USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Agawam > Town of Agawam, Massachusetts annual report 1926-1930 > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27
Following is a list of calls made upon the department for the year 1927 :
Dwellings
26
Barns
10
Garage
1
Boat
1
Chimneys
19
Grass and brush
32
Automobiles
5
Dump
2
False
7
103
These calls were distributed as follows :
For Company No. 1, North Agawam 25
For Company No. 2, Feeding Hills 27
For Company No. 3, Agawam Center 5ì
103
63
Total loss Value of property saved
$ 50,925.00 67,050.00
Loss
Saved
At North Agawam
$ 7,400.00
$15,000.00
At Feeding Hills
22,300.00
29,000.00
At Agawam Center
21,225.00
23,050.00
Total
$ 50,925.00
$67,050.00
Sincerely,
EDWARD J. GOSSELIN, Chairman RILEY S. FARNSWORTH, Pur. Agent FRANK T. GOSS, Secretary
64
Assessors' Report
In submitting our annual report we call attention to a fav- orable increase in valuation during the past year. A considerable number of new homes have been built since the last report, and real estate transfers indicate a continuance of this development.
During the year we have begun work on assessment maps which we hope to continue as rapidly as possible. The prepara- tion of these plans will be of material assistance in equalizing taxation and should prove of cumulative financial value to the Town.
Your attention is called to the provisions of law relative to the filing of property lists between April first and May fifteenth of each year. Your compliance with this will materially assist the Assessors in making an equitable adjustment of valuations.
STATISTICAL REPORT
Horses
334
Cows
591
Sheep
22
Neat cattle
112
Swine
395
Fowls
10,560
Value of Fowls
$10,560.00
Houses
1,458
Acres of Land
14,142
VALUATIONS
Buildings $4,779,653.00
Land
2,856,772.00
Total Real Estate
$7,636,425.00
65
Personal Estate
1,237,151.00
Total Valuation
$8,873,576.00
Upon which taxes have been levied as follows :
County Tax
$ 11,733.33
State Tax 13,320.00
State Highway Tax 2,356.39
State Auditing Tax 33.76
Overlay Deficit (1922)
1,050.78
Town Appropriations
265,750.00
Overlay for Current Year
995.99
-$ 295,240.25
Less estimated receipts :
Income Tax
$ 24,570.12
Corporation Tax
5,800.00
Bank Tax
95.00
Licenses
1,500.00
Fines
1,000.00
Highways
100.00
Charities
250.00
Soldiers' Benefits
75.00
Schools
2,000.00
Libraries
50.00
Interest on Deposits
200.00
Interest on Taxes and Assessments
7,000.00
Rentals
500.00
-$ 43,140.12
Net amount raised on Polls and Property $ 252,100.13
Number of Polls-1,820 at $2.00 each
3,640.00
Tax on Personal and Real Estate at $28.00
248,460.13
To Henry E. Bodurtha, Tax Collector, was commit-
ted for collection, the sum of $ 252,100.13
Omitted assessments
251.28
$ 252,351.41
66
44.52
Abatements allowed
$252,306.89 ADOLPHUS PROVOST, CLARENCE H. GRANGER, PAUL B. JOHNSON,
Assessors
67
Report of Tax Collector
1927
Tax Committed
$252,100.13
Omitted assessments 251.28
$ 252,351.41
Cash paid the treasurer $141,907.13
Abatements 25.72
Uncollected taxes
110,418.56
-$ 252,351.41
Previous Years
Adjusted balance, January 1, 1927 $163,241.91 163,241.91
Paid Treasurer 95,990.44
Abatements 1,253.53
Uncollected, December 31, 1927
65,997.94
$ 163,241.91
68
Auditor's Report
February 23, 1928
I hereby certify that I have examined the accounts of the Town Clerk, Treasurer and Collector for the year of 1927 as set forth in his annual report, and to the best of my knowledge and belief they are correctly and accurately recorded.
