USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1949 > Part 7
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ARTICLE 2. (At request of School Committee). To see what sum of money the Town will vote to raise by taxation or otherwise, and appropri- ate, for the purpose of acquiring by gift, purchase, or eminent domain in fee, Lot 1 Block 493, Sheets 41 and 42, as appears in the Atlas of the Town of Weymouth for the year 1946, containing about 900,000 square feet, 20 acres, and including the buildings thereon, located at or near the junction of Park Avenue and Pleasant Streets, as the site for the erection of a Junior High School; and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to take said property by eminent domain for such school purposes; or take any other action in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 3. (At request of School Committee). To see what sum of money the Town will vote to raise by taxation or otherwise, and appropri- ate, for the purpose of acquiring by gift, purchase, or eminent domain, in fee, Lots 16, 17 and parts of Lots 15, and 20 in Block 100, Sheets 7 and 10, as appears in the Atlas of the Town of Weymouth for the year 1946, con- taining about 328,000 square feet, located north and east of Pearl Street, as the site for an elementary school; and to authorize the Board of Select- men to take said properties by eminent domain for such purposes; or take any other action in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 4. (By direction of Board of Selectmen). To see if the Town will discontinue as a public way that portion of the present highway at the junction of Evans Street running northerly to Standish Street.
ARTICLE 5. (By direction of Board of Selectmen). To see if the Town will vote to raise by taxation or otherwise, and appropriate, the sum of $2,500.00 provided the Port of Boston Authority appropriates a like amount, for the removal of hulks on the Idlewell shore on the Weymouth Fore River or take any other action in relation thereto.
You are hereby required to notify and warn said inhabitants of Wey- mouth qualified to vote in Town Affairs, in case all the articles in the
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foregoing warrant shall not be acted upon at the meeting called for the twenty-fifth day of April, to meet in adjourned session at the hall of the Weymouth High School on
WEDNESDAY, THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY OF APRIL, 1949
at seven o'clock and forty-five minutes in the evening, then and there to act upon such of the foregoing articles as shall not have been acted upon on April 25, 1949, or action upon which may at said meeting of April 25, 1949, have been deferred until said adjourned session.
You are directed to serve this Warrant by Posting a copy thereof, at- tested by you in writing, in each of two public places in voting precincts in said Town, seven days at least before the time for holding the first meeting called for in this warrant.
Hereof fail not, and make due return of this Warrant with your doings thereon to the Town Clerk of said Town on or before the eighteenth day of April, 1949.
Given under our hands at Weymouth this fourth day of April in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-nine.
HARRY CHRISTENSEN, Chairman JOSEPH A. FERN HERBERT A. CHUBBUCK JOSEPH CREHAN RAYMOND MORGAN Selectmen of Weymouth
A true copy Attest: CLARENCE L. PRATT Constable of Weymouth
RETURN OF SERVICE
Norfolk, ss. Weymouth, April 15, A.D. 1949
Pursuant to the within Warrant I have this day notified and warned the inhabitants of Weymouth aforesaid to meet at the respective places and times as set forth in said Warrant, by posting true and attested copies of the same in two public places in each voting Precinct in said Town, seven days before the time of holding said meeting.
CLARENCE L. PRATT Constable of Weymouth
Received in the office of the Town Clerk on April 15, 1949 at 10:50 a.m.
CHESTER L. BOYLE Town Clerk
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING April 25, 1949
Pursuant to a Warrant duly issued, a Special Town Meeting of the inhabitants of the Town of Weymouth, represented by its duly elected and qualified Town Meeting Members, was held in the hall of the Weymouth High School, East Weymouth, Monday, April 25, 1949.
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The meeting was called to order at 7:50 o'clock in the evening by Mr. Daniel O'Donnell, Annual Moderator.
Town Clerk, Chester L. Boyle, read the call of the meeting.
MOVED:
To dispense with the reading of the Articles in the Warrant.
SO VOTED UNANIMOUSLY.
