USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1919 > Part 6
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Cost.
The cost of schools is increasing though not so fast as that of living in general. The chief item of expense for support of the schools is salaries of teachers. This item grows through the automatic, longevity increases afforded by the salary sched- ule, through general increases made by the School Committee, and through additions of salaries for new undertakings. Other large items are cost of text books and supplies, operation of school plant including janitor service and the cost of repairs and upkeep.
The details of these expenditures for the last school year are given in tables which form a part of this report. These show the cost for the last school year and give opportunity for comparisons with other years. How Somerville ranks with other cities in the State is shown in a report of the Board of Education for the school year 1917-18, the latest figures avail- able for such a comparison. Somerville is the tenth city in population, but is eighth in the number of pupils in the average membership. Seven cities only had a larger average member- ship.
In expenditures for salaries of teachers Somerville is sev- enth, one above its rank in membership. In expenditures for text books it is sixth, two above its rank ; in supplies fifth, three above its rank; in fuel sixth, two above its rank; in janitor service ninth, one below its rank : in general control or adminis- tration twelfth, or four below its rank.
A comparison of the cost of these items per pupil in the average membership in our schools with the average for the cities and towns of the state show the following facts :
Salaries of teachers, Somerville $30.55, State $32.62.
Expenditures for text books and supplies, Somerville $2.15, State $2.27.
Operation School plant, including janitor service and fuel, Somerville $5.59, State $7.09.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
Expenditures for administration, Somerville $0.98, State $2.03.
There has been an increase of 775 in the average member. ship of the schools notwithstanding the fact that in 1910 the number of beginners was cut down more than one half by raising the age of admission to the first grade one year and this reduction has been operative since that year.
The increase in cost of teaching has been from $22.69 to $30.55.
The maximum salary of the elementary teacher in 1907 was $650; in $1917 $900.
Additional activities had been established and the change of residence of a portion of the school attendance necessitated opening new schools without closing old ones, although re- ducing the number of pupils per teacher in the latter.
The cost of books and supplies increased from $1.40 to $2.15. This change is due in part to the general increase of cost of all materials and in part to broadening the work in industrial and commercial subjects.
General control, or administration, has risen from 47 cents to 98 cents. The average for the State in 1907 was $1.67, in 1917 $2.03.
In 1907 the Superintendent of Schools recommended the employment of a man to have charge of the business of the School Committee. Since 1917 State laws and municipal regu- lations have imposed additional business and clerical work, and the addition of school activities such as vocational schools, junior high schools, domestic science, special schools, Ameri- canization work, war work, etc., have greatly added to ad- ministrative and business work, the whole making a volume at least three times greater than that of 1907. Legislation of 1919 will add to that volume in connection with establishing and conducting continuation schools and an enlarged pro- gram of Americanization work.
Review.
This examination of comparative cost statistics suggests a review of the changes which have been made in school ac- tivities in the same period. In the school report for 1907, Superintendent Southworth made the following specific recom- mendations for the improvement of the schools: The exten- sion of high school accommodations to include enlargement of the high school plant to afford suitable quarters for manual
1
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
training with a view to its extension, enlarged facilities for commercial work, more room for the library, thoroughly equipped gymnasiums for both sexes, additional room for the chemistry and physics departments, facilities for the teaching of domestic science, a suitable lunch room accessible to both schools, larger book and supply rooms, and an assembly room large enough to accommodate an entire school; the enlarge- ment of the Perry Schoolhouse by the addition of six rooms; the erection of a twelve or fifteen room building on the city ledge lot in Ward Seven, with an ample assembly hall for public as well as school convenience; the employment of ad- ditional teachers in the Latin School ; the awakening of public interest in playgrounds for children; the employment of an additional truant officer; the extension of manual training, to include the eighth and ninth grades ; the employment of two nurses in connection with the medical inspection of schools ; the employment of an instructor of physical training for the high schools; the extension of supervision by grammar mas- ters, to include the smaller schools; the gradual reduction of the number of pupils assigned to a teacher; the employment of extra teachers for backward children; changes in the methods of school administration, by the employment of a man to transact the business of the School Board. Concerning these recommendations Mr. Southworth said "In reviewing this report I find that it contains an unusual number of recom- mendations. Further consideration of them, however, leads to the conviction that their adoption is largely a matter of time. If they could be made at once the schools would be greatly benefited."
