USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1943-1944 > Part 6
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Article 11. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $25.58 for 1943 unpaid Police Department bills and $31.72 for 1943 unpaid Soldiers' Relief bill, and $45.00 for 1943 unpaid Unclassified bill and $68.89 for 1941, 1942 unpaid Cemetery Department bills.
Article 12-To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or some other amount, the money to be expended under the direction of the 4-H Town Commit- tee, serving in cooperation with the Middlesex County Extension Serv- ice under the provisions of Section 40 to 45, Chapter 129, General Laws of Massachusetts.
Article 13. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Public Welfare to appoint one of its members as agent for the Board and fix the salary of such agent in accordance with the provisions of
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Section 4A of Chapter 41 of the General Laws. Request of the Board of Public Welfare.
Article 14. To see if the Town will vote to transfer $874.31 from the Excess and Deficiency Account to the Water Department or do anything in relation thereto. Request of the Water Department.
Article 15. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or any amount for the purpose of purchasing a new automobile and equipment therefor for the Police Department and/or authorize the sale or turn in of the pres- ent police car as a credit toward such purchase, or do anything in re- lation thereto. Request of the Chief. of Police Department.
Article 16. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for the enlargement and upkeep of the Town Honor Roll, or do anything in relation thereto. Request of the Honor Roll Committee.
Article 17. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) from the Excess and Deficiency account, the same to be used for the purchase of War Bonds, the proceeds of which are to be used for future water main extensions at discretion of the Board of Water Commissioners, or do anything in relation thereto. Request of the Finance Committee.
Article 18. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate. the sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars, ($750) for the purpose of leasing under the authority of Section 9 of Chapter 40 of the General Laws, as amended, the American Legion Club house in Wilmington for the purpose of providing suitable headquarters for the Wilmington Posts of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, or do anything in relation thereto.
Article 19. To see if the Town will vote to accept Faulkner Ave- nue as laid out by the Board of Survey, or do anything in relation thereto.
Article 20. To see if the Town will vote to accept Cunningham Street as laid out by the Board of Survey, or do anything in relation thereto.
Article 21. To see if the Town will vote to accept McDonald Road as laid out by the Board of Survey, or do anything in relation thereto ....
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Article 22. To see if the Town will vote to instruct the Board of Selectmen to contract for three (3) electric lights to be installed on Forest Street from Aldrich Road easterly, to do anything in relation thereto. Petition of Deborah Kleynen and others.
Article 23. To see if the Town will vote to instruct the Board of Selectmen to contract for three (3) electric lights to be installed on Beacon Street, Belmont Street and Fairview Avenue, or do anything in relation thereto. Petition of Harry J. Cutter and others.
Article 24. To see if the Town will vote, to elect by official ballot, at the next annual election, the Supt. of Streets for a term of three years or do anything in relation thereto. Petition of William H. Feindel and others.
Article 25. To see if the Town will vote to increase the salaries and compensation of the Fire Department, Police Department, Water Department and Highway Department for the emergency and see what sum of money the Town will raise and appropriate thereof. Petition of Roy A. Bousfield and others.
Article 26. To see if the Town will vote to name the new school house at Silver Lake the Mildred H. Rogers School or do anything in relation thereto. Petition of Anna R. Barry and others.
Article 27. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of Eleven Hundred Dollars ($1,100.00), for the purpose of purchasing the so-called Hiller cranberry meadow, located between Church Street, Adelaide Street and Middlesex Avenue, containing 41/2 acres, to be used as a park or do anything in relation thereto. Petition of Enid M. Aldrich and others.
Hereof fail not and make due return of this Warrant, or a certifi- cate copy thereof, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk as soon as may be and before said meeting.
Given under our hands and Seal of Said Town this 21st Day of February, A. D., One Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty-four.
CHARLES H. BLACK, Chairman FRANK W. DAYTON JOHN D. COOKE
Selectmen of Wilmington.