Prayer, ending with the mass recitation of the Lord's Prayer, was , offered by the Rev. Father Cogavin, Assistant Pastor of the Immaculate Conception R. C. Church, East Weymouth.
The following tellers were appointed by the Chair and duly sworn:
1st. Div. Mr. Cowing 2nd. Div. Mr. Bond 3rd. Div. Mr. Howe
The tellers counted 146 Town Meeting Members as being present - later arrivals made a total of 176. Town Meeting Members not previously sworn were administered the oath by the Moderator.
MOVED:
ARTICLE 1. That the sum of $39,000.00 be raised and appropriated for the purpose of preparing plans, working drawings and detailed speci- fications for the construction of a Junior High School, provided that such work shall be completed under the direction of the Building Committee appointed under Article 1 of the Warrant for the Special Town Meeting held on June 28, 1948.
Mr. Sandy Roulston, representing the Special Committee appointed by the Annual Moderator in compliance with a vote of the Annual Town Meeting, to study the Weymouth School Building Program, presented the following majority report:
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON WEYMOUTH'S SCHOOL EXPANSION PROGRAM
Mr. Moderator and Town Meeting Members: Pursuant to a vote of the Annual Town Meeting under Articles 35, 39 and 40, the Moderator ap- pointed a committee of seven to study Weymouth's school expansion program.
The Committee fully cognizant of the magnitude of a school building program to serve the needs of Weymouth through the coming years and also the importance of selecting wisely an educational policy to follow for the best interest of our children, has given the subject its very best endeavor in the limited time available. Continued study of the subject makes it increasingly clear that an abnormal birth rate during the last few years has been quite general throughout the country; therefore, Wey- mouth's problem is very similar to that of other cities and towns differing only in degrees.
The Committee sought opinions from many superintendents of schools as to the relative value of the 8-4 and the 6-3-3 or Junior High systems and have replies from 28 cities and towns comparable to Weymouth - six of which are from towns now operating under the 8-4 system. One of the six, the City of Attleboro. favors the 8-4 plan but states that two elemen- tary school buildings that have separate auditoriums and gymnasiums and a third elementary building with a combined auditorium and gym- nasium have already been built and are all equipped with satisfactory
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shop, home economics laboratories and health rooms, all of which is com- parable to the requirements of the Junior High plan excepting only that no provision is made to segregate the adolescent age group, grades 7, 8 and 9, from the younger children or from the older pupils as is done in Junior High.
All other replies favored the Junior High and placed particular stress on the importance of setting apart the children of the aforementioned grades and providing for them a broader scope of activity than is usual under the 8-4 system including shop training, home economics, science, art, music and physical education under trained people.
All ideas advanced appear to set aside the concept that adequate for- mal schooling can be accomplished through textbook approach alone.
The Committee held a conference with John Marshall, Administrator for Massachusetts School Building Assistance Commission with a view of learning what State requirements Weymouth would have to comply with to become eligible for State funds in connection with our proposed school buildings.
The Commission has set up but few hard and fast rules; however, the Committee gained the impression that ample grounds for recreational use must be available and that the general building plans must have the ap- proval of the School Committee in order to satisfy the Commission.
With a view of obtaining an overall picture of our school buildings and their adaptability for expansion. the Committee visited all of the schools and noted their location, physical condition and yard space avail- able. All buildings were found to be in excellent condition both inside and out.
The Committee is in accord with the School Committee's statement that 54 class rooms and several general purpose rooms must be available by 1953.
The Committee studied an alternate plan for providing this space by the building of a new school for Union Street area, one for the Homestead Avenue area and additions to the Bicknell, Humphrey, Hunt, Nevins, and Pond Schools and added rooms to the Abigail Adams and Pratt schools over the number already contracted for.
The committee finally discarded this plan as not being feasible for several reasons; the savings, if any, would be but little because some of the buildings would not be well adapted for additions, some would require an all-purpose room, shop and home economic rooms in addition to class rooms needed and all, no doubt, would need extensive additions to or the complete replacement of heating plants. In several instances more class rooms would be available than the immediate area required - thus adding to our transportation problem. The Committee also points out that as en- rollments in a school increase, the playground area for the children de- creases by the same percentage. The Committee has learned that modern thinking by educators place high on the list the importance of providing ample playground space for the children.
