USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Chelmsford > Town annual report of Chelmsford 1933 > Part 7
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ARTICLE 15. To see if the Town will vote to accept Twist Road as laid out by the Selectmen as shown by their report and plan duly filed in the office of the Town Clerk; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 16. In the event of an affirmative vote un- der ARTICLE 15, to see if the Town will vote to
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raise and appropriate Two Hundred Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of grading and repairing Twist Road; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 17. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of defraying the salary of the Fish and Game Warden; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 18. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Seven Hundred Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of purchasing an automobile truck for the Forest Fire Department; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 19. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twenty-five Dollars for the purpose of paying a claim for land damages to John J. Gallagher, for land seized on the Riverneck Road; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 20. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twenty-five Dollars for the purpose of settling property and personal injury claim of William H. Davis ; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 21. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Four Hundred Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of defraying the expense of concerts to be rendered by the Chelms- ford Band; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 22. To see if the Town will vote to request the Department of Corporations and Taxation division of accounts to make an audit of the Town of Chelms- ford accounts during the year 1934; or act in rela- tion thereto.
133
ARTICLE 2S. To see if the To will vote to raise and aftergetthe the sum of Four Thousand Dollars, or some other sam, for the purpose of reconstrucung Middlesex street, & similar amount to be contrib- med respectively by the Commonwealth and Down- ty of Middlesex: or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE DO To see if the Town
the sua Theosand Dol-
purpose of con- Supraing the North Road; & sim ar amount to be comtrittted by the Commonwealth and County of Middlesex: or ant in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 25. To see if the Town will vote to raise and aypropriate the sum of Twenty-fre Hundred Dol- LETS AT some other sum. for : purpose of par- THESE & pomer strayer for the Highway degam- art in relation thereto
ARTICLE DA. To see if the T rill vote to raise and Eggerpriate the sum of Fo Hundred and Thirty- Six Dollars for the purpose of paying the award of the court in the matter of the petition for land dam- Ages of Daniel V. Sullivan, et al: or att in relation
ARTICLE 2 To see if the Town will ode to raise and
One Hundred and Thirty-nine Dollars
the purpose of paying the award of the court in the matter of the petition for land damages of Manoel Melloc or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE DR. To see if the Town wil vote to raise and
oppmate the sum of One Hundred and Sixty-six DuClaes and Thirty-eight Cents to balance over draft ox Old Westford Brad Account; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 29. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Thousand Dollars for the purpose of grading, seeding and the installation of a drinking fountain and otherwise embellish the Common at the North Village; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 30. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Six Hundred Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of purchasing seats and furniture for use at the Town Hall at the North Village ; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 31. To see if the Town will vote to change the date of the Annual Town Meeting from the First Monday in February to the First Monday in March, beginning in the year 1935; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 32. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sufficient sum of money for the pur- pose of defraying the expense of foreclosing tax titles; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 33. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Five Thousand Four Hun- dred and Forty-six Dollars and Eighty-six Cents, ($5,446.86) for the purpose of balancing an over draft in the Outside Aid and Old Age Assistance Account; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 34. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Three Thousand Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of paying for tools, materials, equipment purchased and to be purchased to continue work under the Civil Works Administration projects; or act in relation thereto.
135
ARTICLE 35. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Fifty Dollars for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the local administrator of the Civil Works Administration; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 36. To see if the Town will vote to instruct and authorize the Selectmen to remove the water pump located near the Quessey School on School Street, West Chelmsford; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 37. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Four Thousand Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of aligning, grading and surfacing Stedman street from Chelmsford St. to the boundary line on said street between Chelms- ford and Lowell; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 38. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twelve Hundred Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of purchasing an automobile truck and the equipment incident thereto for use in the fire department; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 39. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Two Thousand Dollars, or some other sum, for the purpose of installing new lavatories in the new school building on Princeton street; or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 40. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Seven Hundred and Ninety- three Dollars and Ninety-five Cents ($793.95) to pay the County of Middlesex, as required by law, the Town's share of the net cost of the care, main- tenance, and repair of the Middlesex County Tuber- culosis Hospital, and for the Town's share of the expense under the provisions of Chapter 331 of the Acts of 1933, which provides for the settlement of
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certain claims of the Commonwealth against the Middlesex County Tuberculosis Hospital District, 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 take any action in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 41. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Assessors to use a certain amount of free cash to be applied in computing the 1934 Tax Rate, with the permission of the State Tax Commissioner; 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 War- rant, with your doings thereon to the Town Clerk at the time and place of holding this meeting aforesaid.