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Annual Report
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF
WILMINGTON, MASS.
GTO
INC
1730.
THE WHITEFIELD ELM
TOGETHER WITH THE
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31,
1943
-
REPORT OF SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Mr. August Macleod, Chairman
North Wilmington
1941-1944
Mrs. Vilma Bedell, Secretary
Wilmington
1941-1944
Mr. Burt Tilley
Wilmington
1943-1946
Mr. Adam Galka
Wilmington
1943-1946
Mr. Charles Baldwin
Wilmington
1942-1945
Mr. Ernest Crispo
Wilmington
1942-1945
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Mr. Stephen G. Bean Wilmington, Tel. 343 or 542
SCHOOL PHYSICIAN
Dr. Ernest C. MacDougall
Wilmington, Tel. 432
SCHOOL NURSE
Mrs. Esther Nichols
Wilmington, Tel. 744
ATTENDANCE OFFICER
Mr. Ernest Cail
Wilmington, Tel. 571
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SCHOOL CALENDAR 1944
January 3 to February 26
Winter Vacation March 6 to April 29
Spring Vacation
May 8 to June 24
Summer Vacation
September 6 to December 23
Christmas Vacation
Winter term commences January 2, 1945
HOLIDAYS
January 1
May 30
February 22
October 12
Good Friday
November 11
April 19
November 23 and 24
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of the Town of Wilmington:
It has been our endeavor during the past year to carry on school activities in as normal a manner as possible.
Required repairs on the school buildings have received attention in so far as available material and labor have permitted. Several of the class rooms have been painted, in line with our present policy of accomplishing a certain portion of such work each year. The exterior of some buildings shows the need of paint, but the shortage of labor necessitated the postponement of work of that nature.
The foundation of the West School was discovered to be in very bad condition. This has been repointed, and new cement water tables plus some carpentry work has restored the building to at least a safe condition. Incidentally, these repairs have made the class room much more comfortable and easier to heat during the winter months.
It has been demonstrated that the new lighting fixtures, installed last summer in the laboratory and typewriting rooms in the High School, are a great improvement over the previous inadequate arrange- ment. Provided the equipment can be obtained, it is the intention to improve upon the lighting in some other rooms during the ensuing year.
The contract covering bus transportation, which had been in effect for three years, expired last June. Because of the substantial increase in cost, it was considered inadvisable to negotiate for another contract at this time, and consequently, the bus transportation is being conduct- ed on a "spot basis" during the current school year.
The committee in charge of the Wilmington Community Band has offered to present to the School Department the various instruments and equipment owned by the Band, with the understanding that in the future the School Department shall have entire supervision over the Band. The School Committee is mindful and appreciative of the earn- est and successful efforts of the few citizens who were responsible for the creation of the Band several years ago, and is willing to accept the generous offer with the intention of eventually having a School
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Band that will add much to the spirit and activities of the students. Present conditions may preclude rapid progress, but at least a start should be made this year in developing the musical talents of interest- ed students.
The need of a new High School building becomes more apparent each year. The present building is inadequate and inasmuch as the Town now possesses property (the Roman Estate) that would lend itself ideally for the purpose and, also, add much to the attractive- ness of the community, it is hoped the citizens will bear in mind the importance of planning for a new High School and an adjoining ath- letic field. For the duration of the war, building construction may be prohibitive, but the preparation of plans and advanced study of the entire project, would in a sense lay the ground work and speed the day when our town can provide more modern and appropriate sur- roundings for the education of High School students.
Respectfully submitted,
AUGUST G. MacLEOD, Chairman VILMA B. BEDELL, Secretary CHARLES A. BALDWIN. ERNEST M. CRISPO, ADAM GALKA, BURT TILLEY,
Wilmington School Committee.
