Town of Tewksbury annual report 1945-1949, Part 36

Author: Tewksbury (Mass.)
Publication date: 1945
Publisher: Tewksbury (Mass.)
Number of Pages: 870


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tewksbury > Town of Tewksbury annual report 1945-1949 > Part 36


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Appropriation $ 5,000.00


Expenditures


Perley F. Gilbert, Hunt, Forbes & Mitchell, preparing plans and specifications for addition to High School $ 1,500.00


Unexpended and voted to apply on High School construction $ 3,500.00


LANDSCAPING COMMON FOR WAR MEMORIAL


Appropriation


$


1,700.00


Expenditures


McManmons Nurseries Trust Ltd. $ 1,700.00


SAFE FOR TOWN CLERK .


Appropriation


$ 500.00


Expenditures


Wallace L. Farwell, labor on installation $ 7.70


The Mosler Safe Co., safe and equipment 492.30 $ 500.00


ERECTING MEMORIAL TO DECEASED VETERANS


Balance Brought Forward from 1947 $ 900.00


Expenditures


Colmer Monument Works, cutting and


erecting war memorial and base $ 800.00


McManmon's Nurseries Trust, Ltd., labor, trees, shrubs, loam, flagstone, etc. 100.00 $ 900.00


PURCHASE OF CEDAR SWAMP


Appropriation $ 300.00


Expenditures


Alice L. and Blanche King, cedar swamp lot . $ 300.00


PURCHASE OF ANNOTATED LAWS


.


Appropriation $ 125.00


Expenditures


The Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co., Annotated Laws of Mass., 10 vols.


