USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Wilbraham > Wilbraham annual report 1961-1965 > Part 11
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 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
The operation of the Town Dump adjacent to Grassy Hollow has been a source of annoyance to people living in the immediate area, namely because of smoke and odor from fires which are lighted by people who use the dump. To relieve the nuisance, the Board of Health is providing in its budget for proper super- vision of the dump while it is open. In order to hold the cost down to a reasonable figure it will be necessary to keep the dump
7
open only during specified hours on a schedule which is being worked out and which we plan to make convenient for the majority of the people.
Effective August 1, 1962 the Selectmen appointed Joseph A. Reilly as accountant for the town. Mr. Reilly has proved to be a fortunate choice, most conscientious and competent in this new position. In order to give this long needed position official stature we, together with the Finance Committee, are recommending that the town vote, at the Annual Meeting to accept the section of the General Laws which permits the Selectmen to appoint an official Town Accountant who will then have certain powers, duties, and responsibilities as spelled out by the General Laws.
In May, 1962 the Selectmen appointed a Transmission Line Committee, with Edward H. Godfrey as chairman to spearhead the town's opposition to the installation of a 345,000 volt trans- mission line on a 250 foot wide right-of-way through the center of the town, north and south, in the general vicinity of Stony Hill Road as proposed by the Western Massachusetts Electric Company. Opposition was based on the adverse effect such a line would have on property values both on the actual property to be taken and on potentially valuable adjoining property. The tremendous opposition by the townspeople to this proposal was indicated by well over 2,000 names on a petition circulated by the Committee and by the turnout of 500 people at a hearing conducted by the Public Utilities Commission on July 31 at Stony Hill School dealing with the question of the public neces- sity for the proposed line. Attorney Frederick S. Pillsbury was engaged to represent the town at this hearing. The decision of the Commission has just been received and is in favor of the utility company. What further action the town will take has not not yet been determined.
At the Special Town Meeting on June 18, 1962 a motion to approve in principle the development in the future of a Village Green in Wilbraham Center substantially as recommended by the Center Development Study Committee was defeated. Such action is not, of course, binding on future town meetings and the Selectmen are convinced that the possibility of expanding Crane Park into a more typical town common or village green as a long- range project to be accomplished step by step as opportunities present themselves, is too worthwhile to be permanently forgot- ten. With an ultimate goal in mind, each specific step should be
8
considered strictly on its own merits in the light of conditions prevailing at that time.
Technical Planning Associates who have been engaged to work on a Master Plan for the town have projected figures which indi- cate that Wilbraham may reach a population of 25,000 in the foreseeable future. Before it is too late, the town must reserve space in a suitable setting for future town buildings such as a Town Hall and Library. Furthermore, a future population in that range makes obvious the future need for additional neigh- borhood shopping facilities. With that many people using the main streets just to get from one place to another, to churches, to schools, to work, etc., it would seem logical to divert the traffic and parking for strictly shopping purposes away from the main streets. For this reason we favor the rezoning of a new area for neighborhood shopping off of Main Street where a safe flow of traffic and adequate parking could be provided. At the same time, and for the same reasons, we firmly believe that no extension of the neighborhood shopping area should be made on Main Street. We are at a point now when an important decision must be made. Instead of temporary expedients, we must seek long range community benefit through the exercise of objective planning and take actions now which will not later have to be changed with difficulty but which will be sound for the future.
In closing, we wish to acknowledge the debt which the town owes to the many individuals who devote so much time and energy to making Wilbraham a better place in which to live.
RICHARD L. DANFORTH, Chairman ROGER T. HINTZE JESSE L. RICE
Report of the Wilbraham School Committee
The School Committee, elected by the voters of this com- munity, represents the citizens of Wilbraham in determining the annual educational expenditures and the academic program pro- vided for your children. As a policy making body, your committee determines a reasonable balance between desirable educational practices and the ability of the community to meet the costs.
This committee welcomes the opportunity to report on its
9
stewardship of public funds and its attention to the educational responsibilities of the Wilbraham Public Schools in 1962.
