USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1939 > Part 9
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103
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
January 9, 1940.
To the Citizens of the Town of Braintree:
In looking back over the work .of the School Department for the year 1939, it would seem that at the outset our greatest apprehension was with regard to the incoming Freshman class that would start in September. It was quite definitely expected that it would be necessary to have Sophomore as well as Freshman classes at afternoon sessions.
Notwithstanding the fact that the September 1939 Freshman class was larger than the September 1938 Freshman class, details were worked out whereby still only the Freshman class was required to have afternoon sessions. Credit for the program which was worked out to accommodate the three upper classes at morning sessions and still manage to confine the afternoon sessions to the Freshman class only should go. to Mr. James L. Jordan, Principal of the High School.
In spite of the belief that school population is falling off and agree- ing that such is the trend, the results will not be experienced for some years, and at present we find that the Freshman class of December 1939 numbers 296, which is the largest Freshman class in the history of the Braintree High School. At the beginning of the school year September 1938, the Freshman class numbered 272. At the beginning of the school year September 1939, the Freshman class numbered 290. The December 1938 High School enrollment was 1054, and the December 1939 High School enrollment was 1077, and our projected school population figures show that we can expect no appreciable relief from the crowded con- ditions in the High School for several years.
Regarding the question of supervision under our present method of three supervisory principals as against the older system of a male principal in each school, the Committee feels that our present system is an improvement in that one man has three schools which afford him a very much better basis and opportunity for a comparison of student progress and teacher ability as he has three classes of the same grade in three different buildings to compare-under the old method each individual principal had no opportunity for such comparison unless he took it upon himself to compare results with the other principals. We definitely think that the supervisory principal idea is an improvement.
This year for the first time we were unable to replace the type- writers in the Commercial Department which should have been replaced on our standard three-year use basis, despite the fact that we have unexpended balances on our School Department appropriation, which we will turn back, amounting to $2,478.65.
The reason for this strange situation is that the School Depart- ment's appropriation was split into a greater number of expense classi- fications this year than ever before, and while the Department had adequate balances under certain classifications it couldn't use them under the classification where the money could be used to advantage, and undoubtedly this will result in a loss of approximately $500.00 to the Town because the School Department was unable to carry through its plan for the replacement of typewriters.
We submit that the apparent theory of the Finance Committee that a more efficient and economic use of the School Department monies can be made by a greater number of expense classifications under which
104
the money must be spent does not work out to the advantage of the Town or the school system-it hampers the work of the School Depart- ment. We believe that the budget of the School Committee should be broken down into as many classifications of expenditures as will eliminate any question in the minds of the Finance Committee and the Townspeople, but we are equally certain that providing the School Com- mittee has the confidence of the people that its work can be best facili- tated by a lump sum appropriation under such a budget-this provides the School Committee with the greatest flexibility in its work.
Two years ago we had three classifications. We had to have a special Town Meeting near the end of the year to vote us authority to transfer our monies between these three classifications. This year we have six classifications. Because of the set-up we find that we are turning money back, yet we know that we are losing money by doing so because typewriters now cost more money than they did when we should have bought them, and the servicing costs rise with the greater age of the machines.
We are happy to report that everyone connected with the School Department has cooperated in the most friendly manner in the work connected with the school survey. Undoubtedly this was because it was made clear that the School Department was thoroughly in accord with the purpose of this survey and that it was a survey and not an inves- tigation. We hope to benefit greatly by the information contained in the report of the Survey Committee.
You are respectfully recommended to the Superintendent's report which this year will be of great interest as it gives a great deal of his- torical and factual data as well as outlining the progress that is being made in the school system with regard to text books, etc.
It now is a pleasure to thank Mr. Fisher, Mr. Jordan, the three supervisory principals, the assistant principals in the different school buildings, the teachers in the High School, Grammar Schools, and Kin- dergarten Schools, as well as the special teachers, the school physi- cians, the nurse, attendance officer, janitors, and all others who combine loyally day by day to guard the safety, maintain the health, improve the athletic ability, and guide the physical, moral, cultural and educa- tional development of the children of our Town who are our special and most important consideration.