LEAFIE N. MAYNARD,
Auditor
69
REPORT OF Board of Water Commissioners
RECEIPTS
From Water Rents
$ 19,185.78
From Water Connections 2,145.00 -$ 21,331.78
EXPENDITURES
Superintendent
$ 1,404.00
Printing and postage
171.47
Other administration
502.00
Labor
1,742.38
Teams
176.39
Meters and freight on same
900.66
Repairing meters
145.68
Water Gates
215.25
Furnace
149.00
Small Tools
30.82
Water
3,221.63
Pipe and Fittings
3,996.49
All other
321.14
Bonds and Interest
9,233.75
22,210.66 -$
WALTER S. KERR D. M. CROWLEY JOHN L. BURKE
Water Commissioners
70
REPORT OF THE
TRUSTEES FOR COUNTY AID TO AGRICULTURE COOPERATING WITH THE HAMPDEN COUNTY IMPROVEMENT LEAGUE 1927
To the Voters of Agawam :
Agawam annually appropriates $400 to the Trustees for County Aid to Agriculture, cooperating with the Hampden Coun- ty Improvement League. This sum is used to help defray ex- penses of the Extension Service in this town.
Through the County Agent assistance has been given to over seventy-five farmers and townspeople. This has been varied, such as furnishing plans for fruit storage, poultry houses, assisting in making applications for Tuberculin Test, and advice in dairying, poultry, crops, and fruit growing. Several are members of the Herd Improvement Association, and several are successfully grow- ing alfalfa according to instructions from the County Agent.
The Home Bureau Agents had work in Agawam, West Agawam, and Feeding Hills. They had six projects, 18 meetings and a total attendance of 284 women. This work was aided ma- terially by the Home Bureau Committee Mrs. H. Preston Wor- den, Mrs. L. A. Snow, Mrs. George Toussaint, and in Feeding Hills Mrs. C. A. Sunden, Mrs. Frank Belden and Ethel Snow, also the local leaders Mrs. Norman Winters, Mrs. Elsie Frilen, Mrs. W. C. Mumford. West Agawam Mrs. John O'Brien, Mrs. George Chestnut, and in Feeding Hills Mrs. W. J. O'Con- nor, Mrs. M. Etta Stebbins, Mrs. Harry Brown, and Mrs. Frank Belden.
There was an enrollment of 206 in the boys and girls 4-H Club work with members in each community. According to the project reports the boys and girls made a profit of $2,184 and in addition won $626 in cash prizes at the Eastern States Exposition
71
and other fairs. Agawam club members won two out of twelve county championships. Much credit for this showing is due to the local leaders, Miss Edith C. Hull, Mrs. Lee Jenks, Miss Marion Allen, Miss Emily McCormick, and Mrs. Anna Peti- thory.
Harold Atwater, H. A. Marotte and Lee Jenks are town directors of the League, and Mrs. Dwight Hawley is director at large.
We respectfully request a continuation of this appropriation and the cooperation of the citizens of Agawam.
HERMON W. KING, GEORGE S. COOK,
MRS. J. P. KIRBY,
MRS. W. G. DWIGHT,
HARRY C. LANE,
R. F. MCELWAIN,
HORACE A. MOSES,
FRED D. ROGERS,
FRED'K A. UPHAM,
Trustees for County Aid to Agriculture,
By: P. A. Campbell, Clerk
72
Report of Library Trustees
BOOKS
Number at Agawam
7,931
Number at Feeding Hills
5,384
Number at North Agawam
1,695
CIRCULATION
Agawam
13,376
Feeding Hills
9,806
North Agawam
7,431
BORROWERS
Agawam
650
Feeding Hills
422
North Agawam
658
CLARENCE H. GRANGER ANNA H. RUDMAN IDA BERNATCHEZ
Library Commissioners
73
ANNUAL REPORTS of the
School Committee and the
Superintendent of Schools of the Town of AGAWAM, MASS.