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REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the Wilmington School Committee:
Madam and Gentlemen:
I am pleased to have the honor to present herewith my Twentieth Annual Report as Superintendent of Schools in Wilmington. This period has covered the post war period of World War I, the long years of depression, and thus far into the second great world conflict. It has been a period full of difficult problems for our schools and es- pecially for our particular schools because of the nature of this com- munity. Financial problems combined with a school population out of proportion to the total population has made it difficult to maintain an adequate educational system in a not too rich residential town. I be- lieve that the quality of educational accomplishment which we have maintained is a great credit to those citizens who have given so gen- erously of their time and effort as members of the school committee during these turbulent times. In looking over some of the financial records of these years, I often wonder how we even kept schools, to say nothing of the high quality of accomplishment that was maintained.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
Recently I received an inquiry from a retired university professor who has been making a study of educational statistics of the Com- monwealth as to the reason for the fact that a year or so ago twenty- seven per cent of the total population of Wilmington was enrolled in its schools. When I reply to that letter I can call liis attention to the fact that in some comparatively recent years nearly one-third of the town's population was in school in our twelve grades. I believe that this is a fact of which many citizens are unaware. It is very import- ant fact too. It has a direct bearing on the over all cost of maintaining the system. Twenty per cent of the total population in school is a high average. If our school population were average we could cut the greatest educational expense, cost of teaching, by nearly fifty per cent. This is because we would need that percentage less teachers. Better still we could cut our teaching staff twenty-five per cent and reduce the number of pupils per teacher to almost ideal proportions.
Another pertinent question in this same letter was that referring to the very high proportion of our teaching staff having college degrees.
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He cited cases of much more pretentious systems where the propor- tion is away below ours. He shows that over 55% of our elementary teachers in 1942 had college degrees. The facts at present are that 63% have such degrees. He also draws the very interesting conclusion that in general the best trained teachers are the lowest paid. In this observation he actually answers his own question. Our rate is high because our salary schedule has produced a large teacher turnover in recent years. To be sure these teachers are inexperienced when we hire them, but they are well trained. We seem to have been fortunate in picking them and have had some of the cream of the crop. In some cases we have had the good fortune to get those who had passed through their year of novitiate experience. Our geographical situation has also been a helping factor.
There were other questions in this letter and quotations of sta- tistics which indicate what we have long known, that Wilmington has certain conditions which are peculiar to Wilmington. Many of these interesting facts have been mentioned in my reports over the years. They mean little to us because they are our own problems. To a stu- dent of educational administration they are puzzling. They are nn- usual.
PERSONNEL
The mention made above concerning teacher turnover brings to mind the experience in this field during the past year and in the twenty year period. At present there are but three teachers now in the sys- tem who were here twenty years ago. Of the remainder, twelve names were not on the roster of school teachers a year ago at this time. There have been over twenty changes in the teaching staff since June. 1942. This is more than fifty per cent of the total number of teachers employed. In a business organization such a turnover would seen calamitous. In industry an appeal would immediately reach to the government and even Congress. We have taken it in stride and have maintained a very fine corps. as a whole.
The administrative heads of the various schools are the same as last year with the exception of the Daniel T. Buzzell School. The de- mands of the war training courses in the high school made it neces- sary for Mr. Hood to give up supervision of this school and Miss Alyce G. O'Brien, the senior teacher on the staff, was made Principal until such time as a suitably qualified man can be secured for the position, it being the hope that we may secure a man who can guide the boys of this 'school in athletics and physical training.
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The phenomenal turnover in the high school staff will, no doubt, appear in the report of the Principal, Mr. Hood. I shall confine my re- port on changes to the elementary schools which are as follows:
School
Former Teacher
Present Incumbent
Buzzell
Rita Dineen Casey (trans.) Alma Abramson
Mary Coologhan
Clementia Scopa
Elene Farello (trans.)
Gertrude Bailey
Margaret Bartley
Center
Irene Menihane
Margery Waring
Whitefield
Mary Feeley (trans.)
Lena Doucette (ret.)
Maple Meadow Nortlı
Rita Doherty
Mary Feeley (trans.)
