USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1890 > Part 3
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7 44
Interstate Pub. Co.
6 25
American Book Co.
281 08
Ginn & Co. 63 64
Henry Holt & Co.
49 72
Effingham, Maynard & Co.
1 00
Mutual Book Co. 4 48
Warren P. Adams
21 97
W. H. Bryant
1 00
D. Appleton & Co.
1 02
W. Ware
10 00
Silver, Burdett & Co. 6 25
Boston School Supply Co. 17 25
H. J. Whittemore, Music 9 17
Geo. F. King & Merrill, Paper 27 25
J. L. Hammett, Paper
8 50
Geo. S. Perry, Paper and Gen- eral Supplies 260 99
H. P. Childs, for Laboratory 18 08
L. Z. Carpenter, 48
M. S. Mead, 66 66 75
Educational Supply Co., for Laboratory 16 57
Jas. W. Gifford & Co., for Lab- oratory 4 80
$1,218 90
Amount overdrawn $7 15
70
ANNUAL REPORT.
INCIDENTAL AND REPAIRS.
Receipts.
Amount Appropriated $1,800 00
Cash from Nye Bros for Sanatary 10 00
$1,810 00
Expenditures.
SANFORD ST.
Ventilation of Academy
Nye Bros' bill $141 52
A. II. Tucker's bill 106 63
Jas. W. Gifford
& Co.'s bill 191 25
E. A. Fuller's bill 22 17
$461 57
New Water Meter and Service Pipe 87 13
Covering and repairing desks 10 50
General Repairs and Incidentals 44 84
DODGEVILLE.
Ventilation of House
Jas. W. Gifford
& Co.'s bill 188 86
A. H. Tucker's bill 142 33
J. Paterson's bill 53 48
Wm. H. Smith's bill
(stones) 1 50
386 17
Gen'l Repairs and Incidentals 44 96
71
ANNUAL REPORT.
HIGH SCHOOL.
Cost of Laboratory Jas. W. Gifford & Co.' bill $78 90
Geo. W. Titus' bill 132 47
E. A. Fuller's bill 9 37
John Hornes' bill 5 00
$225 74
Tables and chairs
20 47
Gen'l Repairs and Incidentals 58 89
HEBRONVILLE.
Repairing furnaces 86 12
Other repairs and incidentals 12 53
FARMERS.
A. G. Whitcomb
Furniture $69 05
G. W. Horton put- ting down furniture 16 05
$85 10
Geo. W. Titus Repairs
22 30
Incidentals
2 84
Curtains and black boards
12 06
Repairs at South Main Street
7 78
" Briggs Corner
9 30
" Turnpike
3 75
Painting Pine St. School House 90 00
Incidentals and Repairs
6 62
Pleasant Street
7 58
Painting City House
123 00
Repairs
32 91
Water Rates
49 90
Gas Bills 7 60
72
ANNUAL REPORT.
Taking Census of school children $40 00 Rent of Opera House for Grad-
uation
37 50
« " Piano 10 00
Lettering Diplomas
6 00
Truant officers' bills
32 50
Printing
49 20
Salary of Sec'y of School Com- mittee
25 00
Clock for Supt's office
5 25
Expenses procuring Principal for High School
17 10
Superintendents bills Incidentals,
50 40
Dusters
7 50
Floor Brushes
9 00
Mats
6 00
Curtains
5 65
Freight and cartage
20 00
General Repairs and Incidentals
65 32
Liquid Slating
12 00
$2,298 08.
Amount overdrawn $488 08.
TRANSPORTATION OF PUPILS.
Amount appropriated
$625 00
Paid Seneca Cole
$273 00
Paid R. B. Magaveny
351 00
624 00
1 00
73
ANNUAL REPORT.
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
Appropriation 1000 00
Paid Superintendent's salary
1000 00
RECAPITULATION.
Receipts.
Educational Department
16,026 78
Text book and supply
1,211.75
Incidental and Repair
1,810 00
Superintendence of schools
1,000 00
Transportation of pupils
625 00
20,673 53
Expenditures.®
Educational Dept.
16,516 09
Text Books and supplies
1,218 90
Incidental and Repair
2,298 08
Superintendence of schools
1,000 00
Transportation of pupils
624 00
$21,657 07
Overdrawn
$983 54
NEW SCHOOL HOUSE SANFORD STREET.
1890
Receipts.
Jan 1. Unexpected Balance $2114 27 Cash for iron smoke pipe 50 00
$2164 27
74
ANNUAL REPORT.
Expenditures.
Feb. 18. Paid Vanier & Slat-
tery balance of contract $250 00
25. Attleboro machine Co. Extras Sal. 542 00
Mar. 27.
W. H. Goff balance of contract 1000 00
Vanier & Slattery Extras on Sani- tary 107 30
W. H. Walker &
Son, balance of ac- count as architects 198 87
May 6.
W. H. Goff extras 16 44
Dec. 31.
Vanier & Slattery piping 35 72
E. A. Robinson fire brick 1 60
$2151 93
Unexpended balance
$12 34
Whole amount appropriated $20,200 00
Amount Unexpended 12 34
Balance showing entire cost of school house $20,187 66
A comparison of the statistics of 1889 and 1890 shows for the latter a gain in number of school children as re- turned by the census taker, of 80; in number of scholars enrolled, 81; in average membership, 75; in average at- tendance, 51.
