USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Chelmsford > Town annual report of Chelmsford 1932 > Part 10
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ARTICLE 10. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate Three Thousand Dollars or some other sum for the purpose of reconstructing Middlesex Street, Three Thousand Dollars to be contributed by the Commonwealth and Three Thousand Dollars to be contributed by the County for said reconstruction; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 11. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum sufficient to pay the County of Middlesex as required by law, the Town's share of the net cost of care, maintenance, and repair of the Middlesex County Tuberculosis Hospital and for care and treatment of tubercular patients up to June 30, 1932 under Acts of 1928, Chapter 385 as amended by Acts of 1931, Chapter 60 including interest or discount on temporary notes issued therefor as assessed in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 111 of the General Laws and Acts in amendment thereof and in addition thereto; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 12. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate Seventy-five Dollars or some other sum for the pur- pose of defraying ambulance service ; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 13. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Selectmen to sell a motor cycle now used by the Police De- partment ; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 14. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of Two Hundred Thirty-six Dollars or some other sum for the purpose of purchasing a new motor cycle for the Police Department and to authorize and empower the Selectmen to make such contract; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 15. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate Seventy and 45/100 ($70.45) Dollars for the purpose of defraying the repair bill on a motor cycle used by the Police Department ; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 16. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of One Hundred Dollars or some other sum for the purpose of defraying the salary of a Fish and Game Warden; or act in relation thereto.
175
ARTICLE 17. To see if the Town will vote to sell to the West- lands Improvement Association, Inc., for the sum of Two Hundred ($200) Dollars or some other sum a certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon known as the Golden Cove School House. Said lot contains about one-half an acre of land and is situated on the westerly side of the Old Middlesex Road, now called Stedman Street.
ARTICLE 18. To see if the Town will vote to sell a certain parcel of land situated on the northerly side of Middlesex Street in that part of Chelmsford called North Chelmsford containing 11,636.83 square feet and more particularly de- scribed in a plan of land entitled "Plan of Land in North Chelmsford Belonging to Ella J. and Joseph D. Ryan, Scale 10 feet to an inch, April 1915, by F. W. Huntington, C. E." Said plan is recorded with Middlesex North District Registry of Deeds, Book of Plans 47, Plan 6. The aforesaid land was purchased from Walter N. Marinel by the Town on June 12, 1925 for the purpose of establishing a fire house on said property ; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 19. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of Seventy-two and 50/100 ($72.50) Dollars for the purpose of paying to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston for land damages incurred in the re-location of Riverneck Road; or act in relation thereto.
AND YOU ARE DIRECTED to serve this Warrant, by posting attested copies thereof at the Post Offices in the Centre of the Town, South Chelmsford, North Chelmsford and West Chelmsford and at the School House, East Chelmsford and the Golden Cove School House, Westlands, seven days at least before the time appointed for holding the first meeting aforesaid.
HEREOF FAIL NOT, and make return of this Warrant, with your doings thereon to the Town Clerk, at the time and place of holding this meeting aforesaid.
Given under our hands this twenty-third day of January in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty-three.
FRANK J. LUPIEN, Chairman ROYAL SHAWCROSS JAMES A. GRANT Selectmen of Chelmsford.
176
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
AND THE
Superintendent of Schools OF CHELMSFORD, MASS.
FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31 1932
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
EDWARD B. RUSSELL, Chairman Term Expires 1933 Chelmsford.
JAMES P. CASSIDY, Secretary Term Expires 1934 North Chelmsford.
JOHN A. MCADAMS, Term Expires 1935 Westlands
SUPERINTENDENT
GEORGE S. WRIGHT, A.B. Office in McFarlin School Chelmsford.
SCHOOL PHYSICIANS
ARTHUR G. SCOBORIA, M.D. Chelmsford FRED E. VARNEY, M.D. North Chelmsford
SCHOOL NURSE
( MRS.) MAE S. LEWIS, R.N.