Substitute
Mrs. Esther McLay
Maple Meadow
Supervisors
Music Phys. Education Art
Harriet Donehue
Evelyn Mekelatos
Evelyn Wells
Doris Lindh
Mrs. Shirley Gulliver Vacant
(trans.) transferred to another school
(ret. ) returned after long illness
The situation was further complicated during the year by the fact that we were obliged to use substitutes for several extended periods while searching for regular teachers. We are fortunate indeed to have these married ex-teachers who are willing to fill in cases of tem- porary need. It is no simple task to step in and take over a class on an hour's notice, particularly if the regular teacher has been lax in the keeping of her plan book.
ENROLLMENT
There was a slight decrease in enrollment from October 1, 1942, to the same date in 1943. Strangely enough the drop was in the ele- mentary grades rather than in the high school. Since October, how- ever, there has been a further decrease in high school membership due to enlistments and to some defection in favor of jobs. This latter, leaving to go to work is shirtsighted policy on the part of both children and parents. These children are going to need every bit of education they can get to meet the post war conditions. This is not the prejudiced opinion of those in the profession, but it is considered
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Mrs. Albert Mooney
Virginia Hill Erickson
Kathleen O'Malley
Louise Wood (1 mth.)
the judgment of leading authorities in all lines of endeavor. Tabu- lations showing the actual distribution of school membership by schools and grades will be found later in this report. The grade totals are an excellent index as to probably future enrollments and are an aid to planning future school accomodations, the need of which is more and more evident.
SCHOOL PLANT
Here again one line of thought leads logically to another subject for consideration. This is a line of future action which calls for care- ful thinking though. There are so many possibilities which may be resultant from this war that it behooves all of us to begin planning.
The daily newspapers and the monthly periodicals of the thought- provoking type are presenting probable demands on education after the war which are entirely new to us. This new education will not involve children and adolescents only. There is a definite trend to- wards preparation to meet the needs of these boys of ours who have been yanked out of school before they could finish their preparation for life. While there are many promises of what will be done for the returning veterans and all sorts of plans for preferment of the re- turned heroes, this is still a cold blooded, hard boiled world of sur- vival of the fittest. There will be a crying need for young recruits in all of the professions, all of which demand a long period of educational preparation. There have, as yet, been no royal roads or short cuts found for any of these. The only short cuts will be by means of more continuous application to study and fewer periods of flowery , ease when the weather gives the call to the out of doors.
Our planning here must be for better equipment to handle these new problems. The call may well be for more and better vocational training as well as more carefully planned courses directed towards . the professions. War experience may show us how to eliminate some of what we thought were the essentials for proper preparation. New methodologies may emerge from wartime experiences which will change materially our enstomary procedures. These demands will call for a better and perhaps different type of school plant than we now have. This applies especially to our high school plant.
Present indications are that the federal government is already looking forward to another era of subsidized projects of which schools will be an important part. Since we will all have our share in the payment for these it seems only good sense and good business to share in the benefits. Usually such things are administered on a priority
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of claims basis. Our plans should be ready early. When ready they should be adequate and complete. The one care should be to see to it that our plan fits our local requirements and is not patterned on con- ditions which do not exist here.
Not only do we need to plan for our high school housing but there is very decided need for better elementary facilities. The Center School has practically outlived its usefulness. The cost of ,trying to put it into decent condition would be prohibitive. Architecturally it is impossible as a school building for modern times. The two portable schools have also given us all of the service due for the money they cost. They were temporary makeshifts in the beginning; forced upon us by the unpredictable influx of ninety-six children extra in one school vacation. When new they were hygienically the best school buildings in the town. They are temporary structures, however, and have had their day and done their part. The Walker School seems to be in good structural condition but should certainly have some form of safe exit from the rooms on the second floor.
