USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of Plymouth, MA 1948 > Part 15
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Transferred from Reserve Dec. 15 1,100.00
Total
$12,100.00
PAYMENTS
Coal, wood, oil
11,914.46
Balance to Excess and Deficiency
$185.54
REIMBURSEMENTS AND RECEIPTS
From the State on account of:
Teachers' Salaries
$18,055.00
Americanization Salaries
220.00
Vocational Tuition
453.25
Vocational Pottery School
20.30
State Wards
2,400.44
Transportation
10,185.27
City of Boston Wards
139.00
Tuition, Out-of-town Pupils:
Carver (Town of)
9,308.84
Plympton (Town of)
6,770.75
Kingston (Residents of)
154.30
Middleboro (Residents of)
112.20
Miscellaneous Receipts
774.02
Total
$48,593.37
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FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Balance to Excess and
Appropriation Expenditures Deficiency
Salaries
$315,195.00
$313,410.35
$1,784.65
General (Including fuel) 70,693.33*
70,506.17
187.16
Totals
$385,888.33
$383,916.52
$1,971.81
Reimbursements and receipts account of schools
$48,593.37
Net expenditures for schools
(from appropriations to School Dept. for salaries and general)
$335,323.15
*Including Trust Fund Income
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TRUST FUNDS, U. S. GRANTS
George-Deen Fund for Teaching Pottery Classes
Balance from 1947 $680.00
Payments:
Salary of pottery instructor
594.00
Unexpended balance $86.00
George-Barden Fund for Teaching
Pottery Classes
Receipts:
Cash from State $500.00
Payments:
Salary of pottery instructor
324.00
Unexpended balance $176.00
NEW HEATING SYSTEM AT HEDGE SCHOOL
Balance from 1947
$5,612.19
Payments in 1948 3,708.06
Unexpended balance $1,904.13
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VOCATIONAL SCHOOL PLANS
Balance from 1947
$4,524.00
Payments:
Survey and plan $120.75
Architects' services 3,000.00
Total
3,120.75
Unexpended balance
$1,403.25
CORNISH-BURTON SCHOOL PLANS
Balance from 1947 $5,140.00
No payments in 1948
Unexpended balance
$5,140.00
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LUNCH RECEIPTS
Appropriation, Salaries, March 1948 $5,480.00
PAYMENTS
Salaries
5,476.21
Balance to excess and deficiency
$3.79
RECEIPTS
Appropriation, General, March 1948 $12,650.00
PAYMENTS
Provisions
$8,868.98
Transportation
712.00
Gas
388.13
Equipment:
4 Vacuum Containers $80.82
Used Hobart Mixer 250.00
Misc. equipment 75.99
406.81
Total 10,375.92
Balance to excess and deficiency
$2,274.08
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LUNCH ACCOUNT
SCHOOL LUNCH RECEIPTS-To Town Treasurer
Sale of Lunches
From Federal Grants
$11,450.69 4,168.33
Total
$15,619.02
SCHOOL LUNCH PAYMENTS
Salaries
$ 5,476.21
General
10,375.92
Total
$15,852.13
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REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of the Town of Plymouth:
Our annual reports to you for the past several years have emphasized two conditions growing out of World War II that are bringing about a most critical situation in our public schools. The first of these conditions is the shortage of qualified teachers. This was manifested in certain areas of the country while the war was still in progress and has now overspread the whole country. The second condition is the impending rise in our school population due to the marked increase in the birth rate during and since the war years. This condition will not only greatly accentuate the teacher shortage but will bring about in the next few years an extraordinary need for new elementary school buildings.
CRISIS IN EDUCATION
The shortage of school teachers - particularly in the elementary grades - has already become critical. Stu- dents of the teacher supply problem in Massachusetts predict that the school enrollment in grades 1-8 will show an increase of more than 120,000 pupils or 31% by the school year 1954-55. This will require an increase of 5,000 teachers in these grades by September 1954 judged on the present basis of 24.6 pupils per teacher. For the past four years, our Massachusetts teachers' colleges have graduated approximately 400 students on the aver- age. This number would have to be doubled during the next six-year period to supply the number of new teachers needed - not to mention the replacements re- quired from year to year because of retirements and res- ignations for other reasons. Though present enrollments at our teachers' colleges indicate a substantial increase
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in the number of graduates over the next several years, it is highly improbable that this increase can meet our teacher requirements.