Yours very truly,
ARCHIE T. MORRISON, Chairman, ALIDA N. STEVENS, Recording Secretary, HENRY D. HIGGINS, HOWARD B. BLEWETT, C. EARLE BESTICK, HAROLD R. QUIMBY.
105
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
January 8, 1940.
To the School Committee:
I present herewith, as Superintendent of Schools, my nineteenth annual report. Since this year 1940 is the Tercentenary for the Town of Braintree perhaps a brief and rather sketchy history of its School De- partment would not be out of place.
In 1885 Mr. J. T. Clarke, the first Superintendent of Schools for the Town of Braintree, was elected. Up to this time the School Commit- tee had administered the schools and had given them all the supervision they received. In 1837 Buffalo, New York and Louisville, Kentucky, each established the position of Superintendent of Schools, and these cities were the first municipalities in the Country to have such officers. In 1870 there were only 29 Superintendent of Schools in the whole Country, and today there are almost ten times that number in the State of Massachusetts alone. When Mr. Clarke began his work there were 638 children in the whole school system, whereas today with its 3800 there are nearly twice as many in the High School alone as there were at that time in the whole system. There is but one schoolhouse in use today which was in use when he began, and that is the Pond School, a wooden building built in 1873, where the School Committee rooms and Superintendent of Schools' office are now located. There are but two other wooden buildings, the Monatiquot built in 1892, and the Jonas Perkins built in 1894. The other buildings, 9 in number, 2 of which have had additions constructed making each more than twice their original size, are all brick buildings. The following table may be of interest to some:
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SCHOOL BUILDINGS
School
Material
Date
Rooms
Location
Pond
Wood
Sept. 1873
3
Monatiquot
Wood
Sept.
1892
9 & 3 small
Jonas Perkins
Wood
Sept.
1894
9 & 1 small
Penniman
Brick
Sept.
1900
5
Noah Torrey Grammar
Brick
Sept.
1905
8
Abraham Lincoln
Brick
Sept.
1910
6
Hollis
Brick
Sept.
1912
, 10 & 1 in basement
Thomas A. Watson
Brick
Jan.
1924
9 & 1 small
Noah Torrey Primary
Brick
Apr.
1926 8
Penniman Addition
Brick
Sept.
1927
6 Lost 1 from old building
High School
Brick
Sept.
1927
21 Plus
538 Washington St.
see next page
Abraham Lincoln Addition
Brick
Apr.
1930
7 & 1 small-lost 2 from old building
Highlands
Brick
Sept.
1930
11 & 1 small
Penniman Addition
Brick
Sept.
1931
2
Josephine B. Colbert
Brick
Apr. ยท 1938
2
1007 Washington St. 647 Washington St.
218 Commercial St. 71 Cleveland Ave. 90 Pond St. 180 Hobart St. 482 Washington St.
197 Quincy Avenue 74 Pond
71 Cleveland Ave.
180 Hobart St.
144 Wildwood Ave. 71 Cleveland Ave. 348 Pond Street
107
1
All buildings except the Pond and Josephine B. Colbert have audi- toriums, and the Abraham Lincoln has 2 auditoriums. At the High School in addition to the 21 Home Rooms is to be found Auditorium, Gymnasium, Boys' Shower and Dressing rooms, Girls' Shower and Dress- ing rooms, Drawing room, Cooking room, Sewing room, 2 Typewriting rooms, Physics laboratory, Chemical laboratory, Lecture room, Cafeteria, and Library.
The only building without reasonably adequate storage for fuel is the Abraham Lincoln School, and with a reasonable sum of money this situation could be remedied. Adequate storage facilities for fuel in schoolhouses is apt to be most important. All wooden buildings, and the Hollis and Penniman Schools are provided with sprinkler systems installed since 1937.
When one notices the dates when the various buildings were con- structed, the fact that the Town has on January first 1940 $148,000.00 in outstanding school bonds should not be any surprise. The surprise is that in 1944 the last of the now outstanding school bonds will all have been retired as follows: Noah Torrey Primary in 1940, High and Penni- man addition in 1941, Thomas A. Watson in 1942, and the Highlands and Abraham Lincoln addition in 1944.