Office in McFarlin School
ATTENDANCE OFFICERS
WINSLOW GEORGE Chelmsford RALPH G. HULSLANDER North Chelmsford
SCHOOL CALENDAR
The school year is divided into a fall term ending at the Christmas vacation, and three terms after the holidays.
Fall term from September 7, 1932 to December 23, 1932. Second term from January 3, 1933 to February 17, 1933. Third term from February 27, 1933 to April 14, 1933.
Fourth term from April 24, 1933 to June 23, 1933.
Eighth grade graduation at Chelmsford Center, June 15, 1933.
Eighth grade graduation at North Chelmsford, June 16, 1933.
High school graduation June 21, 1933.
The school year of 1933-1934 will open on Wednesday, September 6, 1933.
NO SCHOOL SIGNAL
In case of extremely bad storms or of roads dangerous because of ice, a signal for no school is given on the fire alarms at the Center. North, West, South, and East, three blasts, repeated three times. When given at 7.15 there are no sessions for the day. The signal at 11.15 indicates no afternoon session for the grades.
2
TEACHERS
The table shows the teachers at the beginning of the school year 1932-1933, the position held, the date when service in Chelmsford began, and the institutions in which they prepared.
HIGH SCHOOL
Lucian H. Burns, A.M., Principal. Sept., 1930. University of New Hamp- shire, Columbia.
C. Edith McCarthy, Vice-Principal, Commercial, Sept., 1923, Salem Normal.
F. Christine Booth, B.A., Latin, Math., Sept., 1927, Colby.
Hilda B. Dunigan, B.S.E .. Commercial, Sept., 1928, Salem Normal.
Anna B. Monahan, B.S.S., English, Sept., 1928, Boston University.
Daisy B. MacBrayne, A.B., English, Sept., 1929, Boston University.
Procter P. Wilson, B.S., Science, Feb., 1930, M. I. T.
George R. Knightly, A.B., Social Science, Sept., 1930, Aurora.
Morris L. Budnick, A.B., Math., Science, Sept., 1930, Tufts.
Mildred K. Libby, A.B., History, Sept. 1931, Wheaton.
Mildred L. Wells, A,B., English, Math., Sept., 1931, Boston University.
Dorothy F. Gay, A.B., French, Sept., 1932, Wheaton.
McFARLIN
Louis O. Forrest, Principal, VIII, Sept., 1926, Gorham Normal.
(Mrs.) Eva L. Dobson, VII, Nov., 1919, Plymouth Normal.
M. Beryl Rafuse, VI, Sept., 1920, Truro Normal.
Helena B. Lyon, V, Sept., 1920, North Adams Normal.
Louise E. Cummings, VI-VII, Sept., 1931, Lowell Normal.
Emily Hehir, IV, Sept., 1928, Lowell Normal.
Mayme G. Trefry, III, Sept., 1921, Truro Normal.
Myrtle Greene, II, Sept., 1928, Lowell Normal.
Mary D. McEnaney, I, Sept., 1928, Lowell Normal.
EAST .
Harry Y. Hilyard, Principal, VII-VIII, Sept., 1930, Gorham Normal. (Mrs.) Jessie F. Brown, V-VI, April, 1930, Boston University.
Mildred G. Perry, III-IV, Sept., 1931, Lowell Normal.
Gladys G. Mooney, I-II, Sept., 1931, Lowell Normal.
HIGHLAND AVENUE
Harry J. Kane, B.S., in Education, Principal, VII-VIII, Sept., 1929, Bridgewater Normal.
Viola Mellen, V-VI, Sept., 1931, Lowell Normal.
Lottie M. Agnew, III-IV, Sept., 1923, Lowell Normal.
Gertrude P. Henderson I-II, Sept., 1932, Lowell Normal.
PRINCETON STREET
Gertrude A. Jones, Principal, VIII, Sept., 1899, Salem Normal. Ella A. Hutchinson, VII, Sept., 1905, Framingham Normal.