TEACHERS' SALARIES
Clearly there will be the keenest kind of competition among our towns and cities in Massachusetts for quali- fied teachers during the years ahead. Indeed, it is al- ready manifesting itself in the demand for teachers on the lower grade levels. The salaries paid our teachers in Plymouth ought to be such as to enable them to meet living costs as well as to enable us to hold those teachers we have and to secure qualified replacements for those who retire or resign for other reasons.
The new salary schedule adopted in 1947 was designed to accomplish those results. We could not hope, how- ever, to make the transfer in one year of all teachers from the former schedule to their proper places on the new schedule. This would have been financially imprac- ticable. The plan adopted therefore requires several years to complete the transfer from the old schedule to the new. The increases granted in 1947 and 1948, when taken together, ranged from a minimum of $300 to a maximum of $500. In the face of these increases, we still find that the median salaries paid teachers in towns of our class in October 1948, were higher than Plymouth salaries in nearly all groups.
The further increases in the cost of living during the past two or three years have increased the need for addi- tional compensation. Since June 1946, the cost of living index has risen much more rapidly than the salaries of certain groups of our teachers - particularly the men teachers whose salaries are adjusted to the new schedule and therefore normally receive a step rate increase of $100 annually to the maximum.
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In the light of these conditions, our Committee is under the necessity of asking an increased appropriation to enable us to go forward with the schedule adopted in 1947.
To all those who are familiar with the teacher situa- tion in Massachusetts and can foresee the difficulties we shall face in the years just ahead, the necessity for pro- ceeding with our schedule is beyond question.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
All indications are that the shortage in schoolhousing facilities following World War II will exceed the shortage after World War I. In the decade 1920 to 1930, Massachu- setts invested about $100,000,000 in new school buildings. Estimates of the markedly increased enrollments that will appear in the elementary schools in the next few years were set forth in the school reports of 1947 and 1948. These increases are already beginning to be felt in Plymouth and the situation will soon become acute unless early action is taken to provide additional elemen- tary school buildings.
Our local problem is increased by the fact that three buildings now in use, namely the Cornish-Burton and the Cold Spring call for replacement by modern struc- tures. We feel sure that there is general agreement on this point. The two Cornish-Burton buildings and the Cold Spring building together house thirteen classrooms.
The new St. Mary's Parochial School, which will open in September, should relieve somewhat the over-size classes in our elementary schools. Making due allowance for this factor, it seems probable that we shall need one new building of not less than eight rooms by September 1950 if we should provide new accommodations for the pupils now housed in the present two-room Cold Spring
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school plus the increased enrollment we expect by that time. By 1953, the indications are that we shall need eight more classrooms. These predictions are based on the assumption that families having school children who move out of our community will be matched by those having school children moving in. It is impossible to determine in advance how these respective groups will balance.
In considering the replacement of the Cornish-Burton School, the matter of location has given the Committee much concern. The present site is high, attractive, and central to the school population it now serves. The area of the land now owned together with adjacent areas available seems quite limited for a large elementary school of twelve to fifteen classrooms. Conferences with the Town Survey and Co-ordinating Committee have revealed that the location of a new Cornish-Burton School on the present site would not permit the carrying out of plans to be presented by that Committee and looking toward the further beautification of Burial Hill and the construction of a highway around it.
The School Committee with the assistance of the archi- tects J. Williams Beal, Sons and Prof. Herbert Blair, for- merly of Boston University, have studied the general area of the Cornish-Burton district with reference to possible school sites and have carefully examined four such possibilities. In two cases, the cost of necessary grading seemed very high, and in two others the probable cost of real-estate takings necessary for clearing a suit- able area likewise seemed very high. Under these cir- cumstances, our Committee finds it necessary to take further time for a study of the problem presented in the Cornish-Burton District. In the meantime, since the need for additional elementary accommodations will soon be in evidence, it seems necessary to give immediate con-
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sideration to the plan of meeting these needs through the construction of new housing in the Cold Spring and Mt. Pleasant areas.
Our Committee had earlier planned to request the Town for an appropriation at the forthcoming annual meeting to provide one new elementary building and to announce plans for other units to be constructed later. The difficulty of locating a site for the proposed new Cornish-Burton School that might meet with general satisfaction, the prospect of there being some school- building aid available from the Federal Government in the near future, and the possibility of a further down- ward trend in building costs as recently indicated, are factors in the Committee's decision to defer bringing the matter before the Town until a later meeting when it is hoped many of these uncertain factors may be partially or wholly resolved.