Since the election of the first Superintendent of Schools in Sep- tember 1885 there have been but eight others, including the writer, and here are their names with the dates of their assuming office:
Charles L. Hunt
July 1887
C. W. Fearing
Sept. 1889
Irving W. Horne
Aug. 1892
J. A. MacDougall
Sept. 1902
John C. Anthony
July 1906
Ralph L. Wiggin
Oct. 1909
Clarence N. Flood
Sept. 1918
C. Edward Fisher
Oct. 1921
In 1917 the Hollis Field Association was organized and this organ- ization through band concerts and other means made it possible to have a Band Stand which was built on Hollis School Grounds, and a Tonic Booth which was built on the Hollis Field, which is a public playground. This Hollis Field is utilized as the athletic field for High School activities since the opening of the High School in September 1927. It would be a fine thing if the Town could in some way find it possible to lay out a running track on this field.
In the school year of 1923-1924 three school physicians were elected by the School Committee. Previous to this time there had been one school physician, but he was appointed by the Board of Health under whose direction he worked and not under the direction of the School Department.
In the school year of 1922-1923 Instrumental Music was introduced into our schools with the part-time service of an instructor, but it was not until February 1936 that the work was put on a full-time basis.
In the school year of 1923-1924 was the first time that the High School Principal was provided with the much needed services of a secre- tary, and it was not until the school year of 1920-1921 that the Superin- tendent of Schools had a secretary. and now at least 2 are needed, but as yet they are not provided.
108
In the school year of 1926-1927 Physical Education was introduced into our schools by the appointment of a man, and the following year the work was extended by the appointment of a woman also, and these two people did the work in our grade schools and in the High School. In the school year of 1938-1939 another man and women were appointed to do the work of Physical Education in the grades, thus relieving the teachers whom we had for this work and making it possible for them to spend their entire time in the High School.
After a long time spent by the School Committee in a study of the Rules and Regulations of many different school systems a set was adopt- ed in February 1932, and the same printed in book form. This set of Rules and Regulations has proven most valuable.
In September 1936 the practice was instituted of having a compe- tent person come to our schools shortly after the opening and examine all under-aged children whose parents had expressed a desire for such an examination. The expense incurred is met by the Town, and this way of doing seems to be more satisfactory to the public than that previously pursued for the family to take the child out to Harvard College for the examination which had to be paid for by the family.
In the school year of 1922-1923 a man was elected to look after all general repairs in our schools, and the same man is still with us. There is no doubt but what this action explains the relatively high standards maintained in connection with the physical condition of our plant, and if it were not for the improvements and betterments annually made we would also show a relatively low per pupil cost for maintenance.
In the school year of 1929-1930 it was found possible to abolish the Continuation School, and it has not since been necessary to re- establish it.
In the school year of 1925-1926 three teachers were elected to give special attention to retarded children, and they spent their time in different buildings, but in the school year of 1934-1935 they were definitely assigned to the Abraham Lincoln, Hollis and Noah Torrey schools, and classes definitely organized for full-time work, which was a decided improvement over the previous practice.
In the school year of 1935-1936 the School Dental Clinic, which formerly had been conducted by The Friendly Aid Society but which had been discontinued for several years, was re-established by the Board of Health with the Superintendent of Schools organizing and supervis- ing the work which is now conducted full-time on all school days through- out the year successively at the various buildings.
In 1923 nine house lots on the Northern side of Brow Avenue were purchased to increase the area of the Monatiquot School grounds, and this building which had formerly housed the High School was organized into a grade unit with the opening of the High School in September 1927. In March 1939 a house lot on the Southern side of Western Avenue was purchased to give access to these Monatiquot School grounds for children coming from the North without the necessity of going down on to Washington Street.
Ever since the Spring of 1933, six years, extensive work has been constantly carried on through Federal Government aid (Projects) in very materially improving school grounds at the Abraham Lincoln, Thomas A. Watson, Jonas Perkins, Hollis, Monatiquot, Pond and High- lands schools. In 1927 and 1932 additional land was purchased South of the Penniman School building with the frontage on Cleveland Avenue, back to the river. At the Penniman School not only have the grounds
/
109
been improved but the area for playground purposes has been very much enlarged by utilizing the excavated material in the construction of the Union Street under-pass for fill, building a heavy and extensive retain- ing wall and fencing in the grounds with a wire fence. These Penniman School grounds were completed in the early Spring of 1939. At the Monatiquot School grounds extensive fill was provided by material taken from Washington Street when it was resurfaced and widened in 1925. In 1922 land at the corner of Pond Street and Fairview Avenue was purchased to increase playground area on Noah Torrey School grounds. At the Highlands School the grounds were cleared, filled and graded, and the stone boundary walls at each side of the grounds completed in 1939.