OF
INCORP
15.1855:
E
ORATE!
D
JU
For the Year Ending December 31
1927
Agawam Public Schools
ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL BOARD
Clifford M. Granger, Chairman Term expires 1929 Post Office Address, Feeding Hills
Mrs. Grace B. Reed Term expires 1929 Post Office Address, Agawam
Joseph L. Roy Term expires 1930 Post Office Address, Mittineague
Sidney F. Atwood, Secretary Term expires 1930
Post Office Address, Feeding Hills
Arthur Rudman Term expires 1928 Post Office Address, Agawam
Harry A. Spaight
Term expires 1928
Post Office Address, Agawam
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS Benjamin J. Phelps Telephone : 5-7219-R
SCHOOL CALENDAR, 1928
Winter Term-January 3 to March 30 Spring Term-April 9 to June 8, Elementary Schools Spring Term-April 9 to June 15, Junior-Senior High School Fall Term-September 4 to December 21
77
OFFICE HOURS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT High School Building-School Days, 8.30-9.00 A. M., and by appointment.
SECRETARY Emma Mellor Telephone 2-7176
HOURS OF SESSIONS
Elementary Schools 9.00-12.00 A. M. 1.00- 3.30 P. M.
Junior High School 9.00-12.00 A. M. 12.30- 3.00 P. M.
Senior High School 9.00 A. M .- 12.30 P. M. 1.00- 3.00 P. M.
78
REPORT OF School Committee
We again present to you our annual report as a Committee. We do not intend to weary you with a catalog of the achieve- ments of your schools during the year just closed, but we would, at this time, like to bring to your attention a few problems that must be considered in 1928.
In our 1927 report we spoke of the need of making some provision to care for our mentally retarded school children. All the neighboring towns and cities are providing special instruction for that type of pupil and it seems imperative that Agawam adopt at once a definite policy in this matter. Within the last month the Agent of the State Board of Education has written to our Superintendent regarding our failure to maintain special classes for those pupils. In view of the attitude and recommendations of the State department it does not seem possible for us to put off action in this matter much longer. These backward pupils should have a major part of their training along Manual Training and Domestic Science lines. That of course means new and expen- sive equipment, together with highly trained teachers. At present we have no room at any one central point where such pupils could be handled.
Therefore, if we are to do what we ought to do for these mentally retarded boys and girls, now dragging along with our regular classes, money must be appropriated to provide for them proper school accommodations and special equipment and instruc- tion.
For some time past we have been talking about either im- proving or adding to our present High School Athletic Field.
79
This problem has been aired thoroughly in our recent town meet- ings so that we do not need to dwell on it at any great length. The last time this topic was up for discussion a committee of six was appointed to make further investigations. We hope that Committee will have some definite and feasible recommendations to make at our annual town meeting. The longer this matter is delayed the more expensive it will be.
We are again obliged to report crowded conditions in some of our schools. The High School Building, with adequate accom- modations for 400 pupils, is now handling upwards of 450 boys and girls. We have this year, as we did last, an overflow room at the Springfield Street School. At the opening of school in September we had at the "Plains" School the largest enrollment of any grade school in town. As a result we had to transfer a number of pupils to the North Agawam School. The solution of the difficulty there was not an ideal one but was the only thing that could be done at that time. In 1928, with more houses in that section being occupied, our congestion of pupils in that school will be too great to handle efficiently by the painful process of transferring the overflow to other schools. We have been adding rooms to our grade schools pretty regularly for the past few years and present indications seem to point to a contin- uance of that policy as a part of our regular school program. As a committee, we hesitate at this time to make a definite recom- mendation for new school units. However, something must be done at once to provide better and more adequate school facilities for our rapidly increasing school population. We might adopt either of two plans. An addition to our High School Building would increase our accommodations there so that the congestion in the grade schools would be relieved. This solution would very likely give us, in certain central schools, rooms which we could equip for handling our mentally retarded pupils. On the other hand, we might provide new additions at the "Plains" School and at Agawam Center. This plan would not remedy conditions at The High School very much though it would provide increased school accommodations elsewhere. Some towns are using portable wooden schools for regular school work and also for special classes of backward pupils. But in our judgment that seems to be an inadequate, inefficient and unsatisfactory way of handling pupils. Perhaps it might be well at the annual town meeting to have a
80
Committee appointed to investigate the needs of the school and report their findings and recommendations at a later meeting.