3
( Mrs.) Elsa Reid, VI, Sept., 1922, Lowell Normal. *May D. Sleeper, V, March, 1907, Chelmsford High and Extension Course. ( Mrs.) Lilla B. McPherson, IV, Sept., 1920, Framingham Normal. Genevieve E. Jantzen, III, Sept., 1911, Lowell Normal. Helen C. Osgood, II, Sept., 1921, Lowell Normal. Catherine J. MeTeague, I, Sept., 1927, Lowell Normal. Ann G. Murphy, V, Substitute.
QUESSY
V. John Rikkola, Principal, VII-VIII, Sept., 1930, Salem Normal. Bertha H. Long, V-VI, April, 1896, Salem Normal. Edith M. Grant, III-IV, April, 1925, Salem Normal. Jane E. McEnaney, I-1I, Sept., 1926, Lowell Normal.
SOUTH
Mary H. Ryan, IV-V-VI, Sept., 1930, Lowell Normal. Hazel R. Young, I-II-III, Sept., 1930, Lowell Normal.
SOUTH ROW Gladys Harrington, I-II-III-IV, Sept., 1931, Lowell Normal.
WESTLANDS
H. Jean Rafuse, Principal, VII-VIII, Sept., 1920, Martin's Point, N. S High School.
Vera G. Rafuse, V-VI, Sept., 1921, Truro Normal.
( Mrs.) Charlotte K. Duffy, III-IV, April., 1925, Lowell Normal.
(Mrs.) Marion S. Adams, I-II, Jan., 1928, Lowell Normal.
SUPERVISOR
Charlotte L. Hyde, Music. Oct., 1927, Lowell Normal.
TRANSPORTATION
George W. Marinel, North Chelmsford.
JANITORS
High School, C. O. Robbins, Chelmsford Center. McFarlin, Otis Brown, South Chelmsford: East, Bernard MeLaughlin, East Chelmsford. Highland Avenue, Edward Fallon, North Chelmsfordl. Princeton Street, John Mattson, North Chelmsford. Quessy, John Boutilier, West Chelmsford. South, E. Dyer Harris, South Chelmsford. South Row, Mrs. Hildur Smith, Chelmsford Center. Westlands, ¡Charles Stearns, Chelmsford Center. Westlands, E. Berg, Westlands.
*On leave of absence.
¡Deceased.
1
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
We herewith submit the following as the report of your school com- mittee for the year 1932.
It is advisable to direct your attention mainly, to the outstanding de- velopments in the conduct and management of your schools for the past year and secondarily, to their everyday problems.
The enrollment of 375 pupils at the High School is the largest ever. The school enrollment has doubled in the past seven years. The physical handicap under which the teachers and pupils labor, together with the limited curriculum that it is possible to offer, is clearly and forcibly set forth in Supt. Wright's report of 1931. It makes a combination of undesirable conditions that voters should give thought and study to. This entire matter was surveyed by a special committee in 1931, but because of economic con- ditions, no headway was made.
The enrollment at the Westland School continues to tax the capacity of the building and creates a crowded condition in the class rooms. By changing a few pupils to the McFarlin School this problem has been tem- porarily remedied.
As the residential and school population grows and shifts, it becomes very obvious that the location of the Quessy School is most unfortunate and a source of constant extra expense to the town.
Our teaching staff remains practically of the same personnel as last year, but three resignations and new appointments having been made. We believe that we have as fine a teaching corps as the best, and better than communities that allow politics to enter into the school system.
The matter of transportation came to the fore this past summer as the original contract with Mr. Marinel expired. A new contract was entered into with him to run for a three year period, under still more favorable conditions for the town than the previous contract. The cost of transpor- tation under the present contract is $850.00 less each year than under the old contract, and the town now receives the use of an additional bus. We doubt if all the citizens are aware of the efficient manner in which Mr. Marinel handles this work. It is a big job done quickly and well with modern equipment and competent men and with all possible security and safety to the pupils.
