USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1953 > Part 17
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Another important bill to which state-wide attention was given, and which the Somerville School Committee endorsed, was H-2597, which was finally substituted for S-187. This bill was intended to cause the State to bear a larger portion of the tax burden for education.
Chapter 643 of the Acts of 1948 was enacted into law pro- viding a new formula for the determination of the amount of aid for education to be furnished by the State. By the act the State Treasurer was directed to pay annually to the several communities in the state sums in accordance with a formula based on the number of children in the community between the ages of seven and sixteen and the assessed valuation of the community.
Previous to the enactment of Chapter 643 the City of Somerville received a sum each year for school aid approximat-
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ing $100,000. By the provisions of Chapter 643 Somerville benefited materially, for there has been received each year sums averaging approximately $480,000.
H-2597 which was finally proposed for enactment in 1953 would, had it passed, have given state aid for education in Somerville approximately one million dollars annually. Un- fortunately, the bill did not receive the approval of the Legis- lature, but a new bill has already been filed for consideration in 1954 and it is hoped that more favorable action will be forthcoming.
The most important matter facing the School Committee for 1953 was that of reaching formal action on the proposed new salary schedule for which provision had been made in the budget for 1953, adopted in November of 1952, by a request for $155,100 to meet the requirements of the new schedule. School committees of recent years have granted some increases in salaries in amounts which it was felt could be afforded from the available revenues received by the city in order to retain and attract an efficient, capable, and qualified teaching staff, and to keep apace with salaries which industry and business were offering to obtain the services of the best college gradu- ates. These increases were always flat increases for all person- nel, and yet the inconsistencies and inequities of the old salary schedules were in no way corrected, but contrarily each flat increase for all further compounded the situation and added to the inconsistencies. It was with these thoughts in mind that the School Committee of 1952 determined to formulate a new schedule which would eliminate inconsistencies and inequities, and at the same time provide regulations governing the obtain- ing of the increased annual increments which would cause the members of the school faculties to pursue professional courses regularly so that the most recent information, methods, and techniques would be a part of all teachers' equipment.
The salary schedule, conceived in 1952 and under study by a special committee until February of 1953, was, after con- siderable discussion covering several meetings of the Commit- tee of the Whole of the School Committee, finally adopted on May 19, 1953. It provided for a minimum salary of $3200 for a candidate with two years of successful teaching experience and a maximum of $4600 if the candidate holds a bachelor's degree or $4800 if the candidate has earned a master's degree, each maximum to be reached by annual increments of $300. If the teacher holds a master's degree the increments are automatic to $4800, but if the teacher holds only a bachelor's degree the increments are automatic to $4100, after which the
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increments may be one, two, or three hundred dollars depend- ing on whether the teacher has completed two, four, or six semester hours of professional study during the year. One further provision of the regulations gives an additional $200 to $5000 to a teacher who has earned a master's degree and has successful teaching experience of not less than twenty years.
Although it was felt by the School Committee that this schedule would need no modifying action for a period of at least five years, some modifications have already been made, and it has been necessary to clarify some points, a few of which have not yet been settled.
In the report of the Superintendent for the year 1952 con- siderable space was devoted to the progress being made on the recommendations of the School Committee resulting from the survey of the Elementary School Building Needs which was published in 1951.
It will be recalled that during the fall of 1951 the School Committee pursued its study of the survey, and finally, realiz- ing that Mayor Lynch had declared that it was his belief that it is the proper function of the School Committee to recommend the location of necessary school accommodations and to indi- cate the capacity, the design, and the required equipment of such schools, appointed a special committee, which was charged with gathering facts and investigating the possibilities of sites for buildings in the areas where they would be required.