Among the changes which have been made since 1907 many of these recommendations have been carried into effect. The high school plant has been enlarged and an auditorium pro- vided; the Cutler school building has been provided, filling the need in West Somerville as then foreseen, with the excep- tion of the auditorium ; additional teachers have been pro- vided in the college preparatory course of the high school; the School Committee has assisted in the development of the supervised summer playgrounds which are now under the management of the Recreation and Playground Commission. Supervised play is part of the physical training program of the schools. In 1919 the School Committee employed an additional attendance officer. The Junior High School presents to boys a broader opportunity for instruction in manual training. Two nurses are now employed by the Board of Health, subject to the direction of the School Committee. In 1914 an instructor in physical training was employed for high and elementary schools. A director is now employed part time and an assistant
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
teacher full time. While physical training is not now compelled by law, legislation to that effect is being urged with increased strength. In connection with the opening of the junior high schools the supervision of all elementary schools has been or- ganized in nine supervisory districts, each under the charge of a grammar school master. A reduction of the number of pupils per teacher in the elementary schools has been made wherever there has been a sufficiency of schoolroom. Since 1910 three classes have been formed for children retarded in mental devel- opment. A state law, passed in 1919, makes compulsory the es- tablishment at the beginning of the school year 1920 of special classes to give to children, three or more years retarded in mental development, instruction adapted to their mental development, under regulations prescribed by the Board of Education. The recommendation that the school administra- tion be improved by the employment of a man has been met and other additions made to meet the increase of work.
Other important changes have been made in harmony with the prevailing educational thought and demand. In 1910 the Committee voted to reduce the elementary course from nine to eight years. The Commissioner of Education in his report for 1919 says "It is apparent that the ninth year of the ele. mentary school is fast disappearing, and that the eight-year course, now most common, is being replaced in many instances by an elementary course of six years, and a Junior High School course of two or three years." The beginners who entered school in September, 1910, were started on an eight-year ele- mentary course and entered the High School in 1918 as the third year class in the Junior High Schools. As the Commit- tee had at the time of voting the eliminating of the ninth grade raised the age of admission to the first grade, the average age of entering the high school was not reduced by that action. In making this change, the Committee was clearly in step with the times, though ahead of communities which have since done the same thing, and of others which have it yet to do.
In 1910 the Committee opened a vocational school for boys, and in 1911 one for girls. The providing of vocational schools was demanded by local sentiment. One half of the mainte- nance cost of these schools has been met by the State. Since 1918 the National Government has contributed a substantial sum towards the maintenance of Vocational Education. The present arrangement is that the city and state divide equally maintenance cost after deducting from the gross expenses the amount paid by the National Government.
A beginning in teaching domestic science was made in the Forster Intermediate School in 1914. It is now taught in the four Junior High Schools and in the High School. The State
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
legislature in 1919 made compulsory, in towns of over 20,000 inhabitants, the teaching of "household arts as a part of both its elementary and its High School system."
In 1910 a dental dispensary was opened to give treatment to pupils who could not afford to pay the charge for profes- sional service. This action was urged by local practitioners and was regarded as an important step forward in the inter- est of the health and well-being of children.
Other measures for the improvement of the schools, not elsewhere discussed in this review include the employment of a librarian, a teacher coach, and a matron in the High School, the consolidation of two high schools into one general high school, with highly developed courses of instruction, the estab- lishment of Junior High Schools with broadened courses for children of intermediate ages, and a progressive increasing of salaries of teachers, principals, and other workers in the schools.
Teachers' Salaries.
The most notable occurrence of the present year has been the recognition given to the fact that teachers were underpaid and were deserving of a substantial increase in their pay. Pub- lic opinion throughout the Nation became aroused upon this matter with the result that communities everywhere made un- precedented advances in expenditures for this account. Som- erville, as usual, kept step with the progressive communities, and made generous increases in teachers' salaries.
This recognition of their needs has brought to the teachers a welcome relief from financial anxieties. For this improved condition they are deeply appreciative and grateful. That they will justify in their work this expression of public regard I have not the slightest doubt.
New Legislation.
As a result of State Legislation and of a Referendum sub- mitted to the voters of Somerville, it has been decided that continuation schools shall be established and maintained in this city at the beginning of the next school year. The law prescribes in some detail the general conditions to govern the establishment and conduct of these schools. It is provided that the schools and courses of instruction shall be subject to approval by the Board of Education and that with such ap- proval granted reimbursement shall be made from the Treas- ury of the Commonwealth to an amount equal to one-half the total sum raised by local taxation and expended for the mainte- nance of such schools.
The establishment of these schools will require careful
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
planning and the provision of suitable teaching and supervising corps. In order that all arrangements should be completed by the first of the new school year it will be necessary to begin soon the investigations which must precede the formulating of plans for this new institution.
Classes for Retarded Children.