We would call your attention to the fact that there is definite assurance of state aid toward new schoolhouse construction by legislation enacted in 1948. This provision together with new state aid for other phases of our edu- cational program will be described in the following re- port of the Superintendent of Schools, to which we ask your attention.
Respectfully submitted,
E. HAROLD DONOVAN, Chairman WILLIAM E. CURTIN, Secretary WILLIAM H. ARMSTRONG SIGNE L. J. BORGHESANI DAVID A. CAPPANNARI RALPH C. WEAVER
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REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
It is a privilege, indeed, to submit herewith my eighth annual report, which will briefly allude to indications of progress in certain phases of our program, as well as refer to some of the problems that call for solution if we are to sustain present standards and make further progress in adapting the school program to the needs of the boys and girls whom we serve.
SCHOOL SERVICES EXTENDED
The appropriation for 1948 provided for strengthening our program in certain respects. In the Junior High School, where we faced an increased enrollment, two teachers and the part-time of a third were added to the staff, thus enabling us to meet the situation effectively. One of the additional teachers, William Tedeschi, was put in charge of the music, thus releasing the supervisor of vocal music from class teaching in the Junior High and giving her more time for the elementary schools as well as time for teaching a course in music in the Senior High. Prior to this change, the Senior High could offer no class instruction in music, the work being limited to girls' glee clubs, octets, and to the band and orchestra. The new course in music literature fills a long-felt need.
The second new teacher added to the Junior High staff, Antone Spath, together with David Barlow, a re- placement, were assigned the intramural athletic pro- gram as extra-classroom duty and enable us to provide the benefits of organized athletics for a large number of boys who could not otherwise have this privilege.
In another respect our services to the children have been extended, namely, through the employment of an
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art supervisor for the elementary schools. This not only provides more services for the younger pupils in this enriching subject of the curriculum, but also allows the full-time of Miss Bates to be added to the Junior High School staff.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
Resignations
The past year has seen more than the usual number of changes in our staff. Franklyn White, who had been principal of the Cornish-Burton School since 1941 and also of the Hedge School since 1945, resigned to accept the principalship of the new Julian Curtiss School in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Ten teachers submitted resignations. These included the following: Bertha E. McNaught, who resigned to be married after teaching a total of thirty-nine years in Plymouth schools including Manomet, Spooner Street, Hedge, Cornish-Burton, and the Junior High School; Evelyn Peck, who was on a year's leave of absence for advance study during 1947-48 and who had taught for twenty years in Plymouth; Mrs. Dolores G. Cappannari, teacher of grade three at Hedge, and for a number of years of grade two at Mount Pleasant, who resigned because of family duties; Virginia Pekarski, teacher of social studies in the Junior High School for the past six years, who resigned to teach in her home city of Brock- ton; Frances Donahoe, teacher of the practical arts class at Hedge School for the past six years, who resigned to take a similar position at Woburn; Madeline Johnson, teacher of grade five at Hedge School for the past four years, who resigned to teach in New Bedford; Mrs. Selma Arruda, teacher of grades three and four at Manomet for two years, who resigned because of home duties; Maxine Swett, teacher of grade three at Hedge for 1947-
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48 and previously teacher at Mount Pleasant, who re- signed to be married; Ann McNamara, teacher of grades one and two at Manomet, who resigned to take a position in her home city of Haverhill; and Mrs. Jeanette Shaw, teacher of grade four at Hedge, who resigned in Feb- ruary because of family duties.
Others whose temporary appointments terminated during 1948 included: Jeanne Fabian, substitute physical director for girls; Mrs. Jeanette Holmes, substitute in the elementary practical arts room at Hedge; and Mrs. Frances Picard, on temporary appointment as supervisor of vocal music.
Phyllis M. Johnson, teacher of social studies in the Junior High School, was granted a leave of absence for advanced study at Northwestern University. Mrs. Pris- cilla Post, assistant to the nurse, was granted a leave of absence because of home duties. Mrs. Barbara Bisson- nette, clerk at the Cornish-Burton, resigned.