Given under our hands this twenty-fifth day of January in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty-four.
JAMES A. GRANT, FRANK J. LUPIEN, STEWART MacKAY, Selectmen of Chelmsford.
1.37
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND THE
Superintendent of Schools
OF CHELMSFORD, MASS.
For the School Year Ending December 31 1933
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
JAMES P. CASSIDY, Chairman ........ ...... Term Expires 1934 North Chelmsford
JOHN A. McADAMS, Financial Secretary ...... ...... Term Expires 1935 Westlands
RALPH A. BERG, Secretary
......... Term Expires 1936 Chelmsford
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 P. GEORGE Westlands
RALPH G. HULSLANDER North Chelmsford
SCHOOL CALENDAR
The school year is divided into a fall term ending at the Christmas vaca- tion, and three terms after the Holidays.
Fall term from September 6, 1933 to December 22, 1933.
Second term from January 2, 1934 to February 16, 1934.
Third term from February 26, 1934 to April 13, 1934.
Fourth term from April 23, 1934 to June 22, 1934.
The school year of 1934-1935 will open on Wednesday, September 5, 1934.
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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.
TEACHERS
The table shows the teachers at the beginning of the school year 1933-34, the position held, the date when service in Chelmsford began, and the institu- tions in which they prepared.
HIGH SCHOOL
Lucien H. Burns, A.M., Principal. Sept. 1930. University of New Hampshire. 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, 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.
John J. MacLaughlin, A.B .. English, Nov. 1933. Holy Cross.
McFARLIN
Louis O. Forrest, Principal, VIII, Sept. 1926, Gorham Normal.
(Mrs.) Eva L. Dobson, VII, Nov. 1919, Plymouth Normal. Louise E. Cummings, VII-VIII, Sept 1931, Lowell Normal. M. Beryl Rafuse, VI, Sept. 1920, Truro Normal. Helen B. Lyons, V, Sept. 1920, North Adams 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.
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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, Lowel! Normal.
Lottie M. Agnew, III-IV, Sept. 1923, Lowell Normal.
Gertrude P. Henderson, I-II, Sept. 1932, Lowell Normal. *Resigned, October, 1933.
PRINCETON STREET
*Gertrude A. Jones, Principal, VIII, Sept. 1899, Salem Normal. Ella A. Hutchinson, VII, Sept. 1905, Framingham Normal. (Mrs.) Elsa Reid, VI., Sept. 1922, Lowell Normal. Ann G. Murphy, V, Sept. 1932, Lowell Normal. (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. McTeague, I, Sept. 1927, Lowell Normal. *Deceased, November 5, 1933.
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-II, Sept. 1926, Lowell Normal.
SOUTH
Mary H. Ryan, IV-VI, Sept. 1930, Lowell Normal.
Hazel R. Young, I-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, Sept. 1932, Lowell Normal.
(Mrs.) Marion S. Adams, I-II, Jan. 1928, Lowell Normal.
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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 Mclaughlin, East Chelmsford. Highland Avenue, Edward Fallon, North Chelmsford. 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, E. Berg, Westlands.
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REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Herewith the report of your school committee for the year 1933.
ENROLLMENT
The enrollment in the schools in October of each of the last five years is shown on the following table :
1929
1930
1931
1932
193
1485
1487
1572
1634
1647
REGARDING FINANCES
The following table shows the school appropriations, expenditures, receipts from the State and other sources, and the net cost of the schools to the town for the last five years :
Year
Appropriation
Expenditure
Receipts
Net cost to Town
1929
101,650.00
101,121.43
12,778.19
88,343.24
1930
104,455.00
104,092.54
11,961.69
92,130.85
1931
106,650.00
106,364.54
9,934.42
96,430.12
1932
104,100.00
101,866.03
12,961.13
88,904.90
1933
98,115.00
97,530.39
22,799.18
74,731.21
FEDERAL LOANS
Your committee made a study of the possibility of procuring a loan from the federal government for the purpose of building an addition to the high school. Title II of the National Industrial Recovery Act appropriated money to be loaned to municipalities for public works expenditures and this legisla- tion provided that 30% of the cost of labor and materials on such public works should be paid by the federal government as a direct gift or grant to the municipality borrowing the money. Your committee was informed that the public works administration fixed the prices which should be paid to laborers and artisans and retained a sufficient amount of control over the do- ing of the work to make it difficult for the borrowing municipality to do the work in the manner in which it desired to have it done. It was the judgment of your committee that the 30% direct gift or grant was more than offset by the increased cost due to federal price fixing and federal red tape; that the town would be no better off borrowing money from the federal government than it would be borrowing from private sources; that unless the town is in a po- sition to borrow money from private bankers for the purpose of construction of an addition to the high school, the money should not be borrowed from the federal government.