Contracts have already been let for a six room addition to the Abigail Adams School and four rooms onto the Pratt School. The Committee be- lieve that our wooden school buildings may well be continued for a few years until the urgent demand for more class rooms has become somewhat abated. These schools should then be replaced by modern buildings and located in the near vicinity wherever suitable and ample area is available.
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The Committee approves the recommended four rooms addition to the Humphrey School and believe that the Bicknell, Hunt, Nevins and Pond school buildings are reasonably well suited for minor additions in the fu- ture when and if required for additional enrollment in their respective areas.
The Committee in its deliberations held seven meetings including a public hearing at which there were about 60 persons present. By a show of hands vote, 40 favored a 6-3-3 system for our schools, with no one voting in opposition.
In arriving at a final decision the Committee took into consideration numerous studies and reports on the subject, opinions from those within and outside of the school system and particularly the opinions given by superintendents of schools who may be classified not only as educators but as experts in that field.
The opinion given by Charles R. Thibodeau of Belmont seems to be of particular importance. Mr. Thibodeau served as superintendent of schools in Weymouth for five years thereby gaining a knowledge of our school buildings and of our geographical problem. He is considered an able educator and with first hand knowledge of our local setup his opinion is worthy of careful consideration.
The Committee concede that the cost of providing and operating Junior Highs would be slightly greater than that required for elementary schools - but are convinced that the additional activities entered into would con- stitute a forward step in education and would be well worth the added cost.
The Committee believe that when and if a Junior high school is built in South Weymouth, that the Building Committee appointed under Ar- ticle 1 of a special town meeting on June 28, 1948 should be permitted to determine the type and general layout of the building and should not be hampered in their deliberations by a future vote of the Town which might tend to restrict their freedom of action.
The Committee finally moved and voted: That the Committee endorse the incorporating of Junior highs into Weymouth's school system and ap- prove the school committee's proposed building program and further re- commend to the Town meeting members that they support the recom- mendations of the Appropriation Committee on Articles 35, 39 and 40 of the Annual Town Meeting, March 7th, 1949.
Signed SANDY ROULSTON VALERIA S. COLEMAN ELMER S. MAPES JOSEPH W. MAHONEY
Mr. Roulston amplified the Committee's report with further remarks on the school building program.
Mr. Philip T. Jones for the majority in Committee offered the follow- ing report:
MINORITY REPORT OF COMMITTEE STUDYING THE WEYMOUTH SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM
Several metings of this Committee were held at which the pros and cons of the 6-3-3 system as related to Weymouth were discussed. Various members have contacted persons presently employed in the various edu-
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cational systems of the Commonwealth concerning their opinions as to the relative merits of the present type of school organization and the so- called 6-3-3 type of organization. Many educational articles on the sub- ject were studied.
On Saturday, April 2, 1949, the Committee spent several hours visiting the various school buildings in the town for the purpose of ascertaining their size, condition and adaptability for any additions that might be- come necessary.
On Monday, April 11, 1949, the Committee conferred with Mr. John Marshall, Commissioner in charge of the state school building assistance program, at his office at 88 Broad Street, Boston. We were informed that there were no set rules laid down by the commission as the basis for granting state aid.
A public hearing was held in the council chamber at the Town Hall on Monday evening, April 11, 1949.
On Wednesday, April 13, 1949, the Committee by a vote of 4 to 3 de- cided to favor the school committee plan for the institution of the so- called 6-3-3 system in Weymouth. Subsequently, on the same evening the entire committee appeared before the Appropriation Committee and each member expressed his views on the subject.
We, the minority members, wish to express our appreciation of the work done by each member of this Committee and by the Committees as a whole. We congratulate Mr. Roulston for the able and impartial manner in which he presided at the meetings. We thank Mrs. Coleman for her work as our able secretary.