The no school bell signal and the question of the policy governing its use has arisen this past year, prompted to some extent by an un- usually rainy fall season. Your Committee has tried to consider all the aspects of this matter in order to establish a workable rule governing the use of the no school signal. In this town over one-third of all pupils are transported by school busses from points quite near their homes directly to the school doors. Others are brought by private machines. In view of this large number of pupils going to school by motor vehicle, all committees in recent years have held that if the roads are safe for travel at 7:15 A. M. the schools will keep open. By following this rule, we have observed that we average a greater percentage of correct decisions than if we tried to decide the probable duration of each storm on the appearances of the weather at 7:15 A. M.
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Death has taken Mr. Charles E. Stearns, janitor of the Westland School, and we pay our respects to his faithfulness. Mr. E. Berg was chosen for the position. People knowing his character and capabilities ap- preciate our good fortune in placing the care of this property in his hands. As with our teachers, our janitors are worthy of your hearty commen- dation.
The Americanization classes at North Chelmsford and East Chelms- ford have been discontinued for the present school year due to the fact that too few people attended the classes to justify the expenditure.
We wish to bring to your attention the amount of fire insurance carried on our various buildings. Policies of $30,000 each are carried on the Quessy and East Chelmsford Schools. Fire loss to any other town owned buildings would be covered only to the extent of the sum of money in the sinking fund. At the present time there is approximately $35,000.00 in this fund. This amount would' be obviously insufficient in case of the loss of the McFarlin School or the High School.
Expenditures for repairs were kept as low as possible, and little except absolutely essential work was undertaken. Repairs to plumbing in all build- ings cost $367; to heating plants, $607; to roofs $188; to masonry, $45; to electrical equipment $165; window shades cost $94; paint, varnish, oil, etc., used by janitors, $225; replacement of furniture, $102; walks built by Highway Department $258; floors, doors, windows, etc., about $250. Near the end of the year the Welfare Department began grading about the Quessy, Princeton St., and South Chelmsford schools. Material, truck- ing, and supervision for this work cost $142, the labor coming from the Welfare Department. More work of this nature is contemplated under the same arrangement.
Our policy of maintenance of buildings, by having one or two interior or exterior paint jobs done yearly was suspended during 1932 in the in- terest of current economy. As has been pointed out in previous years school buildings are subject to hard usage and maintenance of your buildings at approximately two-thirds of 1 per cent of their appraised value is a low average rate.
The purchase of bottled water and of ice for the East and South Row Schools, because of the condemning of the previous sources of supply, has put a comparatively small but constant extra expense upon us for the past two years.
We are indeed fortunate in receiving the support and assistance of the various Parent-Teachers' Associations, and of numerous public-spirited individuals, who by their co-operation in the many activities of the differ- ent schools have made the year of 1932 truly a successful one for the department.
EDWARD B. RUSSELL, JAMES P. CASSIDY, JOHN A. McADAMS.
6
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT
To the School Committee :
Herewith is submitted my fifth annual report, the 59th in the series. together with reports of the Principal of the High School, the Music Su- pervisor, and the Nurse, all of which I endorse. Attention is called at the start to reports of preceding years, especially to that of-1930. in which a rather complete analysis of school expenditures was made. Since the most pressing problem of the moment is to reduce the cost of government, a further study of school finances is now in order. The report of 1930 should be read in connection with this one.
Schools constitute the most expensive department of local government everywhere. But while the total cost is large, an analysis of expenditures on a unit basis shows a cost which is surprisingly small. To illustrate, for the school year ending June 30, 1932 the Chelmsford schools cost $103,436.32. There were 1514 pupils in average membership. Dividing total cost by this number gives for the per pupil cost $68.32 for the year. The schools were in session 178 days, which makes the cost per pupil for each day only 38 cents. For that small amount per pupil buildings are kept in sanitary and comfortable condition ; books, paper, pencils are furnished; trained teachers are provided; and nearly a third of the pupils are carried to and from school. The wonder is that so much can be done. Surely no one would dis- pute the point that when school expenditures are being considered, the unit cost, or per pupil cost, is the figure to keep in mind.