This committee did a good piece of work in locating the approximate sites, but being more competent to provide the solutions for educational phases of its function than to furnish engineering and constructional advice, it brought about a re- quest that the Mayor appoint an Advisory School Building Committee, composed of technically trained personnel, which would consider sites in the areas where it appeared that new buildings should be located. Mayor Lynch appointed such a committee which met many times during the summer of 1952, and came to conclusions, which were tentatively approved by the Director of the State School Building Assistance Commis- sion, before being reported to His Honor the Mayor for further necessary actions. The School Committee endorsed the recom- mendations of the Advisory School Building Committee and requested the Mayor to take early action to acquire the pro- posed parcels of land for schoolhouse purposes. The Mayor immediately complied with this request and forwarded the necessary communications to the Board of Aldermen. Eventu-
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ally, however, after considerable delay, the Board of Aldermen finally approved two of the three proposed sites, which had already been approved by the Director of the Massachusetts School Building Commission, and made an appropriation to ac- quire the sites. A very fine location on Capen Street, containing approximately 155,000 square feet, was acquired from the Metropolitan District Commission, and by the taking of land from a private owner by eminent domain. Another site at Mt. Vernon Avenue and Meacham Street, containing approximately 140,000 square feet, 3.2 acres, mostly belonging to the City, was acquired at practically no cost. After further delay the Board of Aldermen passed a blanket appropriation for $1,150,000 for the building of two elementary schools on these sites. The architects, after a meeting with some members of the Mayor's Advisory Committee, started to prepare preliminary plans for the building on Capen Street, to consist of accommodations for six classrooms, a kindergarten, and all the necessary supple- mentary rooms, including a general purpose room. Preliminary plans for the Mt. Vernon Avenue building will indicate provi- sions for twenty-four classrooms, a kindergarten, a combination auditorium and cafeteria, and a gymnasium, in addition to the necessary accessory accommodations.
The preliminary plans will soon be reviewed by the Ad- visory Committee and the School Committee, and the first step in the program of providing for the erection of two units in the proposed series of modern school buildings for the use of Somerville's educational system will be well under way.
In submitting the annual report for last year the Superin- tendent listed some recommendations which he deemed to be deserving of careful thought, consideration, and action during 1953. These recommendations were twelve in number and were devoted primarily to matters concerning the school plant. Some progress has been made by the administration and some impetus was given by actions of the School Committee to mat- ters concerning new buildings, but the progress was very slight due to delays in the Board of Aldermen.
Permission was given by the Legislature to have the City of Somerville use $200,000 of city funds, made available through a bond issue, added to the $200,000 authorized for use by the Metropolitan District Commission for the building of the long needed stadium for High School athletics and other activities. The plans which were drawn by the Metropolitan District Com- mission for this stadium under the original appropriation are now being revised to meet the conditions which can be made
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available by the doubled appropriation. It was anticipated that work on this project would be started during December, but Enot later than the early part of January 1954.
Another recommendation was cared for, at least in part, by obtaining an appropriation, for the Department of Public Buildings, to provide auditorium furniture for the Northeastern Junior High School and the Vocational School.
No consideration has been given to those recommendations calling for serious attention to the very necessary enlarging of the quarters for the auto body work and the painting and deco- rating activities at the Vocational School, or to the extension of the present offerings at the Vocational School to provide for the need of trained workers in the fields of Diesel engines, radio, television, and refrigeration.
The Superintendent of Schools has made an extended and earnest solicitation of those who will have the responsibility of the budget for 1954 that there be included in it a special ap- propriation in order that a good start may be made on the schedule for rehabilitation of the present school buildings which are in need of modernization in order to become a part of the eventual modern school plant, in accordance with the recommendation of the survey.
Action has been delayed upon the revision of the Rules and Regulations of the Somerville Schools as recommended by the Superintendent, which revision he feels is very necessary.
In consequence of these statements some of the recom- mendations of the Superintendent in last year's report will be repeated later in this report.
Other actions of the School Committee which should be mentioned include the following:
(1) Gave the necessary authorization so that three Somer- ville teachers could serve as exchange teachers in the schools of the Territory of Hawaii, and allowed the pupils in Somerville schools to have the privilege of meeting and working with teachers from these Pacific Islands.
(2) Granted leaves of absence to four teachers to teach children of the Armed Forces stationed in foreign countries. Two are in Germany, one in Japan, and one in French Morocco.
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(3) Awarded High School diplomas to five veterans who completed the remaining necessary credits for a di- ploma by pursuing USAFI courses while in the service and passing the G. E. D. test since returning, or else returning to school to complete the work.
(4) Authorized the Headmaster of the High School to ac- cept the successful completion of correspondence courses of the State Department of Education, not in. excess of 50% of the necessary diploma credits, from former students of Somerville High School who were obliged to delay the completion of the courses because of poor health or economic need.
(5) Allowed several teachers to perform tours of duty as members of Armed Forces Reserve Units without loss of pay, but established a policy that further leaves of absence for required reserve duty should be completed during vacation periods.
(6) Amended the rules concerning examinations for teach- ers and cadets to provide that 70% must be obtained as a rating in each of the four rated factors.
(7) Further amended the examination rules to provide five points on the basis of each 100 points of the written examinations to be added to the total mark for honor -. ably discharged veterans of World Wars I and II and the Korean hostilities, provided that the total mark computed without benefit of Veterans Preference be 70% or higher.
(8) Directed that future manuals of the public schools show the degree or degrees that each member of the teach- ing, supervisory, or administrative staff has earned ..