$ 103.40


Unexpended


$ 21.60


113


SHAWSHEEN SCHOOL HEATING PLANT


Balance Brought Forward from 1947 $ 4,462.86


Expenditures


C. H. Hobson & Son, labor and material $ 3,416.40


Unexpended


$ 1,046.46


REAL ESTATE VALUATION BOOK


Appropriation $ 1,500.00


Expenditures


G. C. Prince & Son, Inc., ribbon $ 1.85


Ethel M. Phillips, services


318.50


Harry P. Nash, services 123.50


Spalding-Moss Co., printing books


796.80


Harry P. Nash, use of car


48.00


Austin F. French, services


123.50


A. J. Fairgrieve, stamps


6.00 $


1,418.15


Unexpended


$ 81.85


ADJUSTMENT OF 1947 SCHOOL ACCOUNT


Brought Forward $ 24.88


Mass. Retirement Board adjustment of 1947


deductions


12.50


Unexpended


$ 12.38


REPAIRS TO FIELD HOUSE


Appropriation $ 250.00


Balance Brought Forward 9.82 $


259.82


Expenditures


Rice & Co., Inc., window guards installed $ 222.75


Demers Plate Glass Co., replacing glass in


field house 37.07 $ 259.82


SUMMARY


Highways-General $ 15,250.00


Highways-Chapter 81 21,099.00


Highway Machinery Fund 15,490.57


Highways, Chapter 90, Construction-River Road 6,431.22


Highways, Chapter 90, Maintenance 999.82


114


Highways, Chapter 90, Construction-Whipple Road Schools


5,113.79


109,353.37


Vocation Schools


1,500.00


Public Welfare Administration


2,448.71


Public Welfare, Special Investigator


57.70


Public Welfare, General Relief


12,326.73


Aid to Dependent Children


17,441.11


Old Age Assistance


52,428.06


Veterans' Benefits


3,244.01


Stationery and Printing


1,669.40


Salaries: Town Treasurer


2,750.00


Town Auditor


1,100.00


Tax Collector


2,500.00


Town Clerk


1,000.00


Selectmen


1,100.00


Highway Commissioners


400.00


School Committee


225.00


Election Officers


466.00


Incidentals


1,239.97


Board of Health


2,336.48


Memorial Day


500.00


Street Lighting


6,710.71


Library


2,129.40


Town Hall


5,758.03


General


74,461.16


Moth Department


2,736.79


Tree Warden


3,950.00


Interest


240.95


Police Department


14,838.15


Parks and Commons


574.03


Fire Department


14,102.84


Assessors


4,700.00


Collection of Taxes


1,150.00


Inspection of Slaughtering


800.00


Inspection Animals


150.00


Cemetery Trust Funds


14.00


Maintenance of Legion Hall


123.05


Treasurer's Account


735.97


Dog Officer


300.00


High School Building Loan


3,165.00


Board of Registrars


986.06


Municipal Insurance Fund


500.00


Care of Cemeteries


128.85


Maintenance of Stadium


508.04


Repairs to Field House


259.82


Tax Title Foreclosures


36.23


Foreclosure of Tax Titles-1947


1.50


Motor Excise Refund


284.75


115


Real Estate Refund


533.79


Poll Tax Refund


2.00


Cost of Issuing Notes-Addition to High School Building


137.25


Sealer of Weights and Measures


215.57


Town Clerk's Account


170.00


School Lunch Project


5,848.00 24.95


Purchase of Fire Truck


Truck for Tree Warden's Department


1,727.05


Addition to High School


25,913.26


Plans for High School Alterations


1,000.00


Plans for Addition to High School


1,500.00


Landscaping Common for War Memorial


1,700.00


Safe for Town Clerk


500.00


Erecting Monument to Deceased Veterans


900.00


Purchase of Cedar Swamp


300.00


Purchase of Annotated Laws


103.40


Shawsheen Heating Plant


3,416.40


Real Estate Valuation Book


1,418.15


Adjustment of 1947 School Account


12.50


Total Expenditures $463,238.59


Cash in banks


172,480.62


Treasurer's Receipts


$635,719.21


Note: No expenditures have been made from the following appropriations:


4-H Club, Support of County Aid to Agriculture .. .


$


50.00


Removing Band Stand 300.00


To Clean and Close Old Dump at So. Tewksbury . 600.00


Municipal Building Insurance Committee 1,000.00


RESERVE FUND


Appropriation $ 3,500.00


Transferred by vote of Finance Committee to-


Incidental Account $ 400.00


Veterans' Benefits 750.00


Cost of Issuing Notes on Addition to High School 300.00


Welfare Account General Relief 1,550.00


School Account, Special Transportation


500.00 $ 3,500.00


116


TOWN OF TEWKSBURY TENTATIVE BALANCE SHEET


GENERAL ACCOUNT


Assets


Cash in banks


$172,480.62


Highway Machinery Fund


$


4,644.00


Outstanding Taxes:


Levy of 1947


$


3,022.77


Levy of 1948


19,010.60


22,033.37


Post War Rehabilitation Fund Voted for Addition to High School 20,000.00


Departmental:


Public Welfare, Cities


and Towns $ 1,288.96


State


505.30


Old Age Assistance, Cities and Towns


680.17


State


4,789.84


Aid to Dep. Children, Cities


and Towns


630.72


State


1,069.97


8,964.96


Municipal Building Insurance Committee 1,000.00 106,965.20


Reserve Fund Overlay Surplus


Overlays Reserved for Abatement:


Levy of 1947


$


295.05


11,477.64


Commonwealth of Mass .:


Highway Chap. 81


$ 4,337.06


Land of Low Value Surplus 388.80 619.20 Addition to High School Loan Premium Federal Grants:


Aid to Dependent Children .$ 2,737.55


Aid to Dependent Children, Administration 13.80


Old Age Assistance


2,899.20


Old Age Assistance, Admin. 529.70


6,180.25


Special Appropriations Carried Forward to 1949:


School Lunch $ 232.00


Heating System, Shawsheen School 1,046.46


Addition to High School 104,086.74


To Clean and Close Dump at So. Tewksbury 600.00


Liabilities and Reserves


Highway Chap. 90, Constr. 7,000.00


11,337.06


Levy of 1948 3,799.15 4,094.20


County of Middlesex:


Highway Chap. 90, Construction Tax Titles Tax Possessions, (Value Est.)


3,500.00


851.76


6,800.00


7,651.76


Revenue Reserved until Collected: Departmental 23,802.02 Tax Titles and Possessions 7,651.76


Surplus Revenue 80,144.70


$245,967.77


$245,967.77


DEBT ACCOUNT


Net Funded or Fixed Debt


$ 83,000.00


High School Building Loan $ 3,000.00 Addition to High School Building Loan 80,000.00


$ 83,000.00


$ 83,000.00


TRUST AND INVESTMENT ACCOUNT


Trust and Investment Funds- Cash and securities in custody of Town Treasurer $ 76,765.68


Cemetery Perpetual Care Funds $ 1,923.96


Foster School Fund 1,268.40


Dr. George A. Peirce book fund 115.95


Municipal Building Fund 27,771.35


Post War Rehabilitation Fund 37,280.51


Stabilization Fund 8,405.51


$ 76,765.68


$ 76,765.68


I hereby certify that I have examined the accounts of all Town Officials who were authorized to receive and to expend money, for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1948, and to the best of my knowledge and belief they are correct, with proper vouchers on file and $172,480.62 in the Treasury.