It was not until 1923 that the movement was started of providing electric lights in all classrooms, and this work was completed in 1926.
In the school year of 1922-1923 a course in Health and Hygiene was introduced into the grade schools with uniform text books through- out, and in all cases since that date whenever an adoption of a text book has been made it has been made uniform for all grades throughout the Town.
Following is a list of the last basic adoptions in the various sub- jects, with dates of the same:
Spelling Newlon-Hanna Speller- Grades I to VIII
June 1935
Arithmetic
Strayer-Upton Practical Arith- metic-Grades III to VIII
Dec. 1934
Practical Days with Numbers- Mar. 1935
Grade II
Reading
Elson-Gray Readers-Grades I Oct. 1933
to IV
Prose and Poetry-Grades V to VIII
Dec. 1938
History
Scribner Series-Grades III to VIII
Nov. 1939
Geography
Atwood-Thomas Series- Grades IV to VIII
Oct. 1934
Music
Music Education Series- Grades I to VIII
Oct. 1926
Penmanship
Palmer-Penmanship-Grades I to VIII Health and Growth Series- Grades III to VIII
Prior to 1915 Date unknown June 1935
Health (or Physi-
ology and Hygiene)
Daily Life Language Series- June 1935
Grades II - VII and VIII
June 1935
Language (Grammar)
Thinking, Speaking and Writ- ing-Grades III to VI
In 1934 room libraries were established in all grades 1 to 4 inclu- sive with about 30 titles and 3 copies of each, and just this last Fall for the first time has it been possible, for financial reasons, to establish room libraries in grades 5 to 8 inclusive, a thing which for ten years every effort has been made to bring about. Now we find it possible to have only about 15 titles in each room, and several titles for reference work with but one copy, and in other cases 3 copies.
With all the improvements and advances made in our schools it would naturally be felt by many, perhaps, that the cost per pupil must have risen to an unreasonable point, but an examination of the follow- ing table of facts, all but the last column being taken from the State Department of Education reports, will show quite the opposite-the cost per pupil has been reduced.
110.
COST PER PUPIL
State Braintree Braintree Average 1927-1928 1937-1938 1937-1938
Braintree 1939
General Control
$ 2.62
$ 2.21
$ 3.75
$ 2.13
Salaries of Teachers
60.71
62.32
72.45
63.55
Text Books
1.64
2.14
1.33
1.80
Supplies
4.14
3.34
2.75
2.37
Operation of Plant
9.03
8.46
11.04
7.82
Repairs and Upkeep
3.34
3.97
3.58
3.98
School Libraries
.52
.17
.15
.31
Health
.89
.77
1.65
.74
Transportation
3.45
2.63
2.73
2.38
Tuition
1.25
1.47
1.04
1.49
Miscellaneous
.70
.63
.79
.51
TOTAL
$88.29
$88.11
$101.26
$87.08
The school year of 1927-1928 was selected because that was the first year in the High School Building. By taking the school year of 1937-1938 it is just a decade later, and it so happens that these statis- tics from the State Department of Education are, at this time, the latest available. The figures in the last column were determined by taking the expenditures in 1939 and dividing by the average membership in our schools for the school year of 1938-1939, which are of course the latest available figures for this particular fact.
In September 1933 the system was reorganized so that instead of having a man as a supervising principal of each building the Town was organized into 3 districts with a supervising Principal for each district- East, North and South-and in each building a cadet teacher whose duties would be to attend to the office work, substitute for teachers in cases of absence on account of sickness, give special attention to small groups of children needing it, and gradually familiarize themselves with the system to be the better prepared to fill a vacancy as a regular classroom teacher when the opportunity arose for such an appointment. Each District Principal with this organization has from 32 to 35 teachers to supervise. The High School Principal has 43 teachers to supervise.