REPAIRS
During the year 1933 your committee spent the sum of $3456.67 for re- pairs. This represents less than two-thirds of one per cent of the appraised
143
value of the school buildings in our care. The sum of $1500.00 to $2000.00 1s spent annually in making routine repairs. During 1933 the committee was able, out of its regular appropriation for repairs, to paint the East Chelmsford, South Chelmsford and West Chelmsford school buildings. The school depart- ment was fortunate in having the benefit of money given to the town by the fed- eral government under the Civil Works Administration. A large number of pro- jects are now in progress in our department under the direction of the Civil Works Administration; others have aleady been completed. Because the Civil Works Administration has not yet expended any money for materials it is necessary for the municipalities to buy them. The committee was able out of its appropriation for repairs, to buy the materials needed by the C.W.A. workers. The work being done by the C.W.A. in our department will reduce the amount of money necessary to be spent for repairs in the year 1934.
SCHOOL COURSES
The Massachusetts Statutes provide that our schools shall give instruction in orthography, reading, writing, English language, grammar, geography, arithmetic, drawing, history and Constitution of the United States, the duties of citizenship, philosophy and hygiene, good behavior and athletic exercise.
Your committee, with the assistance of the superintendent of schools and the principals of the varicus grammar school buildings, is presently engaged in compiling a program of studies which will provide a detailed outline of the work carried on in the various grades in the schools. Our purpose in doing this is two-fold; first, to provide that the same subject matter be taught in ali the sections of the town; second, in order that the teachers may know definite- ly whether they are keeping up with their schedules so that there will be no work in the several courses left undone when the school year terminates. This program of studies will take considerable time to prepare and we hope that when it is done it will be equal to that in any school in the commonwealth.
IN MEMORIAM
On the occasion of the death of Miss Gertrude A. Jones, a special meeting of the Chelmsford School Committee was held at the McFarlin School, where there were the following proceedings :
On motion duly seconded, it was
VOTED: That the following preambles and resolutions be adopted :
Whereas, Miss Gertrude A. Jones, principal of the Princeton Street Gram_ mar School of Chelmsford, died on November 5, 1933;
In September 1899, Miss Jones, a graduate of Salem Normal School, was elected a teacher in the Chelmsford Schools. She began her service as a teacher in the grades. From the beginning, her work in our schools was char- acterized by a spirit of unselfish service to her pupils. In September 1917, the School Committee recognized and rewarded this loyal work by electing
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Miss Jones principal of the Princeton Street Grammar School. As teacher of the eighth grade and principal of the school, she continued in our service until her death. Throughout her thirty-five years of teaching in Chelmsford the dominating purpose of her work was service to her students and to the com- munity. Her character, ability, and devotion to her classes give her a place of honor on our roster of teachers. We wish to pay tribute to her memory.
Now, therefore, be it resolved,
1. That in the death of Gertrude A. Jones, we have lost a teacher of learning, wisdom, and character, who was loyal and devoted to the public good.
2. That for ourselves and for the people of Chelmsford we extend our deepest sympathy to her family and send to them as a token of our feeling a copy of these resolutions.
3. That these proceedings be spread upon the records of this Committee.
Miss Ella A. Hutchinson was appointed acting principal of the Princeton Street Grammar School until June, 1934, and it is the hope of the committee that she will continue as permanent principal after that time.
PARENTS' PART
The members of the school committee invite . suggestions and criticisms from the townspeople. We encourage the parents of the school children to assist us in our work by uniting their efforts with ours. The responsibility of the parents and the committee is great and we need the help of each other to assure to the children the best that can be given to them in education.
Respectfully submitted, JAMES P. CASSIDY JOHN A. McADAMS RALPH A. BERG School Committee of Chelmsford.