In spite of the considerable increase in our school population we were able to operate our schools without exceeding the amount of money given us by our 1927 budget. For 1928 however, a larger sum must be provided for the support of our schools. The amount of money Agawam receives from the State on account of the schools is larger every year. In 1926 we received more than $15,000 and in 1927 the amount was about $19,000. Every dollar coming to our town from the State lessens the amount to be raised for schools by local taxation. And the higher the at- tendance average in the Agawam schools, and the more trained and experienced teachers we carry on our teaching staff the greater our annual dividend from State funds. Consequently we must maintain high standards in our school system if we wish sub- stantial returns from the State Department.
As the years pass by it seems to us as a Committee that each succeeding year brings a more cordial support of school policies by parents and citizens of Agawam, and we are truly grateful for such enthusiastic cooperation.
Respectfully submitted,
S. F. ATWOOD, JOSEPH L. ROY, GRACE B. REED, HARRY A. SPAIGHT, ARTHUR RUDMAN, CLIFFORD M. GRANGER.
81
Financial Statement of Schools
December 31, 1927
General Expense
$ 6,794.93
Expense of Instruction
84,041.20
Text Books
3,205.66
Stationery, Supplies, Miscellaneous
3,558.73
Janitors
8,433.39
Fuel
6,446.13
Miscellaneous operating expense
1,884.83
Maintenance-repairs, etc.
3,051.40
Library
54.32
Health
1,976.12
Transportation
6,643.44
Tuition
1,483.13
Miscellaneous Expense
309.94
Outlay-New equipment
2,116.72
Total
$129,999.94
82
Superintendent's Report
To the School Committee of Agawam:
Gentlemen: I hereby submit my report as· Superintendent of Schools for the year ending December 31, 1927.
It has been my practice in past years to take some comprehen- sive subject pertaining to school supervision and, with that as a measuring rod, make a short survey of our schools. Last year, my topic was "The Agawam Public Schools in the Light of an Equal Educational Opportunity." This year, I have selected as my measuring stick the phrase "Economy of Time in the Adminis- tration of Schools." From that viewpoint, then, I desire to offer to you another brief survey of your schools. I will present also one other topic; namely, "Enriching the Curriculum." The re- ports from the various heads of departments, and the usual school statistics will conclude the report.
1. ECONOMY OF TIME IN THE ADMINISTRA- TION OF THE AGAWAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
There are many opportunities in the management of schools to conserve time-by which is meant in this report-to so arrange the order of things that our. pupils will lose as little time as pos- sible in adjusting themselves to the schools and gain as much time as possible in order to perfect themselves in their studies. Some of these opportunities present themselves under the following headings :
1. Schedules
2. Books and Supplies
3. Medical Inspection and Health Supervision
83
4. Teaching Staff. (a) Experience of (b) Turnover (c) Health of (d) Substitutes.
5. Curriculum Revision
6. Classification of pupils
7. Promotions
8. Attendance
9. Extra Curricula Activities-Schedule of
1. SCHEDULES
Our schedules for each coming school year are made out dur- ing the spring term. This procedure is of great benefit, especially to high school boys and girls for they are well aware, months beforehand, what decisions they have made in respect to their studies. When school opens in September, they are all set for the occasion and, in consequence, there is no delay in beginning work on the first day of school. It is a pleasure to report that in our high school such was the case last September. The first lessons of the year were assigned for all pupils at 10.00.A. M. on the open- ing day.