The result of the vote of the Committee on such a serious and far reaching subject impels the minority to state their reasons for not joining in the majority report.
We are of the opinion that there is no dominant type of school or- ganization which is the panacea of all educational ills. We feel that the Weymouth schools, as presently constituted, are performing an excellent educational service to the community. They are rated equally well with the various other school systems in the Commonwealth. While there may be need for improvements and changes in certain instances, these can well be made without disrupting the whole system by changing to a new one at a great additional expense to the Town.
We are not unmindful of the excerpts from the letters written to Mr. Roulston and Mr. Lane by 24 superintendents of schools. It is to be ex- pected that a superintendent of schools would choose the 6-3-3 system if all other things were equal because it increases his supervisory staff and decreases his administrative responsibility. Especially is this true in a town which is so situated that one Central Junior High School would suffice. However, Weymouth with its four separate and distinct geographical cen- ters presents quite a different problem.
We choose to take the advice of classroom teachers actually engaged either in teaching pupils in these Junior high schools or engaged in teach- ing in high schools. After all, the purpose of the first eight grades is to prepare the pupils for high school. The purpose of the high school is to prepare most of the pupils for life occupations. Classroom teachers as a whole who have worked under both types of systems seem to favor the 4 year high school by a large majority. They and not superintendents come in daily contact with these problems. However, we also note in passing that
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practically none of "the excerpts" stated flatly that the 6-3-3 system was superior in every respect; and most of them failed to mention the in- creased cost.
One of the most popular arguments in favor of the Junior High School organization is that through departmentalization of teaching, the 7th and 8th grades find the change to senior high school less abrupt. While we do not agree that departmentalization is more effective for pupils in the 7th and 8th grades, it must be pointed out that in our present system in Wey- mouth, departmentalization is in effect in all but one or two schools. Com- parison of the results attained by pupils in the two systems in Weymouth does not show any difference; - in other words the scholarship is the same. However, it appears that departmentalization will continue in Wey- mouth with or without the 6-3-3 system.
An examination of the opinions of various educators contained in the School Executive Magazine for October, 1948, leads to the conclusion that each type of organization has its advantages and its disadvantages. All admit, however, that the 6-3-3 system is usually more expensive to oper- ate. Mr. A. Russell Mack, Supervisor of Secondary Education for Massa- chusetts, stated to two members of this Committee that although he leans towards the 6-3-3 system, if he were a superintendent he would not change from an 8-4 system which was functioning effectively to a 6-3-3 system.
Dr. Philip Cox, retired professor of Columbia University, an educator who originally pioneered for the 6-3-3 or Junior High School system, in a recent interview, stated that he conceded that some of the basic reasons for the 6-3-3 system have now disappeared. When the movement started, too few children completed elementary school, and it was the hope of educators to work out a junior high system to keep children in school during that period, while at the same time reorganizing the school curri- culum to attempt to give a somewhat rounded basic education to those boys and girls who would complete their schooling in junior high. He ad- mitted when the 6-3-3 movement started, there was no foresight into the expenditures for junior high gymnasium and other facilities. The cost of the system has been terrific, to the taxpayers, he observed.
It sould also be noted that the Research Bulletin of the National Edu- cation Association for February, 1949 contains the following: "As one notes the relatively slight increase in the number of junior high schools between 1938 and 1948 in city systems the question arises as to why this is so. Has the movement merely reached its proper zenith? Has the junior high school plan failed to measure up to expectations? Has it been blindly adopted and misused to such an extent that its alleged values may soon be lost?
"Whatever divisions or units make up the organization framework of a given school system, and irrespective of the grades that are grouped to- gether in the various units, the dividing lines should be fixed in terms of pupil need rather than because of tradition or change-for-the-sake-of- change. Even on the basis of practice no single pattern is clearly domi- nant."
There can be no dispute but that the change to the 6-3-3 system as contemplated by the school committee, will be more expensive in its in- ception. That is, the cost of building new junior high schools plus the ne- cessary additions to present buildings, plus the building of new elementary schools will be much greater than the cost of adding to our present build- ings plus the building of new elementary schools.