Appointments
To fill the vacancy in the principalship of the Cornish- Burton School, Donald T. Welch, Principal of the McEl- wain School of Bridgewater, was selected. Mr. Welch is a graduate of the Bridgewater State Teachers College and holds a master's degree from Boston University. Prior to coming to Plymouth, he had taught for several years in Middleboro, becoming principal of the School Street School there. He then became assistant principal in the Junior High School at Bridgewater and later principal of the McElwain Elementary School.
For the vacancy in the principalship of the Hedge School, Richard F. Smith, principal of the Rogers School, Fairhaven, was selected. Mr. Smith is a graduate of Cal- vin Coolidge College and has taken graduate work in
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education at Fitchburg Teachers College and Boston University. Prior to becoming principal of the Rogers School in Fairhaven, he was teacher in the elementary schools in Holden and Winchester and served as elemen- tary school principal in Sterling.
For the position of vocal music supervisor, held on temporary appointment for 1947-48 by Mrs. Frances Pic- ard, the Committee elected Elizabeth Crook, music su- pervisor in Seekonk. Miss Crook is a graduate of the Rhode Island College of Education, as well as of the Mass. Institute of Normal Methods. During the past summer, she was a member of the teaching staff at the latter institution.
Elizabeth Egan of Quincy, a graduate of the Massa- chusetts School of Art in 1948, was chosen as supervisor of art in the elementary grades. Miss Egan followed Ha- zel Bates, who was made full-time teacher in the Junior High School.
Ardys Farnsworth, who was graduated from the physi- cal education course at Bridgewater State Teachers' College in February 1948, was appointed to the position of physical education instructor for girls in Junior and Senior High Schools.
The following new appointments of teachers to the Junior High School staff were made for the school year 1948-49: (1) Antone Spath from the Kingston High School staff was appointed to teach social studies and mathe- matics. Mr. Spath was graduated from Plymouth High School in 1931, Dean Academy in 1933, and Tufts College in 1937. He has engaged in graduate study both at Tufts and Boston University. (2) David E. Barlow of this town, a teacher in the High School at Wilmington, Vermont, was selected to teach elementary science in place of Louis Cappannari, who was transferred to the mathematics
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vacancy. Mr. Barlow is a graduate of Rhode Island State College and has done graduate work at Boston Univer- sity. (3) William Tedeschi of this town, who had served as part-time music instructor in the Junior High School during the spring of 1948, was appointed to full-time serv- ice in the fall. Mr. Tedeschi is a graduate of Boston University, where his studies emphasized biology and music. Under the general direction of the supervisor of vocal music, he conducts the classwork in music, as well as the glee club and operettas. (4) Phyllis Boucher, a teacher in the High School at Cummington, was ap- pointed to teach civics and English in grade nine, taking the place of Virginia Pekarski. Miss Boucher is a grad- uate of the Worcester State Teachers College, class of 1947. (5) Mrs. Jean Patenaude of this town, was appointed substitute in social studies and English for Phyllis John- son, on leave of absence for advanced study. Mrs. Pate- naude is a graduate of Bridgewater and had previously taught in the Junior High School.
The following new appointments were made to the Hedge School staff: (1) Mrs. Claire Goodwin of this town, formerly teacher of grade five at Mount Pleasant School, was appointed to teach grade five at the Hedge. Mrs. Goodwin is a graduate of Bridgewater. (2) Mrs. Arleen Shaw of Carver was appointed to the vacancy in grade four. Mrs. Shaw is a graduate of Bridgewater and has had two years' experience in the elementary schools at Windsor, Connecticut, and Attleboro. (3) Barbara Gilles of Lynn was appointed to the third-grade position vacated by Mrs. Cappannari. Miss Gilles is a graduate of Colby College in the class of 1948, and has done graduate work in primary education at Boston University. (4) Rose Marciole of Kingston was chosen for the third-grade position vacated by Maxine Swett. Miss Marciole was graduated from the East Carlysle Teachers' College at
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North Carolina, and has done graduate work at Fitchburg, Hyannis, and Duke University. Miss Marciole comes to Plymouth after a teaching experience of sixteen years in other states. (5) Mrs. Jeanette Holmes of this town was appointed on a temporary basis as teacher of the practical arts class. Mrs. Holmes has substituted for the past several years in various capacities in our schools. (6) Mrs. Berthine Cavi of Kingston was appointed to the practical arts position for the remainder of the school year on termination of Mrs. Holmes' service in Novem- ber. Mrs. Cavi is a graduate of the Hyannis Normal School and has had five years of teaching experience.