(9) Established three new classes in schools where there were overcrowded conditions, including a kindergarten at the Burns School, in addition to directing the Super- intendent and Assistant Superintendent to transfer as many sixth and fifth grade pupils to the junior high school buildings as would be necessary to make room. in the elementary school buildings for the pupils eligi- ble under the Rules for admission in September 1953.
(10) Accepted the offer of a second car from the Kiwanis. Club for use of the Driver Training Course in the High School.
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(11) Clarified the method of granting diplomas to high school students who enter the Armed Forces during the second half of the senior year.
(12) Authorized the establishment of classes in Distributive Occupations in connection with the Evening Schools and in cooperation with the State Department of Edu- cation.
(13) Directed the superintendents to prepare a plan for pro- motional examinations in the teaching, supervisory, and administrative staff of the school system.
(14) Allowed the solicitation of contributions from the school children for certain charitable funds, under sus- pension of the Rules.
(15) Changed the name of the Somerville Vocational High School to the Somerville Trade High School.
(16) Gave consideration to several orders without as yet having arrived at a conclusion concerning:
(a) The qualifications of future school librarians
(b) The establishment of a city-wide testing program in the elementary schools
(c) Arrangements for meetings where speakers on Ju- venile Delinquency and Guidance and Counselling will inform the public of these matters
(d) Printing pamphlets involving the courses of study at the Trade High School similar to those now used at Somerville High School
(e) Plans for an improvement in the Guidance and Counselling program in the secondary schools
(f) The employment of a registered optometrist for the schools
(g) Amendments to the Rules concerning the Oath of Allegiance
(h) The establishment of adjustment classes in reme- dial reading, English, and mathematics in the ele- mentary and junior high schools
(i) Special program in social studies and civic educa- tion as a means to combat vandalism
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The preceding pages are intended to give a word picture of the activities of the School Committee during the year 1953.
REPORT OF THE WORK OF THE SCHOOLS
The following pages will be devoted to a brief discussion of the manner in which the administrators and the supervisory and instructional force have exerted their efforts in performing the tasks in accordance with the plans and policies formulated by the School Committee.
HIGH SCHOOL
The High School has continued to focus attention on such educational problems as prevention of student failures, control of drop-outs, proper and adequate placement, an expanded testing program, cooperation with the community, and educa- tion for citizenship. Most of these problems are a part of the guidance program which is carried on by the various ad- ministrators and departments of the High School. The chief innovation during the past year has been the preparation and publication of an expanded "program of studies" with the in- tention of offering to parents and pupils a greater amount of guidance in the all important choice of courses and subjects. Good attendance and closer cooperation between the home and the school coordinate with the above endeavors to keep our school among the best in the state.
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
A new course of study in art for the junior high schools was prepared by a committee composed of the art instructors in the junior high schools under the chairmanship of the Director of Art. This course is the result of considerable study and re- search and includes such phases of art as design, color, paint- ing, drawing, lettering, and a variety of craft activities. In this course of study art education is not looked upon as merely a mental trainer, nor is it considered primarily for its money value in training skilled designers. It is in theory, if not always in practice, a more worth-while course from the standpoint of the individual's everyday living, and it places emphasis upon the values of art education for all students in contrast to education for the gifted few. It recognizes that every indi- vidual is to a great extent both a producer and a consumer of art products.
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The program of audio-visual education in the junior high school is a broad one and includes a wide range of instructional materials and devices, such as field trips, demonstrations, dramatizations, objects, specimens, models and exhibits, sound motion pictures, television, silent motion pictures, sound film- strips, radio recording, stereographs, lantern slides and film strips, flat pictures, charts, maps, graphs, and diagrams.
As an indication of activity in this regard, the Northeastern Junior High School has recently acquired an opaque projector for the Science classes, two tape recorders for English and Pub- lic Speaking classes, and two film strip projectors for the history, geography, and civics classes.
To supplement the science training given to students in the classroom and to help them learn more about the world in which they live, visits to the Museum of Science have been ar- ranged during school time. At the outset the children paid a nominal fee for admission to the Museum plus the expense of bus travel. Beginning in September arrangements were made by the Metropolitan District Commission, through an act of the Legislature, for free admission to the Museum of Science for students in the Metropolitan District Commission Parks and Boulevards District. The School Committee has assumed the cost of bus travel.