In appraising the work accomplished and establishing goals for the next fiscal and calendar year, the committee has attempted to develop budgets and academic programs consistent with the needs and the desires of this community. In this area, certain basic problems must be considered; problems facing this committee, not necessarily in the order of magnitude, are:
A. Increasing pupil enrollment
B. Changing educational programs and requirements
C. State required pupil service programs
D. Continued inflation in the cost of supplies and services
The first item - increasing pupil enrollment - can best be demonstrated by the following table:
WILBRAHAM PUPILS ENROLLED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - a 12 year record of growth
Year as of
Grades
Grades
Grades
October 1st
1-6
7-8
9-12
Total
1950
367
62
120
549
1955
723
186
222
1,131
1960
954
328
391
1,673
1962
1,120
309
508
1,937
It is not only the continued increase, but the acceleration in the rate of increase, that indicates a continuing problem here.
Changing educational programs and requirements can best be demonstrated by indicating those areas of the program needing continued expansion and development as the trend towards more specialized preparation achieves acceptance. Science, modern for- eign languages, and mathematics are requiring more time and greater effort in the elementary grades. Accelerated classes and a broadening of the basic knowledge subjects, skills, and tech- niques are necessary at all grade levels. Ability grouping, with the required testing, evaluation, and placement of students, requires more man hours and a higher degree of teaching ability than does the non-grouped plan of scheduling classes.
Legislative action by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has, over the past five years, substantially increased the duties
10
and responsibilities of the local school committees. The original requirement that a community with ten or more school age pupils who are more than three years retarded must open a special class, has been expanded to require special classes for the educable mentally retarded, the trainable mentally retarded, and the cus- todial mentally retarded, whenever there are five pupils of school age so classified in a community. Additional classes are required for various classifications of physically handicapped pupils. Test- ing, classifying, and placement of mentally retarded and physically handicapped pupils requires trained specialists and trained teach- ers. Requirements for the establishment of classes for emotionally disturbed children are now under study. Classes in speech and hearing therapy, services of a school adjustment counsellor, and employment of a school psychologist, are all included in the pres- ent pupil service program of the Wilbraham schools. While the Commonwealth of Massachusetts reimburses up to one half the cost of these programs, the total amount to be expended must be included in the annual school budget since all state reimburse- ments are paid directly to the town treasury.
The final problem of the four listed for consideration, is the continued inflation in the cost of materials and services. A single example can indicate the intense pressure that inflation places on the cost of education. In 1950, the teachers' salary schedule in Wilbraham provided a $2,300 starting salary for an inexperienced teacher with a Bachelor's degree. The 1963 Wilbraham budget provides a teacher salary schedule minimum of $4,700 (an in- crease of 104% in 13 years.) The present Wilbraham salary minimum ranks with the state minimum and area competition as it did in 1950. In summary, then, the 1962 budget expenditures and the 1963 budget estimate must be analyzed with an under- standing of the problems facing the school committee, and a realization of the increased costs facing the community as a result of increased pupil enrollment, change in educational needs, state- required pupil services, and continued inflationary pressures.
The annual school operating and maintenance budget is a carefully prepared estimate of the funds needed to carry out the policy decisions of the school committee. In order more fully to inform the voters of the school committee stewardship of available funds, the report of this year includes the following analysis of the 1962 budget estimate, the 1962 actual expendi- tures, and the 1963 budget estimate.
11
1963 BUDGET ANALYSIS MATERIALS
Account
1962 Budget
1962 Expenditure
1962 Balance
1963 Budget
Exp. of School Committee
240.00
197.81
+ 42.19
255.00
Superintendent's Salary
9,750.00
9,750.00
.00
10,150.00
Business Office Expense
9,839.00
9,510.17
- 328.83
10,252.00
Out-of-State Travel
00
00
.00
80.00
Supervisors' Salaries
21,289.00
21,207.73
81.27
21,410.00
Principals' Salaries
20,335.00
20,335.67
.67
27,024.00
Exp. of Principalship
10,880.00
10,352.73
527.27
13,238.00
Teachers' Salaries
359,293.00
352,032.97
+7,260.03
397,627.00
Textbooks
11,190.00
12,066.62
876.62
9,591.00
Exp. of Instr., Supplies
13,606.00
15,997.62
-2,391.62
14,814.00
Custodians' Salaries
30,707.00
32,386.38
-1,679.38
34,622.00
Fuel
13,280.00
10,277.67
+3,002.33
14,230.00
Exp. of Operation, Misc.