On that basis Chelmsford has one of the least expensive school sys- tems in the Commonwealth. I ask that careful consideration be given the following comparison, the figures for which are from the published reports of the department of Education, Statistics of the Public Schools. The costs include the expenditures for support of all public schools-day, evening, and vacation-but do not include expenditures on account of state-aided vocational education, continuation schools, Americanization classes, or for outlay (new grounds and buildings, new equipment, etc.).
The first column gives the year, ending Dec. 31st; the second the num- ber of pupils in average membership in the schools of Chelmsford; column 3 gives the total cost and column 4 the cost per pupil in Chelmsford; col- 1mn 5 the cost per pupil in the towns of above 5000 in population; and column 6 the cost per pupil in the entire state. Beginning with 1914, the data are given at four year intervals to 1926, and for every year thereafter.
'Read the table as follows: In 1914, Chelmsford had 921 pupils in average membership, and the schools cost $34,556.92, making the cost per pupil $37.52. In the same year the cost per pupil in the towns of 5000 population was $35.71, and for the state $40.41.
1.
2.
3.
4. $37.52
5. $35.71
6.
1914
921
$34,556.92
$40.41
1918
962
52,200.60
53.59
46.59
50.94
1922
1120
93,804.41
83.75
76.02
80.35
7
1926
1294
99,128 27
76.61
85.13
92.77
1927
1340
98,419.42
73.45
87.53
96.72
1928
1333
97,451.99
73.17
89.61
98.15
1929
1382
101,364.01
73.35
91.91
100.50
1930
103,097.10
71.30
92.30
100 82
1931
1514
105,451.74
69.65
93.11
100.38
1932
1550*
101,341.07
65.38
* estimated.
The peak of school costs on the unit basis was reached in Chelmsford in 1922, when it was $83.75. Since that time the trend has been downward, to $69.65 in 1931, and to about $65.38 in 1932. In the 83 towns of group Il (towns over 5000) and in the state, costs increased up to 1931. Had Chelmsford spent on each child in school in 1931 what the towns of group 11 spent in that year, our schools would have cost approximately $141,000 instead of $105,452. The statistics show beyond the shadow of a doubt that extreme economy has been practiced in the operation of the local schools. There are just ten towns in the entire state which show a lower unit cost for 1931. In normal times I would use these same figures as an argument for giving the children of Chelmsford educational opportunities they do not now have. In these days of heavy tax burdens they are presented to establish the fact that we are already down to the danger line: any further diminution in financial support will inevitably seriously damage the whole school structure.
A study of the local valuation, appropriations, tax rate, etc. of ten years ago as compared with the present is enlightening. If you will take the re- port of 1922 from your files you will find that the town's assessed vali- ation was $6,707,940; appropriations for town government at regular and special meetings $179,147.97; and the tax rate $34.00 per $1000. Appropria- tions for support of schools and for improvements on buildings and grounds amounted to $96,875, which was 54 per cent of the total sum appropriated. The high school employed nine teachers for 184 students, a teacher for every 20 students. The elementary schools had 1090 pupils and 32 teachers, a teacher for every 34 pupils. There were two supervisors, for music and for drawing.
In 1932 the valuation of the town was $6,606,090; appropriations at the regular and special town meetings amounted to $248,034.32; the tax rate was $35.80 per $1000. Appropriations for school amounted to $104,100, which was 42 per cent of the total for all purposes. There were 12 teachers em- ployed in the High school for 376 students, a teacher for every 31. In the grades there were 1258 pupils and 36 teachers, a teacher for every 35 pu- pils. One supervisor was employed, for music.