During the school year 1952-53 special provisions were made in grade seven at the Southern Junior High School for placing children who have learning deficiencies in the basic subjects in groups of not more than twenty-five. During this school year the program was extended to grade eight, and it is planned to continue it in grade nine for the next school year. Placements were based on such criteria as previous scholastic achievement, as indicated by school records, mental ability as indicated by the Otis Beta Test, and the results of reading tests. Homogeneous groupings were organized, and in this way the range of variations in abilities between pupils was greatly re- duced, resulting in less inattention and distraction. It is felt that under this grouping problems of discipline have been re- duced, school attendance has been improved, and the response of the children has been very favorable. The continuance of this plan requires that all sixth grade pupils be tested near the close of each school year so that proper assignments may be made.
Since exploration and guidance are major functions of the junior high school, considerable attention has been devoted in
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the three junior high schools to this important area. The fol- lowing account of the guidance program at the Western Junior High School is indicative of what is being done in the three junior high schools.
Group guidance is presented one period a week in the homerooms as a basic part of the program. Insofar as time permits guidance is supported by data obtained through the administration of standardized tests. As in past years all the pupils in the seventh grade are presented with the Dearborn Group Test of Intelligence, Series 11, Examination C. This particular test is deemed desirable because it offers a good balance between verbal and nonverbal units. In dealing with problem cases these group test results are verified by the use of Form L of the Binet-Simon Scale, universally regarded as one of the best individual intelligence tests now available. Also the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, designed for pupils under fifteen years of age, is used. When imme- diate verification is desired, the results are generally checked through the Otis Beta Test, administered individually or in small groups. In selected cases data is augmented through the medium of the lowa Silent Reading Test, designed for students in this age level. One year ago last June students in three sections were given the lowa Algebra Aptitude Test, largely on an experimental basis. At the present time the results of these tests are being correlated with the course grades obtained in Algebra during the academic year 1952-53. Insofar as time permits interviews are arranged for pupils with academic prob- lems. Case records are kept and are discussed with the class- room teachers involved.
The libraries in the junior high schools play a very impor- tant part in enriching the curriculum, supplying reference material, providing for worthy use of leisure time, training pupils in the use of books, and serving as a centralizing agency for the school, training for character, serving the teachers, and assisting in the guidance program of the school. The School Committee has indicated a greater awareness of the impor- tance of trained library personnel and has acted to provide more adequate funds for the acquisition of worth-while library materials.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
During the past year constant attention has been devoted to analysis and revision of teaching content, methods, and techniques for the purpose of improving the efficiency of the educational functions. The Elementary School Supervising
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Principals and the Supervisor of Elementary Instruction have for two years been studying and analyzing the new reading systems, and they are preparing for a series of tests to deter- mine the relative values of each, which may bring forth a recommendation for a change of the basal reading system.
During the school year 1950-51, the School Committee, recognizing the worth-while benefits of the Remedial Reading Program sponsored for the seven previous summers for six weeks each year by the Kiwanis Club of Somerville, authorized the establishment of a class at the Proctor School for the year. The work of the succeeding years has shown such beneficial results from the limited number of pupils who could be accom- modated that need for expansion of the program is very evi- dent, and a plan is now being considered so that other centers may be established and more of those children who have normal or better than normal intelligence but are not working up to their grade level in reading can be benefited.
Many enriching experiences have been gained by those in the elementary grades by visits to the Museum of Science, the post office, the police station, and some of the fire houses.
Advantage has been taken of a contribution of the State Department of Education, "A Curriculum Guide for Inter- mediate Grade Teachers", which has been provided for every teacher in grades four, five, and six. This completes the series, for the Guide for Primary Teachers was published about three years ago. Supplementary to this material a copy of Social Studies for Grades 1, 2, and 3 and Geography for Grades 4, 5, and 6, bound together, has been provided for every elementary school teacher. This volume was compiled by committees of the Somerville teachers under the direction of the Assistant Superintendent of Schools and the Supervisor of Elementary School Instruction.
Analyzing what already is being done, and following a policy of studying intensely what is new, leads to the belief that the accomplishments attained through the curriculum have been substantial and definitely founded upon sound edu- cational bases.
The overcrowded conditions in the primary grades in some sections of the city, and the added responsibility of assuming as school duties more and more of what used to be considered home duties, such as dental care, medical inspection, school lunches and milk, religious education, thrift instruction, group
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accident insurance, collections for various charitable and medi- cal research programs, add increasingly to the administration problems of our elementary schools. Through the establish- ment during the past year of a full complement of Parent- Teacher and similar associations, it is evident that much closer cooperation is bound to result in fulfilling these responsibilities.
In the light of the above, the question might well be asked, "Could it be that a necessity is arising for lengthening the school day and the school year?" for these functions have been added to the original concept that the schools are organized for the teaching of the three R's.
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