2. BOOKS AND SUPPLIES
Books and supplies are very important tools with which the pupils must work and without which very little work is accom- plished. Much valuable time may be lost and the flood tide of the pupil's interest may have passed, because of an unwarranted delay in giving out books and supplies.
In our elementary grades, in June each grade is given sup- plies sufficient for the first month of the new school year. In August of the summer vacation all the books and supplies for the coming school year are placed in each building. This is a profit- able procedure insofar as time saving is concerned.
3. MEDICAL INSPECTION AND HEALTH SUPERVISION
During the final weeks of the spring term some of the pros- pective school children living at Agawam Center and in the Plains section were given a physical examination, and in many cases vaccinated. It is hoped that all children of pre school age in Agawam can be given the medical examination and vaccinated during the month of May, 1928. The great value of this pre school examination consists in the fact that it is a time saver.
84
Vaccination, removal of tonsils and adenoids, care of teeth, and other needed medical care, when exercised during the school year use up valuable time. I recommend that our school nurse and doctor be given the authority to cooperate with the parents of all of our prospective school children to the end that the physical examination be given, and corrective medical measures taken be- fore the opening of the new school year.
Dr. Chamberlain, our school physician, entered upon his du- ties with praiseworthy vigor and enterprise with the result that all of the 1631 pupils in our schools received their medical ex- amination before the first of November. Such prompt action on his part has made it possible for Mrs. Black, the school nurse, to realize what follow up work was necessary.
During the past school year our schools have been unusually free from contagious disease. This situation has not come about by chance, but is the result, for the most part, of painstaking supervision by Mrs. Black. The cooperation of all teachers and parents in this most important matter has been given without stint. The net result has been a minimum loss of time because of sickness, and a maximum enjoyment of health by most of our pupils.
4. TEACHING STAFF
Experience : A sound school policy which offers good sche- dules and furnishes plenty of books and needed supplies, and care- fully protects the health of all pupils ought to conserve, in a high degree, the factor of time; but such would be far from the case unless the teaching staff was experienced, progressive and en- thusiastic.
Skill is developed by practice-but we must have a care that the practice is along the right lines. Skill is developed much faster, that is, time is saved if the practice is maintained under skillful direction-at this point the teacher's preparation and ex- perience are telling factors. Formation by the pupils of sound habits and skills in school subjects is paramount in the classroom . and this work, in its very nature, is of slow process; but it becomes a snail pace when there is the added task of unlearning wrong habits before the right ones can be successfully taught.
The policy of the Committee in hiring teachers of sound training and experience not only saves time for the pupils but also saves money for the Town. The Town of Agawam received this
85
year from the Massachusetts Income Fund $17,615 on account of the teachers. Fifty per cent of this fund was realized from the training and experience of our teachers. But even if the Town received no such reimbursement whatever, yet it would pay the Town to continue to secure experienced teachers and to keep them in the service, because by such a policy retardation is reduced to its lowest terms and not only is retardation expensive but it is a magnificent dissipator of time.
Turnover: The turnover in your teaching staff for the past year was small, the per cent was 12.72. This is a favorable factor from many points of view. Wherever annually there are many changes in the teaching staff-attended by new adjustments be- tween pupils and teachers- no settled policy in educational pro- cedure can be set up. An unstable teaching staff destroys the con- fidence of the public and hampers the progress of pupils.
Health: The good health of your teachers has contributed to a high degree in keeping your teaching staff intact.
Substitutes: In the few cases where substitutes have been employed, it has not been necessary to accept the services of second rate teachers.