The legislation regarding classes for children retarded in mental development provides that the School Committee shall before July 1, 1920, and annually thereafter "ascertain under regulations prescribed by the Board of Education and the Director of the Commission on Mental Diseases the number of children three years or more retarded in mental development who are in attendance upon the public schools of its city or town or who are of school age and reside therein." It also pro- vides "At the beginning of the school year of nineteen hundred and twenty, the school committee of each city and town in which there are ten or more children three years or more so retarded shall establish special classes to give such children instruction adapted to their mental attainments, under regula- tions prescribed by the board of education."
It is apparent from these provisions that it will be neces- sary to make an investigation in accordance with the directions of the board of education to ascertain how many children there are in the city who need to be taught in these classes. Whether this will make necessary more classes than are now maintained can not be decided until the inquiry has been made.
Americanization Work.
Another act of the last legislature is one entitled "All Act to promote Americanization through the Education of Adult Persons unable to use the English Language."
This provides that the Board of Education may co-operate with cities and towns to promote and provide for the educa- tion of persons over twenty-one years of age who are unable to speak, read, and write the English language. The school com mittee having already expressed its intention to accept the co-operation of the board of education in this matter this city will be entitled to receive from the Commonwealth one half the sums expended by it in carrying out the provisions of this act. Several teachers are now employed in this work. There is no doubt that more classes should be formed and more teachers employed to meet the conditions which exist in this city. The board of education through its agent will assist in investigating the needs of the community and in recommend- ing action that should be taken. It is the policy of the board
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
of education to conduct Americanization work of the State through local school committees. Such being the case, the initiative for meeting the needs of the community for this kind of work must be taken by the school committee. An enlarged program for this work is clearly needed and measures to pro- vide it should be adopted in the near future.
Conclusion.
I again invite your attention to the reports of the As- sistant Superintendent, the Head Master of the High School. the principal of the Vocational school for Boys, and the Gar- den Supervisor submitted herewith, and to the statistical tables and statements giving interesting facts and details about the work of the schools.
In conclusion I express again my deep obligation to all the members of the School Committee for the courtesy and con- sideration which have attended all our personal relations. I acknowledge also with pleasure the co-operation and support which have been given by the officers and teachers of the schools in all the work of the year.
Respectfully submitted, CHARLES S. CLARK, Superintendent of Schools.
January 2, 1920.
REPORT ON HIGH SCHOOL.
Somerville, Mass., January 2, 1920.
Mr. Charles S. Clark, Supt. of Schools, Somerville, Mass.
Dear Mr. Clark :
The unusual conditions of the past years have seriously in- terfered with the regular work of the school. This has been evident in various ways. Poor attendance has been the rule rather than the exception. Sickness, lack of interest, many op- portunities to do part time work out of school, and the general unrest have all tended to make pupils' attendance irregular. Add to these conditions the fact that many days were lost because of coal shortage, influenza, etc., and it is very apparent
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
that the number of school days per pupil has been of late years decidedly decreased. Furthermore, pupils when present have not been in the same mental attitude toward their work as for- merly. The uncertainty of the outcome of the war, the absence of members of their own families in the service, together with the death or sickness of relatives and friends have interfered with concentration of effort and with the accomplishing of satisfactory results. And in addition the constant appeal for pupils to assist, both in and out of school hours, in all kinds of war work reacted against the successful fulfilment of any definite educational program. The effect of all this has been hard to bear more particularly in the Preparatory department where the usual requirement for college entrance was strict- ly maintained by the colleges. Of course there have been some favorable reactions. Particularly has the interest in war work and the eager desire to be of service developed a high spirit of patriotism, of unselfishness and of loyalty. This effect, how- ever, was moral and spiritual, very rarely educational.
This year, with the war closed, with no signs of unusual sickness and an accordingly greatly improved attendance, with the cessation of interruptions from demands for outside work, the school has been able to readjust itself to the accomplish- ment of the normal function of educating its pupils. The effect has been striking with the keynote "business" continuously before us. We have already, in a large way, recovered the old stride and have settled down to hard work with a gratify- ing energy.
This has particularly shown itself in the preparatory de- partment which naturally suffered the most during the war. An unusual number of last June's graduating class felt the de- sire for a college education, and there were sent either by certificate or examination Sept., 1919, 95 pupils to the follow- ing institutions :
Amherst College .
1
U. S. Naval Academy
1
Boston University
College of Business Administration
18
College of Liberal Arts
4
Law School
.
1
Brown University .
1
Columbia University
1
Dartmouth College
3
Harvard College
2
Holy Cross College
1
Jackson College
3
Lowell Textile
4
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3
Massachusetts Agricultural College
1
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
Northeastern College
3
Notre Dame University .