ROBERT E. GAY, Town Auditor


Personally appeared before me, this 19th day of January, 1949, Robert E. Gay, Town Auditor, and made oath that the foregoing statements are correct.


THOMAS F. FLYNN, Justice of the Peace


REPORT OF THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE FOR THE TOWN OF TEWKSBURY, 1948


The Middlesex County Extension Service is a county organiza- tion maintained to serve the various towns of the county especially in the field of agriculture and home economics.


.


The agricultural work in the town this year was largely with - the vegetable growers and poultrymen. The poultry work was in the form of individual farm visits made upon request to assist lergely in flock management and disease control. Market gardeners were assisted mainly in various sprays used in insect and disease control and in weed control.


A class in refinishing furniture and reseating all types of chairs was organized by the town chairman, Mrs. Malcolm Buchanan. Many other homemakers attended the groups held in Dracut at Miss Edna Cutter's home where projects in refinishing, reseating, and reupholstering go on continually. .


A clothing program on making dresses was conducted under the leadership of Mrs. Buchanan and Mrs. Frederick Dorsch. A meeting on interior decorating was presented at a local organiza- tion's program. Monthly service letters with timely information for homemakers are sent regularly into many homes from the Home Department.


Three boys and girls 4-H clubs were started in the fall in clothing, handicraft and agriculture. These clubs are under the leadership of Mrs. Hugo Bourdeau, Clifford Greeno, Thomas Ray, and James Hallett.


Respectfully submitted,


VICTOR N. CLUFF


120


ANALYSIS OF TREASURER'S RECEIPTS


Cash Balance fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 1947 $ 99,624.39


Loans in anticipation of Revenue 60,000.00


TAXES


Taxes Collected as Itemized in the Report of


the Tax Collector 253,913.61


TAX TITLES


Redeemed 18.49


Sale of Land of Low Value


402.59


HIGHWAYS


Commonwealth of Massachusetts:


Highway Chap. 81, Contract No. 4898 $ 10,392.90


Highway Chap. 90, Maintenance


Contract No. 10968 300.00


Highway Chap. 90, Construction


Contract No. 4718 11,885.89


Highway River Rd., Contract No. 10599 6,984.97


Highway Snow Removal 278.75 $ 29,842.51


Middlesex County:


Highway Maintenance $ 300.00


Highway River Rd. Construction


3,492.47


3,792.47


PUBLIC WELFARE


Commonwealth of Massachusetts:


Aid to Dependent Children $ 6,326.77


Aid to Dependent Children, U. S. Grant 4,060.62


Old Age Assistance 21,186.52


Old Age Assistance, U. S. Grant 21,242.19


Old Age Assistance (Meal Tax)


1,365.99 $ 54,182.09


Old Age Assistance Reimbursements,


Other cities and Towns $ 1,682.10


Public Welfare Reimbursements, Other cities and Towns - 427.82 $ 2,109.92


VETERANS BENEFITS


Commonwealth of Massachusetts:


Veterans' Service $ 244.50


LIQUOR LICENSES


License Fees Collected by Treasurer:


Clark's Package Store


$


500.00


121


Tremblay's Package Store


500.00


Fred Vincour's Package Store


500.00 $ 1,500.00


Advertising Liquor Licenses 10.14


POLICE


District Court of Lowell:


Fines $ 34.00


Chief Cyril L. Barker, Pistol Permits 18.00


52.00


PUBLIC LIBRARY


Middlesex County:


Dog License Fees Refunded $ 1,135.22


Abbie Blaisdell, librarian, fines and cards


7.19


1,142.41


SCHOOLS


Commonwealth of Massachusetts:


Vocational Education $ 449.00


Town of Andover, Tuition


586.68


City of Boston Tuition


161.93


1,197.61


TAXES (STATE)


Commonwealth of Massachusetts:


Corporation Tax


$ 4,320.00


Corporation Tax Business


8,788.69


Income Tax


12,670.56


25,779.25


Income Tax as "Part reimbursement for School expenditures according to


Chapter 70 Part 1, Gen. Laws (Chap. 579 Acts of 1945) $ 5,612.00


"School Transp. Ch. 71 Sec. 7A 4,900.00


and proportion to State Tax"


2,638.65


13,150.65


Reimbursement for Loss of Taxes on State Owned Land


3,605.23


Commonwealth of Massachusetts:


Subsidies Cities and Towns $ 230.00


Public Service


88.66


318.66


TOWN CLERK


Alice A. Pike, Town Clerk:


Dog Licenses $ 1,335.80


Fees and Licenses


290.30


1,626.10


122


TOWN HALL


Rental of Town Hall 175.00


TRUST FUNDS


Cemetery: Interest on Fund


5.00


MISCELLANEOUS


Inspection Fees at Slaughter House


319.10


Licenses:


Concert on Lord's Day $ 35.50


Ice Cream


5.00


Sale of Pasteurization of Milk


48.50


Overnight Cabins


3.50


Junk License


5.00


Used Car License


5.00


Gasoline Permits


6.00


108.50


Sealer of Weights and Measures, Fees


$ 26.20


Advertising Hearing


7.46


Sale of Stewart Truck


46.25


Sale of Reo Truck


28.00


Copy of Town Map


1.00


Toll Calls and Lost Book +


2.35


..


5.00


Dog Officer, Reimbursement for care of dog Sale of Dog


3.00


Robertson Co. Refund


$ 20.70


Middlesex County, Reimbursement on Bounty


10.00


Reimbursement for Welfare


20.00


Refund on Express and Overpayment


4.48


55.18


Sale of Battery


1.00


Receipts from Athletic Games


1,322.21


Telephone Toll Calls


128.79


Day Trust Co. Loan for Addition to High School


80,000.00


Interest


10.00


Premium on High School Loan


388.80


City of Lawrence, Reimbursement of Board of Health Case


450.00


Town of Dunstable, Use of Highway Equip.


123.75


Total Money Received


$635,719.21


.


EXPENDITURES


Total amount of Expenditures as per Items


listed in the Report of Town Auditor $463,238.59


Balance in Banks 172,480.62 $635,719.21


123


The financial standing of the Town including the Trust and Investment Account, will be found in the balance shee in the report by the Town Auditor.


124


ANNUAL REPORT


OF THE


SCHOOL COMMITTEE


OF THE


Jown of Jewksbury


OF TEW


TOWN


URY


INC


0


1734


Ri


D


R


ALSO


Report of Superintendent of Schools


For the Year Ending December 31,


1948


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS


SCHOOL COMMITTEE


Mrs. Loella Dewing, 1946-1949, Chairman Tewksbury


J. Harper Gale, 1947-1950, Secretary Tewksbury


Ralph S. Battles, 1948-1951 Lowell, R.F.D. No. 1


SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS


.Stephen G. Bean Wilmington


SCHOOL PHYSICIAN


Herbert M. Larrabee, M. D.


Tewksbury


SCHOOL NURSE


Jean Coombes, R. N. Tewksbury


ATTENDANCE OFFICER


Earl Sands South Tewksbury


SCHOOL CALENDAR - 1949


January 3 to February 25 - 8 weeks


VACATION ONE WEEK March 7 to April 29 - 8 weeks


VACATION ONE WEEK


May 9 to June 17-elementary - 6 weeks


May 9 to June 25-high school - 7 weeks


VACATION TEN WEEKS September 7 to December 23 - 16 weeks


VACATION School commences January 2, 1950


SCHOOL HOLIDAYS


February 22


Good Friday


April 19


October 12


November 11


November 24-25


SCHOOL CENSUS


October 1, 1948


Ages


5 to 7


7 to 16


Total


Boys


62


332


394


Girls


66


286


352


Total


128


618


746


126


REPORT OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT


To the School Committee Tewksbury, Massachusetts


Madam and Gentlemen:


Subscribed please find my eighteenth annual report as Super- intendent of Schools of this town. It is deliberately kept as brief as possible and at the same time give the information of prime importance.