75
ANNUAL REPORT.
The following brief table shows the appropriation asked by the committee, the amount granted by the town, and the expenditures for the year :
ASKED.
GRANTED. EXPENDED.
Educational
$16.950 00 $16,026 78
$16,516 09
Books and Supplies
1,200 00
1,211 75
1,218 90
Incidentals and Repairs
2,000 00
1,810 00
2,298 08
Superintendent
1,000 00
1,000 00
1,000 00
Transportation of pupils
625 00
625 00
624 00
Total
$21,775 00 $20,673 53
$21,657 07
A glance at these figures shows that while in the aggre- gate the expenditures exceeded the appropriations by $983.54 the amount expended was still $118 less than the sum asked for by the committee at the beginning of the year.
Before speaking at length of the principal expenditures of last year I will speak of the amount necessary to meet the expenses of the present year.
After a very careful survey of the whole field the Com- mittee find that $22,000 will be needed even if the same course of rigid economy is pursued as last year. This sum, which is only $225 more than we asked last year, is to pay the entire expenses of the educational system including the Educational Department, Incidental and Repair, Text Book and Supply, School Superintendence and the Trans- portation of Pupils. When we consider that we have 80 more scholars than last year, and that in consequence we shall be compelled to open a new school, this additional amount will appear' meagre enough to satisfy the most. rigid economist.
76
ANNUAL REPORT.
In the Incidental and Repair department the improv- ments which caused the greatest outlay were, the ventila- tion of the academy, and the Dodgeville school house, the construction and equipment of a laboratory for the High school, the new furnishing of the Farmers house. and the painting of the City and the Pine street houses.
Before the committee of thirteen met to consider the recommendations for appropriations in the several depart- ments, the School Board had received the order from the State Inspectors to improve the ventilation of the two houses first named above. They had made a careful estimate (not a guess) of the probable expense, and stated to the committee of thirteen that this work would cost nearly one-half of the appropriation asked for. At the time we were very doubtful about the sum asked, $2,000, being sufficient but hesitated to ask more than granted the year before, fearing a cut down. They recommended $1800 and the town voted it. We have been obliged to ex- ceed this sum, as we knew we should be at the time it was granted. The plan followed in ventilation of the academy is the one common where buildings are heated by steam. The inflow of pure air which is warmed on its way is through metal lined flues and enters each room through a register in the wall about five and a half feet above the floor. The impure air passes through registers in the floor at the oppo- site end of the room, thence down through brick flues to the bottom of the cellar. It then passes into and up through the brick ventilating shaft or chimney which extends sever- al feet above the level with the highest part of the building. To secure the necessary circulation of air through the chimney a steam coil is placed inside and just above. the apertures made for the entrance of the foul air.
77
ANNNAL REPORT.
At Dodgeville the flues for the exit of the foul air are built on the same plan in the main as at the academy. As we have no steam there, a small cast iron cylinder stove is built into the brick partition between the two flues and projecting into each, furnishes sufficient heat to secure brisk currents of air in both flues. The pure air for each room is admitted through an opening in the side of the house and conducted along by a metallic flue which is placed just below the floor of the room, which it is designed to enter, to a place under the jacketed stove above. It then passes up through a hole in the floor and atter being warmed by passing between the stove and its jacket enters the room at about six feet above the floor.
Before the change, frequent scientific tests made when the weather was too cold to allow the opening of the win- dows showed that in each room in the Academy and the lower room at Dodgeville the occupants had to breathe air so vitiated as to contain from 25 to 30 parts of carbonic acid gas to 10,000 of air, to say nothing of other impurities. Now, if janitors and teachers will see that it is properly at- tended to the doors and windows can be kept closed all the time and the occupants have air to breathe that contains less than 7 parts carbonic acid gas to 10,000 of air which is securing air to breathe that is practically pure .
The State Inspectors after inspecting the ventilation and testing the air have expressed themselves in their annual report as satisfied with the operation of the plan in both houses. The school house at Briggs Corner should be properly ventilated this summer, and as the room is very low and has altogether too small a number of cubic feet of air for each occupant, the roof should be raised about three feet. All this could be done for about $250.
78
ANNUAL REPORT.
HIGH SCHOOL LABORATORY.
Although the High school house was built as late as 1881, no suitable arrangement was made for a chemical laboratory. A small room immediately adjoining the school room was fitted up with a few tables and other ap- pliances and called a laboratory, but as there was no way provided for ventilation it was totally unfit for a class to do experimental work in chemistry, and being separated from the school room by a single partition, the noxious odors penetrated the entire building and caused great an- noyance to other scholars at their work.
During the last summer vacation a room was partitioned off in the basement and fitted with suitable tables and other appliances of a modern laboratory and equipped so that a class of eighteen can conveniently work at experi- mental chemistry under the charge of their Instructor. A dark closet leading from the laboratory gives suitable stor- age room for chemicals and chemical apparatus.