Two new appointments were made at the Manomet School. (1) Mrs. Violet Mieg, now of this town, was ap- pointed teacher of grades three and four. Mrs. Mieg is a graduate of the Jamaica, New York, Teachers' College and has had seventeen years of experience with children of elementary and junior high age. (2) Mrs. Flora H. Kite of Kingston, was appointed teacher of grade two. Mrs. Kite is a graduate of Lesley College and has had eighteen years of teaching experience in Wakefield and Plympton.
Mrs. Ruth Trask, who served as secretary in the School Department for many years, was appointed assistant to the School nurse during the absence of Mrs. Post.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Parent-Teacher Associations
In addition to the usual means of informing the citizens regarding school activities and needs, such as newspaper reports and the Annual Town Report, we now have in- creased possibilities of contacting our citizens through two new Parent-Teacher organizations. The Mount Pleasant Parent-Teacher Association was formed in the winter of 1948 with 87 members and the Cornish-Burton Association was organized in the fall with 103 members.
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The monthly meetings of teachers and parents in these associations will bring school and home into a closer re- lationship. They will provide an effective means of creat- ing a more general understanding of school policy and school problems on the part of the parents in these major school districts, and will also afford the school offi- cials the opportunity of a better understanding of the points of view held by parents. These Parent-Teacher groups plan to hold joint meetings from time to time which will be open to the public.
American Education Week
A very large number of parents took advantage of the special invitation to confer with teachers during Amer- ican Education Week, November 7-13. The schools re- ported a total of 1413 visits divided as follows:
Senior High School 142
Junior High School
207
Cornish School 311
Oak Street School
54
Cold Spring School 64
Hedge School 415
Mount Pleasant School
176
Manomet School
44
Total 1,413
In addition to the annual graduations of Junior and Senior High Schools, other school events in 1948 inviting public participation were the two All-School Music Nights held in May, the Junior High Concert with Band and Drum Majors' Corps, and the Science Fair, an exhibit by pupils taking science courses in Senior High School.
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Science Fair
At the High School Science Fair, the floor and wall spaces in the auditorium were taxed to capacity with a showing of most interesting projects and problems being engaged in by individual pupils and pupil groups. A very large attendance of parents and friends showed a marked interest in the work being undertaken.
The Public Contributes
There were many evidences during the school year of the interest our citizens take in the schools. On behalf of the School Officials I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge with deep gratitude some of the many fine services rendered Plymouth schools by local groups of citizens. These include the Kiwanis Club for its Town- wide celebration of Halloween, including an appropriate program for all pupils on all grade levels, also for its Kiddies' Christmas Party for needy children; the Rotary Club for its sponsorship of Career Day at the Senior High School and for its annual dinner to the High School foot- ball squad; the Plymouth Woman's Club for its Annual Education Program to which our teachers were invited; the Plymouth Grange for its annual reception to teachers; the Plymouth Boosters' Club for its financial assistance to and strong support of our athletic program in Senior High School; and to all organizations and individuals who contribute scholarships and awards for the benefit of our High School graduates. Many other acknowledgements could be made.
The Larger Public
The larger public from time to time becomes acquainted with the Plymouth schools by reason of the fact that our Town occupies so unique a place in our history. I refer by way of illustration to the pre-Thanksgiving trip of the High School Girls' Glee Club to New York with its sev-
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eral concerts that were broadcast. Another event involv- ing our schools was a unique broadcast arranged through station WBZ, in which pupils of our sixth grade at the Mount Pleasant School were interviewed by Ben Hudel- son, Educational Director of WBZ, with reference to the Plymouth Thanksgiving and modern Plymouth. A similar broadcast had been arranged with pupils of Plymouth, England, as participants. The two broadcasts were in- corporated on one record and presented on a large net- work of stations in this country as well as in England.
SUMMER SCHOOL
The usual six-week term of summer school was pro- vided for about 100 pupils in grades 4 to 8 who needed special help in the fundamental subjects. The school, housed in the Burton building, opened on Tuesday, July 6, and closed Friday, August 13. The daily sessions began at 8:30 a.m. and were three hours in length.
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