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One other table of costs is given in order to show how the different items in our school budget compare with those in the towns of 5000 pop- ulation (group IF) and in the state. Read the table as follows: The cost of administration, the overhead cost, in Chelmsford for the year ending June 30, 1932 was $4,340.61, making the cost per pupil $2.87. In towns of group HI the cost was $3.22 and in the state $3.78.
S
Total Cost
Cost per pupil
Group 11.
State
Administration
$ 4,340 61
$ 2.87
$ 3.22
$ 3.78
Teachers
64,983.98
42.92
63.69
69.89
Textbooks and supplies
4,474.3.1
2.96
4.36
4.22
Operation
13,935.66
9.20
10.22
10.48
Repairs
3,761.68
2.48
2.90
4 58
Libraries
136.50
.09
.15
.12
Health
2,349.00
1.55
1.51
1.61
Transportation
9,014.90
5.95
3.36
2.66
Miscellaneous
439.68
.30
1.32
1 85
Total
$ 103,436.32
$ 68.31
$ 90.73
$ 99.19
In this last table note that the particular items in which costs are strikingly low in Chelmsford are those included under instruction. Both in the salaries paid teachers and in the expenditure for textbooks, paper, pen- cils, laboratory supplies, etc. our unit costs are very decidely below the average of towns in our class and of the state. In addition to this, it should be noted that since last August the contributions of teachers and superin- tendent to the town's Welfare Department have amounted to $1294.18. The school physicians contributed $45.00. A downward revision of salary schedules is being made in a number of cities and towns, either by actual cutting of salaries or by requiring that teachers contribute. The average cost of teaching on a unit hasis, as shown above, is over 50 per cent more in the towns of group Il and in the state than the cost in Chelmsford. In most of the communities in which cuts are being made in teachers' salaries, the five or ten or even twenty per cent deduction can be made and the salaries still remain larger than our teachers now receive.
The only way to improve schools is to bring about improvement in teaching service and in teaching conditions. In the endeavor to better ser- vice the superintendents of the wealthier towns and cities are constantly on the search for successful teachers as candidates for positions in their school systems. Here is where a low schedule of salaries works injury to a town. In the long run teaching service will suffer if schedules are not maintained on a par with other places of the same class. Last summer, owing to con- solidations being effected everywhere, very few positions were open. We lost only one teacher to another town, Miss Walter going to Melrose. In normal times we may expect to lose from five to ten cach year in this way. Two other resignations were received, Miss Buckley, who had taught since 1926 at Highland Avc. and the McFarlin School, resigning to be married. and Miss Dewire, at Princeton St. and Highland Ave., since 1921, because of ill health.
For the French position Miss Dorothy Gay, a graduate of Wheaton in 1932, was engaged. Miss Trefry was transferred from Westlands to Mc- Farlin School. Miss Gertrude P. Henderson was engaged for the 1st and 2nd grade room at Highland Ave., and Mrs. Charlotte K. Duffy for the 3dl and 4th grades at the Westlands. Both are graduates of Lowell State Teachers College, and both had been employed as substitute teachers last
9
year. Mrs. Duffy had had two years of experience in Chelmsford previous to 1927. Miss May D. Sleeper, who had taught at Princeton St., since 1907, was out most of last year because of ill health, and her leave of absence was extended last September. Miss Ann G. Murphy, a graduate of Lowell in 1931, has been acting as substitute.
Tribute should be paid the teachers for carrying on this year under adverse conditions without the slightest loss in morale. Although in the entire town on October Ist there was an elementary teacher for every 35 pupils, the fact remains that some rooms were very badly crowded. It is impossible to distribute pupils evenly either by grades or by buildings. On October 1st there were eight rooms which had from 40 to 46 pupils cach. In one room at the Westlands and in one at McFarlin extra chair desks were set into the rooms until literally there was not room for one single pupil more in either room.
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