriculum are pursued by pupils at the present time as follows :-


English


1,197


Commercial :-


History


909


Law


12


Mathematics


853


Bookkeeping


112


Chemistry


111


Stenography


168


Physics


109


Arithmetic


230


Biology


73


Geography


46


Physiology Latin


249


Penmanship Typewriting


186


French


446


Elocution


722


German


113


Manual training


250


Physical geography


31


Music


1,137


Mechanical drawing


343


General science.


378


Freehand drawing


362


Elementary Schools. There are now in these schools 10,931 pupils, twelve less than a year ago. They are classified as fol- lows :-


1909.


1908.


Change.


Grade 1


1,595


1,572


+23


66


3


1,346


1,349


-3


66


4


1,307


1,307


0


66


5


1,249


1,300


-51


6


1,199


1,211


-12


66


7


1,122


1,138


-16


66


8


950


865


+85


66


9


759


771


-12


.


112


106


135


127


148


16.1 13.4 15.5 14.0 47.2


18.3 28.3 11.2 4.4 21.7


24.6 27.6 15.1


26.8 26.5


21.8


Loss per cent,


1st year


2nd


3rd “


4th "


Total


27.2 17.4 23.8 5.4 56.9


18 0 15.9 17.8 8.7 48.3


24.0 16.8 11.4 9.0 49.2


12.7 15.0 13.4 8.6 41.7


...


4th “


.


. .


...


441


434


345


...


218


2:27


...


. .


...


In June last 741 were graduated from the grammar schools, sixteen more than last year. Of these, 546, or seventy-four per cent., entered the high school, 364 going to the English and 182 to the Latin.


During the year we have issued 357 working certificates to minors under sixteen, 243 of which have been given to grammar


2


1,404


1,430


-26


208


325


3.99 301


422 309


161


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


school boys and girls from the five upper grades. None are is- sued to those under fourteen.


Kindergartens. The kindergartens are located in the Hans- com, Bennett, Baxter, and Glines Schools. The entire cost of these kindergartens for the year was $4,063.44, or $21.50 for every child that attended.


The details are as follows :-


Hanscom.


Bennett.


Baxter.


Glines.


Total.


Enrollment


108


110


107


97


422


Average membership


47


51


48


43


189


Average attendance


39


44


42


39


164


Per cent. attendance


83.3


86.2


86.3


92.2


86.8


Age .


4-7


4-6


4-8


4-8


4-7


Evening Schools. The night schools were opened on the first Monday in October, as follows :-


Evening High School, William D. Sprague, master.


Prescott Evening, Charles T. Murray, master.


Bell Evening, John S. Emerson, master.


Highland Evening, Charles E. Brainard, master.


The largest of the elementary schools is the one in the Bell School. Here the work has peculiar interest because of the attendance of many non-English speaking foreigners. Sec- tion 17, Chapter 514, Acts of 1909, defines the word "Minor" as a person under eighteen years of age. The effect of this defi- nition has been to release from the application of compulsory attendance at night schools illiterate persons of the ages of eighteen to twenty-one years, who heretofore have been com- pelled to go to night school. As a consequence, the attendance at the Bell evening school has been reduced a fifth. The other elementary schools have held their normal attendance. All are doing valuable work.


The evening high school had 751 pupils in November of this year as against 691 in November of last year. The follow- ing courses are provided: Shorthand and typewriting, book- keeping, mechanical drawing, freehand industrial drawing, al- gebra, commercial arithmetic, English composition, physics, and chemistry.


The work is all practical, and is adapted to the needs of persons who seek to better their preparation for earning a living.


Mr. William D. Sprague, who was elected master of this school upon the resignation of George W. Earle, has shown


162


ANNUAL REPORTS.


power and interest in the management of the school. In his hands, with the corp's of competent instructors who assist him, the school will continue to render most practical and valu- able service.


· Cost of the Schools. The total amount spent for the main- tenance of the schools of Somerville in 1909 is $366,149.21. This does not include the sums spent on schoolhouse repairs and for new buildings. It does cover the amount paid for the care of school buildings, for janitors' services, fuel, light, and school telephones. This expenditure is wholly in charge of the city government.


The amount paid for janitors is. $26,071.97


The cost of fuel is.


14,798.06


The cost of light is.


4,070.71


The cost of the school telephones is. 550.52


A total of.


$45,491.26


The cost per capita.


3.66


The second important expenditure is wholly under the con- trol of the Board, and is covered by what is known as the "School Contingent" appropriation. The following is the itemized account :-


Officers' salaries


$5,629.17


Books


$6,887.09


Stationery


5,294.54


Laboratory and manual training sup-


plies


2,417.55


Bookkeeping blanks


256.24


Writing books


1.28


Maps, charts, etc.


76.50


Drawing


872.38


Typewriters and supplies


523.28


Printing


1,137.07


Telephone


204.20


Kindergarten supplies


275.94


Express and postage.


300.31


Travel


191.10


Graduation exercises.


845.71


Bookbinding


986.13


Board of truants.


791.56


Census


261.02


Book covers.


36.35


Repairing and tuning pianos.


37.50


Miscellaneous


423.18


Total for school supplies, etc.


21,818.93


Total outlay on school contingent account .. Appropriation


27,000.00


Deficiency


$448.10


Received for damage to school property, tuition of state wards and non-residents, etc.


650.56


Balance


$202.46


$27,448.10


163


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


The third, and by far the largest, element of the cost of schools is the sum spent for the salaries of teachers. The fol- lowing shows the monthly payments :-


January


$29,825.07


February


29,997.00


March


29,442.50


April


28,418.63


May


28,475.13


June


28,428.94


September


28,560.63


October


30,454.32


November


30,181.63


December


29,426.00


Total


$293,209.85


Amount of appropriation.


295,000.00


Balance


$1,790.15


Credit


3.50


$1,793.65


The estimate of the School Board for teachers' salaries amounted to $296,445. The expenditure was $3,235.15 less.


The total outlay for all school purposes in 1909 was as fol- lows :-


Teachers' salaries.


$293,209.85


Administration


5,629.17


Care of schoolhouses


45,491.26


School supplies.


21,818.93


Total for school maintenance.


$366,149.21


Paid for repairs ..


21,195.13


Paid for new buildings


828.00


Total for all school purposes $388,172.34


Each dollar of the sum spent for the support of schools has been divided in the following proportion :-


1904.


1905.


1907.


1908.


1909.


Teachers' salaries. . $0.793


$0.792


1906. $0.792


$0.785


$0.792


$0.801


Administration


.. 0.016


0.013


0.016


0.016


0.015


0.015


Janitors' salaries ... 0.070


0.070


0.070


0.070


0.070


0.071


Heat and light.


0.053


0.061


0.052


0.057


0.051


0.052


School supplies


0.068


0.064


0.070


0.072


0.072


0.061




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