UNUSUAL INTERRUPTIONS
Twice during the fiscal year the schools were called upon by the National Government to do a piece of work which they alone of all national organizations were capable of doing quickly and efficiently, on short notice, and with a minimum of preliminary training. The teachers of America may well be proud of this distinction. The two rationings, one in February and the other in October, were carried out with accuracy and celerity. The number of errors made and the num- ber of blanks thereby voided was unbelievably small. The teamwork was superlative. These tasks which were approached with misgivings proved a source of extreme satisfaction in the way that the work was carried through and the spirit of cooperation.
By careful organization, with the very capable lieutenancy of Mr. Hood, the amount of time lost from school by the children was reduced to a minimum. No little credit should be given to the citizens for their cooperation in observing the scheduled days for their applications. This helped to keep the time loss low. Fortunately, the educational authorities of the Commonwealth allowed us to cut short the length of the required school year so that schools were not forced to stay open during the heat of summer days.
TRANSPORTATION
Early in the year we were called upon by the Office of Defense Transportation to reduce our bus mileage to a set minimum. Orders
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were issued that no teacher or child should be transported by school buses who did not live at least two miles from the school attended No discrimination was made as to age or grade. This meant that many children who had previously been allowed to ride from a mile and one-half limit were thereafter forced to walk. This involved the children of the first five grades. The only exceptions to this rule were for children suffering under a physical handicap such as to render a long walk a menace to health, or any case where extreme danger would accompany such walk. There is also a provision that children must walk at least one and one-half miles to the nearest bus line when necessary.
The local effect of these rules did not change materially our total bus mileage but did reduce the size of the loads which were approach- ing dangerous proportions. One short trip to the Maple Meadow School from the Federal Gardens section was eliminated by returning the children of this district to the Whitefield School where they actů- ally belonged but whence they had been removed for a short period because of overcrowding in that school.
Because of the increasingly large number of children residing in the vicinity of Martin's Pond we were obliged to have the Cavanaugh Taxi Service make two trips to and from this section, or at least use two cars.
The cost of transportation was increased alarmingly when negoti- ations were entered into at the expiration of our contract with Holland Brothers in the summer. 'The company claimed, with some justifi- cation, that they had done this work for a number of years without profit. Increases in all costs connected with their business were of- fered in evidence to justify the increase. Some increase in cost had been anticipated and allowance made in the budget, but the increase was so great as to limit materially our ability to accomplish other things which were desired and needed. The budget for 1944 will nec- essarily be increased to meet this demand.
THE NEW MINIMUM SALARY LAW
Also during this fiscal year the'General Court passed a law raising the minimum salary that can be paid to any full time teacher from eight hundred fifty to twelve hundred dollars. Here again an increased strain was put on our financial balance. To be sure the Committee had already increased the salaries of the lower paid teachers to twelve hundred dollars but only part of this sum had to come out of the cur- rent budget. Here again is an element which must be met in full in 1944.
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IMPROVEMENTS
The work of bringing our schools np to a reasonably good state of repair, after a period of neglect due to the depression years, has been maintained. Some very desirable improvements have been made; notably in the improved lighting in two of the rooms in the High School. If our priorities will rate it, several more rooms should re- ceive attention, especially those rooms created by the cutting up of the old assembly hall. Very high candle power lamps are now being used in those rooms and the cost of installation would eventually be paid by savings in current consumption.
THE ROMAN PROPERTY
The town made what seems like.a very wise move in acquiring the Roman property for future use for school purposes. As has been sug- gested earlier in this report, we should begin at once to plan for the time when the town may be able to meet the needs for adequate school housing.
CONCLUSION
Your attention is directed to the reports of my various associates covering several departments within the school system. These will be found appended to this report .*
I offer sincere thanks for the cooperation of everybody in the school system, whose efforts have brought the year to a successful conclusion.
Respectfully submitted, STEPHEN G. BEAN,
Superintendent of Schools.
Jannary 27, 1944.
*The report of the Supervisor of Art is omitted because there is no such supervisor at present. Mrs. Gulliver resigned during the year to take a more satisfactory position in Plymouth County towns.
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