Good ventilation is secured by means of a metalic flue, fourteen inches in diameter, which extends from the labo- ratory up through the building to a point above the level with the ridge of the house. The room formerly used for a chemical laboratory has been supplied with suitable ta- bles and other modern furniture and thus secures a very convenient physical laboratory. Apparatus has been pur- chased from time to time with funds furnished by the trus- tees of the Richardson School Fund so that in most of the departments of Physics the study can be made much more interesting and profitable by means of experiments.
79
ANNUAL REPORT.
SCHOOL GRADES.
The process of changing the number of grades which was decided upon a year ago is now nearly completed. Under the new plan there will be eight grades of the ele- mentary schools instead of nine as heretofore.
To complete the entire course will require twelve years, four for the primary, four for the grammar and four for the High school. The child at the beginning of his course enters the fourth and passes successively through the fourth, third, second and first primary. He then enters the Gram- mar and passes successively through the fourth, third, second and first Grammar grades, when he should be well fitted, if he has properly done the work required for the elementary grades, to enter the High school. Entering the Primary school at six he can graduate from the Grammar at fourteen and the High school at eighteen years of age.
The first or Highest Grammar school, under the imme- dliate instruction of Miss L. E. Briggs occupies one of the lower rooms of the new building and, at present numbers 45 scholars. There are, also, of this High Grammar grade 8 or 10 at the City school, 2 at Briggs Corner and one at the Perry school.
The second Grammar grade occupies the large room in the second story of the new building, numbers 110 and is under the charge of Misses Pratt, Slate and Toothaker. The third Grammar occupies a lower room in the new building and has about 60 scholars under the charge of Mrs. O. C. Chatterton with Miss Maynard for assistant.
There are two schools of the fourth or lowest Grammar grade in the third story of the middle building on Sanford Street, each numbering about 50. These are taught by Misses Jewett and White. Miss Perry and Miss McRae,
So
ANNUAL REPORT.
each has a school of nearly 50 of the first or highest Prim- ary grade. These two occupy the second floor of the last named building. On the lower floor Misses Parmenter and Povey, each has a school of nearly 50, of the second Prim- ary grade. Two schools in the Academy, two in the Pine street house and one in the South Maine street house con - sist almost entirely of the third and fourth Primary. These five last have an enrollment of about 250 children. To one who surveys these items with a little care it will ap- pear that the school rooms in our village are all filled nearly to their maxiumum capacity. The four schools of the lowest grades which occupy the Academy and the Pine street house have been altogether too large since Septem- ber. A new school of the lowest grades should be opened at the beginning of the spring term and should be located somewhere in the vicinity of Holman's block. At the opening of the schools in September we were able so to ad- just the grades as to dispense with the services of one of the assistants on Sanford street and in consequence have employed one teacher less this year than last. The new school can be opened without exceeding our former number of teachers.
CHANGES OF TEACHERS.
We have suffered about the usual number of interrup- tions from changes of teachers. Greatly to our regret, C. E. Stevens before the end of his first year, resigned his place as principal of the High school to ac- cept a position as superintendent of schools in Wor- cester county. Miss Barton who had served very acceptably as instructor in Greek and German for a year, being unwilling to devote her whole time to teaching, de-
81
ANNUAL REPORT.
clined to accept her re-appointment. As we must have a teacher for full time we were obliged to accept her resigna- tion. Misses Cora L. Maynard and Emily S. Pond of the Sanford street schools, Mrs. Jennie S. Lawder of the Turn- pike school, Miss Fida H. Smith of the city school and Miss E. B. Howes of the Dodgeville school resigned their positions at the end of the spring term. Mrs. May E. Brown, assistant in the third grammar, has not been able on account of sickness, to return to her work since Sep- tember. Miss Maynard, who had resigned her school. has been serving as substitute. We are hoping that Mrs. Brown will regain her health so as to return to her place at no distant day.
We were most fortunate in our selection of a principal for the High school, Mr. O. L. Beverage, who in addition to other experience had been the successful principal of the High school in the city of Hallowell, Me., for three years, was elected to take charge of our High school a few weeks before the close of the spring term. We were also fortu- nate to secure for second assistant, Miss Jennie M. Perry of Rehoboth, a graduate of Smith college, Northampton. During the year the school has increased from less than sixty to nearly ninety. The actual number in September was eighty-nine, and the school now numbers eighty-six. That there has been so small a decrease since the beginning of the year is highly to the credit of the efficient and wise management of affairs by the principal and his able assist- ants who heartily co-operate with him. Should a large class enter this fall, as I hope there may, an additional teacher will be necessary. This school, now grown so large should be a source of pride to the town and should receive a generous support. A few hundred dollars a year to enable
82
ANNUAL REPORT.
the purchase of chemical and physical apparatus and stand- ard works necessary for the successful study of English lit- erature would be a wise expenditure.
No less deserving of commendation are the teachers of our elementary schools. Almost without exception the discipline has been good, and the amount and quality of the work accomplished has not been equalled in any pre- ceding year. The successful efforts of the teachers to se- cure an increased amount of study on the part of the pu- pils are highly commendable.
J. O. TIFFANY,
Superintendent.
1885
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