Since the proposed new Junior High School building also provides for greater areas for special subjects, more cost is entaïled both for teaching
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and supervision. We feel that the present manual training and sewing programs should be improved and continued. However, we feel that any further extension of industrial and practical arts programs should be on the high school level rather than in the junior high school. If done on the high school level, much duplication of building, equipment, and teaching and administrative expense can be eliminated and better results attained for the pupils. Such a development in the high school will eventually be- come necessary under the proposed state plan for grading high schools, thus making an increased program in the junior high schools repetitious and expensive.
As in building one's own home, one may spend as much or as little as is deemed necessary, having in mind the necessities of the situation and the money available to pay the bills. Like mansions, the ideal school building from an educator's viewpoint is expensive to build, expensive to maintain and expensive to operate.
If it were necessary to provide only junior high schools at this time, the problem might be somewhat different. However, it will also be neces- sary according to school department estimates to build a new elementary school on Pearl Street, a new elementary school in the Homestead Avenue area and a new elementary school in the Union-Central Street area as well as present additions to the Adams and Pratt Schools, the building over of the Bicknell, the addition of 4 rooms to the James Humphrey, and an addition to either the Pond or the Nevin School.
Also, in the opinion of the undersigned, the Washington, the Jefferson and the Shaw, three wooden buildings, should be replaced immediately for safety sake. They are dangerous; - not even being equipped with fire escapes.
Thus, we are faced with a tremendous building program at a time when millions must also be spent for the sewers and the like. Yet, if we start to change our system to a three-year high school, we must complete it or have a hybrid system with some of the pupils going to high school for 3 years and the others for 4 years. Such a system will be most expensive, but will surely result unless by 1954 enough money is produced to build a junior high for East Weymouth and Weymouth Landing as well as to rebuild the Bicknell School for Junior High purposes.
In our opinion, we must obtain the best results to the pupils for the money spent. This must include having the best teachers available. Such teachers cost money. They are more important than ornate buildings. In our opinion the Town will not afford both.
It is our considered opinion that with proper additions to Bicknell, Humphrey, Hunt, Nevin, Adams, Pratt and Pond schools with the building of elementary schools in the Homestead area, in Weymouth Landing, and in the Union-Central Streets area in South Weymouth, together with the replacement of the Jefferson, Washington and Shaw schools, that the classroom needs of our pupils in the Town of Weymouth will be satisfac- torily met within that period of time when such an influx of pupils will be a burden on our present accommodations. This can be accomplished at a cost which will be much less than the proposed junior high school sys- tem. It must be further observed, however, that not only will the cost be less but we will be keeping our present system and will not be involved in a hybrid system which will necessarily be the result of the long-term pro- gram suggested by the school committee. The minority of this Committee is definitely in favor, as stated before, of the proper facilities in the various buildings housing the 7th and 8th grade students for manual training,
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1
sewing, music, art, and gymnasium facilities. At the same time the minori- ty of this Committee is absolutely in favor of sufficient room for simple lunch room facilities. All of these facilities can be had under the 8-4 sys- tem with very little cost if proper additions are made to our present build- ings.
The question of housing the High School pupils will not become acute for seven years, when the present large first grade is ready to enter the high school. By that time if present conditions continue it may be neces- sary to add to the present high school. It is our opinion that with the savings that can be accomplished by the continuation of the 8-4 system, a suitable addition can be made to the high school when the time arrives to take care of the needs of the 4 year high school program.
In the meantime, the immediate problem is the proper housing, the proper classrooms, the proper facilities for pupils of the elementary and grammar grades.
Respectfully submitted, PHILIP T. JONES MARY L. SHEEHY THOMAS A. PICKETT
Mr. Jones supplemented the minority report by discussing the various phases of the building program from the minority viewpoint.
MR. ALMQUIST MOVED THE PREVIOUS QUESTION.
The noes have it and the motion is
LOST.
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