5. CURRICULUM REVISION
The revision of the curriculum of the Junior-Senior High School is in progress. The articulation of the Junior High with the Senior High is one of the problems engrossing the attention of the educational world at the present time. Here there is grave danger of a duplication of effort, methods and materials, and un- warranted dissipation of pupil energy; and there is the added dan- ger of lack of sympathy between the two departments. These dangers are somewhat minimized in Agawam because the same building houses both schools; the same teachers in some cases teach in both schools and both schools are under the same principal, F. Earl Williams. Mr. Williams has occupied his present position only since last September-long enough, however, to give ample proof that he is capable of uniting and holding together the various elements in the Junior-Senior High School. He is a student of problems in secondary education and is giving valuable leadership in the reshaping of the curriculum.
Under the topic of curriculum revision is given the following report of the progress of the reorganization of the Agawam school system which was started last year. This reorganization centered
86
itself about the elimination of the 13th grade. In June, 1927, sixty pupils of Grade VIII were promoted to the High School. Thus far they have given a good account of themselves and no apparent loss of standing is in evidence. Forty pupils of Grade VIII were retained in Grade IX-B and will not enter the High School department until September, 1928. The group remaining for the extra year before high school entrance will be smaller this coming September. This situation is expected to continue for three or four years until said division has been eliminated.
6. CLASSIFICATION OF PUPILS
In connection with the changes in the number of grades comes also a change in the classification of the pupils in the Junior- Senior High School. The pupils in Grades VII and VIII are now classified as Junior High I and Junior High II; Grade IX-A has become Junior High III; Grade X, Senior High I; Grade XI, Senior High II; and Grade XII, Senior High III. The pupils in Grades VII and VIII, now Junior High I and II, are classified also according to ability. At present there are two di- visions of Grade VII and three divisions of Grade VIII. Among the advantages attending this classification, and ranking high in worth, is the factor of time saving for the pupils.
The above classification is, in my judgment, sound as far as it goes but it does not go far enough. The stumbling block is lack of room in the Junior-Senior High School building. Because of this lack of room, you have an unbalanced Junior High School department. As the situation stands there are two divisions of the 7th grade in the Junior High building, and three divisions of the 7th grade scattered about the Town as follows :- one di- vision each at Feeding Hills Center, North Agawam and Spring- field Street. One solution to this problem is to be found by erect- ing an addition to the High School structure.
A brief statement of the needs for these additional rooms is as follows: The Junior-Senior High School building is at the present time overcrowded, many of the classes in the Junior High department number more than forty pupils-much too high an enrollment for sound economy of time. When the time comes to admit another class to the Junior High, it will appear that we have more pupils present than we can seat. This situation will lead to part time classes in Junior High I, or Grade VII. Such a method of classification is recognized everywhere as poor econ-
87
omy of time, and has never been favored by the citizens of Aga- wam. There is a crying need for more rooms at the Springfield Street School, and at Feeding Hills some of the classes are too large for the best results. If all of the 7th grade pupils should be transported to the High School building, where they are needed to balance the school system, then an additional room would be released for expansion in Feeding Hills and at Springfield Street. Feeding Hills could enroll the six grades for several years, but in all probability the present Springfield Street building can not house the six grades for more than three years.
From the above facts which are self-evident in nature, in the highest interests of economy of time and all that said policy con- veys in benefits to our schools, I recommend to the Committee that in the coming school year measures be taken to enlarge our Junior-Senior High School building.
7. PROMOTIONS
The table of promotions is given in the statistics accompany- ing this report. The ideal situation would, of course, be found in a school system that had achieved 100% in promotions. This ideal can be more nearly realized in those cities which are able to maintain a great variety of schools. Under such a condition. the different types of pupils can be placed in schools suited to their nature. Their work is then motivated by real interest and their spirits are thrilled with hope. Their progress also is more rapid because little time is wasted. In my last report much em- phasis was given to a special school for pupils retarded three or more years. In my judgment, this is an urgent need in Agawam. There are too many boys and girls three or more years retarded who are leaving school because the school is offering no incentive to them.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.