1
Normal Schools
21
Simmons College
5
Trinity College
1
University of Pittsburg
1
University of Maine
1
Tufts College
18
Total
95
In connection with these figures of 1919, I feel justified in making the statement that Somerville High School has a right to be proud of its record as a preparatory school, and ! invite a careful inspection of tables following this letter as evidence. From Harvard this fall we have had two letters regarding our boys, showing that our graduates there are stand- ing well to the front. Two young men have been elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society, three have received this fall scholar- ships of the first group and one of the second group. In ad- dition, one freshman this fall received Price Greenleaf Aid for excellence in passing his entrance examinations.
I quote the following letter in full :
Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
Dear Mr. Avery :-
I am glad to be able to tell you that Harold F. Price, '23, who entered Harvard this fall from your school, did such good work in the entrance examinations that we have been able to give him Price Greenleaf Aid. We shall hope that his future work may be so good that we can continue to aid him from our scholarship funds and in other ways. You may be sure that we shall endeavor in every possible way to help him and that we shall welcome any suggestions from you of ways in which conditions may be made more favorable for him.
With congratulations on the good work of your school, which Price's record reflects, I am,
Yours very truly, C. N. GREENOUGH, Acting Dean.
While great stress has been laid on our preparatory course, in no sense have the other courses been neglected.
While statistics of the Commercial graduates are neces- sarily harder to obtain vet we are constantly in receipt of evi- dence that the graduates of our commercial department are
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
giving satisfaction in excellent positions. We could place many more young people in good positions. Requests are com- ing in continuously for which we have no available candidates. A gratifying testimonial to the excellence of this department was a gift of three hundred dollars presented to the school last June in appreciation of the admirable record which our graduates have made in the business world.
A business man employing many graduates of schools, in speaking of the exceptionally good work which one of our last year's graduates was doing for him, said that he had never had a stenographer so adaptable and proficient. Reports of this kind are not uncommon. Dexterity in shorthand and knowl- edge of bookkeeping are of course essential in a commercial preparation, but too much emphasis cannot be laid, along with these, on general knowledge, proficiency in English, and all- round adaptability. In these respects a public school can show results which the commercial school can seldom produce. There is no short road to success. A four year high school commer- cial training cannot fail to secure, if properly employed, high standards, great proficiency, and a high power of adaptability. Past results speak for themselves and our commercial gradu- ates deserve commendation.
All things considered, therefore, I feel that the outlook for the Somerville High School is a bright one.
With the complete organization of junior High Schools we should be able to concentrate on a three years' course of intensive work. Furthermore, the Junior High Schools under careful planning should in due time send us even better pre- pared pupils than we were formerly able to secure in the Sophomore year.
Also as a three year school we shall soon be reduced to numbers consistent with the size of our building. In addi- tion to a release from crowding, we should thereby be able to secure rooms for activities sadly handicapped at present, - such rooms as a library of proper size and location, satisfactory teachers' rooms, improved toilets for pupils, special rooms for the school paper, athletics, and debating, an emergency room and office for our school matron, and a small assembly hall.
Thanking you and the School Committee for your kind in- terest and co-operation, I am,
Very sincerely yours,
JOHN A. AVERY,
Head Master.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
REPORT ON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.
Mr. Charles S. Clark, Superintendent of Schools, Somerville, Mass.
Dear Sir :-
The last school year was notable for the fact that junior high schools were for the first time in operation in all sections of the city, the fourth and last one, the Southern, having been opened in September, 1918, in the enlarged Bell building on Vinal Avenue. The transition from the regular grade or- ganization to the junior high school organization had been ac- complished by a plan of gradual extension, covering a period of three years. Each unit, as soon as organized, began opera- tion in a steady well-controlled, consistent manner, supported from the outset by earnest, enthusiastic teachers and pupils and by friendly, co-operative parents.
Ideals and Purposes.
As developed in Somerville, the junior high school plan has taken away no educational advantage from any pupil but has created a larger opportunity for securing in the school the maximum of preparation for the life that the child will later lead in the community.
The school of today will not have done what may fairly be expected of it if it contents itself with imparting knowledge of a small range of subjects. It must prepare its pupils to become efficient members of the community. This most in- portant work of the school is not measurable by the written examination : the real test comes after the child has passed into the activities of citizenship.
SCHOOL LIFE, an official publication of the United States Bureau of Education, says : "There is plainly discernible a new spirit, a new method, and a new ideal in education. The new ideal of the school is the fitting of our youth to enter into reciprocal and co-operative relations wi -. their fellow-men in an intelligent manner. The ideal in the past, at least in the city schools, has been the fitting of pupils to do the work of the next grade or to be promoted into the next higher school. The aim of the modern school is to develop initiative, good judgment, and right attitude toward ones' fellows. To develop initiative pupils must be given opportu- nity to initiate ; to cultivate good will requires active co-opera- tion with others ; to develop skill of any sort involves activity under proper guidance."
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