A slight change was made in the organization of our schools with their opening last September. Each District Principal was given a secretary trained for office work and these secretaries were assigned to the Thomas A. Watson School for the East District, the Hollis School for the North District, and the Highlands School for the South District, but each of the other schools still retained cadet teachers. Each Dis- trict Principal, however, has the authority and privilege of utilizing the services of secretaries and cadet teachers, temporarily, at any building within his district, as situations may arise making it seem advisable to so do.
Resignations numbered but 5 with the closing of schools, and as 3 vacancies occurred among our cadet teachers this presented the oppor- tunity for the appointment of secretaries. Four cadet teachers were appointed to teaching positions. One teacher with several years of experience, a resident of this Town, was also appointed to a teaching position, and 1 additional teacher was necessarily appointed to the High School because of increased enrollment, and a grade teacher was trans- ferred to the High School to fill a vacancy caused by a resignation. Some transfers were necessary to provide appointments to assistant principalships. All these new names to our personnel means, however, only 2 High School teachers, 1 Grade teacher, 4 Cadet teachers, and 3
111
secretaries. In considering the change in personnel the unfortunate death of Miss Helen A. Hadden, the first grade teacher at the Monatiquot School as the result of an automobile accident on her way home from the Pacific Coast after a summer's trip, should be noted as by her per- sonality, ability and character she had endeared herself through her years of service to many children and their parents, and to her associates also, by her cheery and genial manner. She is missed but not forgotten.
The results of Dr. Lincoln's examination of under-aged children for admission to school, are shown by the following table:
Kindergarten First Grade Examined Admitted Rejected Examined Admitted Rejected
East District 21
16
5
8
5
3
North District 10
9
1
4
4
0
South District 13
12
1
3
0
3
-
44
37
7
15
9
6
These examinations are conducted shortly after the opening of school in September.
During the summer of 1939 the usual service was rendered in the removal of tonsils, 26 cases being treated.
In the Dental Clinic this last year it was possible to do more work because of increase in funds available. 2835 operations were per- formed at a net cost to the Town of $1,790.48.
Standardized Tests have on many different occasions in the last twenty years been conducted in our schools, and beginning three years ago a definite organized plan for testing was put into practice, so that with the class entering the High School next September there will be accumulated data pertaining to each pupil which should prove to be of great value in more efficient placement and guidance work in the High School. The testing program is as follows:
In October of each year
Pre-Reading Tests in Grade I I. Q. Tests in Grades II, IV and VI Diagnostic Tests in Reading and Arithmetic in Grade VIII
In May of each year Achievement Tests in Grades III, V, VI and VIII
Because of the survey report on our schools which is being prepared it is unnecessary to make any recommendations at this time, for I feel sure that those recommendations which may be made will be sufficiently far-reaching, and of such magnitude, that if they are carried out the community is quite likely to find that the task confronting them will not be completed in any short space of time, nor without large expenditures. I trust that it will not be too big a load, and that it may be distributed over a period of time not too long.
The reports following are worthy of attention from those who are interested in our schools, and I heartily recommend them to your at- tention.
To my associates, thank you.
Respectfully submitted,
C. EDWARD FISHER.
112
REPORT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
January 2, 1940.
Mr. C. Edward Fisher
Superintendent of Schools
Braintree, Massachusetts
Dear Sir:
Herewith is submitted my report for the High School.
Below is the comparison between registration figures for the year to date with those of a year ago:
December, 1939 Boys Girls
December, 1938
Boys
Girls
Both
Post Graduates
7
21
28
7
25
32
Seniors
95
124
219
88
116
204
Juniors
123
137
260
122
141
263
Sophomores
128
146
274
136
142
278
Freshmen
137
159
296
129
148
277
All
490
587
1077
482
572
1054
This shows a slight loss in Post Graduates, Juniors and Sophomores and a substantial gain in Seniors and Freshmen. The latter class, which has held fairly consistent for several years is, at 296, the largest in the history of the school.
The total membership of last year was 1069, with a percentage of attendance of 95.55. Transfers from other schools will bring our total registration to nearly 1100 before the end of this year.
A class of 193 graduated last June, again the largest in the history of the school, showing an increase, in twenty years, from under forty to this high point, and this senior class should graduate well over 200.
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