As was predicted in my report of a year ago, we have been faced with a condition of overcrowding in the elementary grades, especially in the Shawsheen School. We were naturally forced to arrange' a schedule for the four upper grades of that school on a part time basis. This condition will be remidied when the 4 rooms now being added to the High School are completed. It is to be hoped that this will be accomplished before the opening of the next school year.


The enrollment in the first grades in the Foster and Shawsheen Schools has increased according to expectations. That this is not a temporary increase is evident from various studies made by both educators and industrialists.


A series of quotations are given below, garnered from the KIPLINGER LETTER to business houses dated December 24, 1948.


"You may think schools are crowded, but they will be much worse in the years immediately ahead. The definite proof is in the birth rate.


"This year 18.6 million children are in the elementary schools. In two years, 20 million. In 4 years, 22 million. And so on up. By 1957, 26.6 million-8 million more than the 18.6 of now. Nearly half again as many as now-8 years hence-not far off. Schools must be planned now for then, and there isn't any too much time.


"High school attendance will shrink for three years, and then expand. This year, 6.3 million. Next year, 6.2 million. By 1951, only 6 million. This shrinkage is due to the low birth rate in early 30's-depression, but High School numbers will gradually increase through the 50's. By' 1960, 8.1 million High schoolers, compared with 6.3 as of now.


"This community may be underestimating the future school load, especially in 1st to 8th grades. Most communities are under- estimating, because they don't quite look the birth rate full in the face. Take a fresh look at the birth rate-in the past-and now. Normal birth rate prewar was about 18-that many babies born per 1000 of population-except depression years, when fewer were


127


born. Then war-more marriages, more births and step up in the rate to 20, 21 per 1000 and there the birth rate hovered through the war. Then peace again, and the men came home, and the rate shot up-in 1946 to 23.3-in 1947 to 26.2. So last year, 1947 was all-time high. This year, 24 estimated-lower than last year, but still high. Next year, 21 estimated-lower than this year, but still high. See the wave of babies-1941 through 1949-the wave of the 40's. As the years pass, this wave will roll along through the grade schools, then the high schools, then the colleges-and out into working life. It is statistical-no guess work about it.


"Teachers-taxes-buildings-it takes all these to make schools. School taxes may seem high already, but they probably will go higher. Children's health, doctoring, hospitals, playgrounds, trans- portation-all these demands will expand like the school figures, as given above."


Dr. John R. Steelman, speaking before the Southern Governors Conference at Savannah, Georgia on December 13, 1948 said in part:


"Our children are facing a tremendously complex world. Serious economic and social problems inside and outside our country require solution. The best possible training and education will be needed to enable them to achieve peace and happiness.


"At the present time we are having an extraordinary increase in the number of children reaching school age, as the result of the high birth rate in recent years.


"The other two major difficulties facing elementary and sec- ondary education need to be considered by both federal and state governments. One is the problem of attracting and holding enough competent teachers. The other is the question of replacement and new construction of school buildings.


"Both of these problems force us to face the hard facts of government finance. To recruit more and better teachers, we must pay them salaries that come somewhere near meeting the compe- tition of jobs in private industry and in other types of government service. To repair and build schools requires a heavy investment of funds particularly in view of the present high construction and maintenance costs."


The following are quotations from the December 17, 1948 issue of the NEA NEWS, a publication of the National Education Asso- ciation:


"Leading citizens, newspapers, magazines, and radio stations began about 1945 to inform the American people of the school crisis. Their activities and those of teachers associations and parents groups produced significant state legislative action in 1946, 1947 and 1948. Many communities voted increased revenues, re- moved tax limitations, and improved the assessment of property.


128


"While these increases in school revenues and other school improvements were often remarkable achievements, their effective- ness in removing long-standing deficits have been impaired because: (1) they came after great damage had taken place in the public schools; (2) they did not take into account the lag, during the war years, in normal maintenance and purchasing of buildings and equipment; and (3) they did not provide for the potential increase in school enrolments; and (4) they did not offset the declining purchasing power of the dollar.


"It is a serious problem to consider what the situation will be in most states when the present high level of elementary-school enrolments reaches the secondary schools. Frantic efforts today, and in the next few years, to meet the elementary situation may make it virtually impossible for local-school districts to anticipate the building needs of secondary schools, which will become increas- ingly acute about 1960."


The above quotations are presented because of the tendency of the public to consider the same statements of fact, when made by the local school officials, as more propaganda for the purpose of excusing a boost in the school budget.