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REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT
To the School Committee :
This, my sixth report in Chelmsford and the 60th in the series, should be considered in connection with previous ones, especially those of 1930 and 1932, which dealt in detail with school costs.
Data taken from official state reports were used last year to bring out the fact that our schools are being maintained at almost the minimum unit cost for all the cities and towns of the Commonwealth. The table beginning on page 7 of the 1932 report can be brought up to date by adding these figures for the year ending last June. The net average membership of the Chelmsford schools was 1561, the expenditures $101,213.84, making the cost per pupil $64.84. The cost per pupil in group II (the towns over 5000 in population) was $87.90 and in the entire state $93.58. A year ago there were ten towns which had a lower cost per pupil; now there are only eight. In this connec -. tion I quote from page 8 of the 1932 report. "The statistics show beyond the shadow of a doubt that extreme economy has been practiced in the operation of the local schools. 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; and further diminution in financial support will inevitably seriously damage the whole school structure." I would call attention to the table on page 9 of the 1932 report, which further analyzes school costs in Chelmsford and makes compari- son with group II and the state.
TEACHERS
In spite of the fact that the 1932 schedule of salaries was low in compari- son with most other towns of the size of Chelmsford and that it was still fur- ther reduced in 1933, there were no resignations at the close of school last June. Normally five to eight positions have been vacated each year. There were few positions open anywhere last summer, and these few were gen- rally filled either by promoting a teacher already in the corps or by calling back one whose position had been abolished. This condition cannot persist indeí- initely; there will come a time when the normal number of opportunities for advancement will be open to teachers and then towns with low salary schedules will be at a disadvantage. As a step in the right direction I urge the immedi- ate restoring of the 1932 schedule of salaries.
Just as the year opened, Miss May D. Sleeper, who had been on leave of absence for ill health, resigned. Miss Sleeper had taught the fifth grade in Princeton Street School for many years, and her resignation was accepted witk regret. Miss Ann G. Murphy, who had been acting as substitute, was elect- ed to the position.
146
In October Miss Anna C. Monahan, teacher of English in the High School for five years, resigned shortly before her marriage. Mr. John J. MacLaughlin, a graduate of Holy Cross in 1932, with an M.A. from Boston University in 1933, was elected to this position.
On November 5th the people of Chelmsford, and especially the children of the Princeton Street School, suffered an irreparable loss in the death of Miss Gertrude A. Jones. She came to Chelmsford as a teacher in the North Chelms- ford High School, and, after this school was consolidated with the one at the Center, became teacher of the eighth grade and Principal of the Princeton Street school. It is the consensus of the people of North Chelmsford and of the teachers who were her associates that her place in the school and in the com- munity cannot be filled, but in the lives of the hundreds who passed through her room her spirit will long endure.
During her illness Miss Ebba Peterson, her former pupil and a graduate of Boston University, was engaged as substitute, and she is continuing in that capacity. Miss Ella A. Hutchinson, a close associate of Miss Jones for many years, was named acting principal.
The enrollment on October 1st was 1265 in the elementary schools and 382 in the High, total 1647, an increase over last year of 13. No post-grad- uates had been admitted to the High School. The table on page 161 shows' the growth for ten years. In the elementary schools the size of the rooms ran from sixteen at South Row to 49 in the sixth grade at McFarlin School, the average being 35. There were seven rooms with 40 or more pupils each. In some of these large rooms the assistance of cadet teachers made conditions tolerable, but in the McFarlin School it was necessary to engage an assistant. Miss Susanna Page was engaged for this position.
BUILDING NEEDS
Four years ago the voters in annual meeting authorized the appointing of a committee to investigate the congested conditions of the schools and to re- port at the next annual meeting. Such a committee was appointed, and made a thorough study of conditions, and their report was published in 1930. Brief- ly, the committee recommended an addition to the High School to contain rooms suitable for practical arts courses for boys and for girls, a gymnasium, an auditorium, and a lunch room. When the proposition was put before the voters in concrete form at a meeting held May 19, 1931, at a time when indus- trial and business conditions were beginning to be unfavorable, it was voted to lay the matter on the table.
Since that time conditions have changed in many ways. As the business . depression became more acute and the need for relief from high taxes more urgent, school house construction everywhere came to a stop. At the same time school enrollments increased. Since boys and girls fourteen and fifteen years of age could not get work they were obliged to remain in school and
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