It has been my experience, over many years, that school com- mittees, as a whole, are very sympathetic towards the tax payer. They struggle valiantly to keep school expenses at the lowest possible figure consistent with the type of education the public expects. In fact, many a public demand is not met because, in the judgment of the committee, the community cannot bear the cost.


It was for the purpose of aiding towns of low ability to support adequate schools that the last session of the legislature passed a bill which replaces old Chapter 70 of the General Laws Relating to Education. This new legislation was definitely for the purpose of "equalizing educational opportunity" for all of the children of compulsory school age in the state. Its provisions are based on the number of children between 7 and 16 years of age-the only years when children are required by law to attend school.


A formula was written into this law by which it is possible in any year to determine what the state reimbursement will be during the fiscal year.


It is as follows:


The number of residents between 7 and 16 years on Oct. 1st x $130. From this is taken six dollars per 1000 of equalized valuation. 50% of this difference is payable the following . November into general treasury of the town. In Sec. 10 of this-Chapter it is provided that the school committee shall consider this amount in making their budget, and that the


129


finance committee in making their recommendation shall indicate that of the school appropriation this said amount comes from the state and the balance from local taxation.


For Tewksbury the following computation will apply:


618 x $130 $ 80,340.00 4,991,579 x .006


29,949.47


Difference $ 50,390.53


50% of this amount


25,195.25


Next November this amount will be paid into the town treasury instead of $5,612 as received last year. In making up the tax rate for the current fiscal year the assessors will use this reimburse- ment as an asset for the year together with other sums received from the state and other municipalities on account of schools. These amounts will naturally serve to reduce the amount to be raised by local taxation and thereby reduce the tax rate. An estimate of these receipts is as follows:


Income tax-Chapter 70 $ 25,195.52


Transportation-Chapter 71


4,900.00


State Minor Wards-Est.


1,100.00


City of Boston Wards-Est.


250.00


Town of Andover-Tuition-Est.


520.00


$ 31,965.52


It is true that none of the above money is earmarked for schools, but it is equally true that but for the schools this money would not be paid into the town treasury. It is also a fact that the actual cost of education to the town is the total school appro- priation less these amounts.


It was interesting to note that at all of the legislature hearings on the so called School Aid Bill, the accent of nearly every propo- nent of the measure was that this additional state aid would make it possible for the smaller and poorer communities of the state to secure and retain a staff of teachers such as is now possible only to those of high financial standing. In other words this bill was aimed at raising the salary scales for teachers without increasing the burden on local tax payers.


Among the many evidences that the public has at last awakened to the importance of maintaining an adequate teaching personnel is shown by the growing practice of many of the more important publishers of books. They are printing on the outside jacket (the paper cover found on new books) a message of the Fifth Freedom. The following is an excerpt from this:


"When you have read this book we want you to think for a moment about what you have just done. Actually, you have done


130


something very difficult though you are so used to it that it seemed easy. You had to be taught to do this and probably many teachers struggled with you before it could be said that you could both READ and UNDERSTAND what you read. YOU OWE THOSE TEACHERS A GREAT DEBT. They gave you the key to freedom


. As a nation we have joined others in a desire to realize the Four Freedoms but there is a Fifth Freedom more fundamental than any of the others. This is freedom from ignorance. The ignorant man is the easiest prey to want and fear . . OUR TEACHERS MOLD OUR NATION'S FUTURE. GIVE THEM YOUR HELP."


It will be noted in glancing at the roster of school employees appended to this report, that there have been few changes in teacher personnel this past year. In fact there are no changes but rather addition of new names of additional teachers employed because of excessive numbers in some parts of the school system and the introduction of the new Opportunity Class.


We knew last spring that if the addition to the high school building were not completed by September it would be necessary to make some plan whereby, the children in the district served by the Shawsheen School could be cared for with as great efficiency as possible. There being no space available in the town fit for school use we were forced to adopt the usual plan followed in such cases and utilize such rooms as possible by placing some classes on a part time basis. It seemed that the least harm to the smallest number would result from putting the four upper grades on this shorter schedule. These grades should be less dependent on con- stant teacher supervision than are the primary grades. They can, if they will, do more of their study independently. This arrange- ment also made available a smaller room which could house the newly organized Opportunity Class.




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