16,425.00
15,122.17
+1,302.83
17,775.00
Repairs & Replacements
7,320.00
13,923.73
-6,603.73
10,575.00
Health
6,418.00
6,085.97
+ 332.03
6,649.00
Transportation
57,448.00
56,199.36
+1,248.64
64,852.00
Tuition
14,188.00
11,650.33
+-2,537.67
20,250.00
Misc. Auxiliary
4,635.00
2,578.07
+2,056.93
4,946.00
New Equipment
1,600.00
1,552.94
+ 47.06
3,740.00
Total
608,443.00
601,227.94
+7,215.06
682,080.00
Less :
Available P. L. 874
13,000.00
5,784.94
+7,215.06
21,000.00
Amount to appropriate
595,443.00
Community Program
6,000.00
5,821.73
+ 178.27
6,000.00
+
+
-
12
1962 BUDGET
1962 Appropriation
1962 P. L. 874
Salaries $460,371.00 6,000.00
Others $135,072.00 7,000.00
Total $595,443.00 13,000.00
1962 Budget
$466,371.00
$142,072.00
Community Program
$ 4,500.00
$ 1,500.00
$608,443.00 $ 6,000.00
1962 EXPENDITURES
1962 Appropriation 1962 P. L. 874
Salaries $457,260.83 1,143.15
Others $138,182.17 4,641.79
Total $595,443.00 5,784.94
Total Expenditures
$458,403.98
$142,823.96
$601,227.94
Community Program
$ 4,484.92
$ 1,336.81
$ 5,821.73
1963 BUDGET
1963 Appropriation
1963 P. L. 874
Salaries $507,816.00 10,000.00
Others $153,184.00 11,000.00
Out-of-state Travel $80.00
Total $661,080.00 21,000.00
1963 Budget
$517,816.00
$164,184.00
$80.00
$682,080.00
Community Program
$ 4,500.00
$ 1,500.00
$ 6,000.00
An examination of the 1962 budget estimate, 1962 expendi- tures, and 1962 year-end account balances, reaffirms the School Committee's decision to recommend to the voters a total appropri- ation amount for the 1963 budget. As evidenced by the over and under expenditures by accounts in the 1962 budget, the com- mittee must have flexibility within the amount appropriated if an effective academic program and efficient business operation is to be continued.
In the fall of 1961, the 1962 budget estimates were developed and were, at that time, reasonable forecasts of the amounts needed. As shown in the year-end account balances, emergencies developed during the year.
1. Teachers' Salaries (plus $7,260.03) - One planned for teacher was not employed when enrollment in the Special Class was reduced. Vacancies were filled with less experi- enced personnel. Sick leave absences were below estimates.
2. Supplies, Instructional (minus $2,391.62) - Additional pupils were enrolled, a general increase in costs, and some advanced purchase of workbooks were needed for January and February.
13
3. Custodial Salaries (minus $1,679.38) - Additional hours were involved in opening the Pines School addition and in the major repairs made. Part time help was employed to replace Mr. Farnham, who served as clerk of works on the Stony Hill roof.
4. Fuel (plus $3,002.33) - A below average degree day re- quirement occurred, and there was an inexperience in estimating the needs of the Pines School addition.
5. Expense of Operation (plus $1,302.83) - The Pines School was well supplied with maintenance materials by the Build- ing Committee. Supplies and materials are ordered as needed; electric and water bills are paid as billed.
6. Repairs (minus $6,603.73) - Major unanticipated expendi- tures were: the Stony Hill drive, $2,328; boilers at Memo- rial and Stony Hill, $1,843; plumbing, $528; thermostat control system, $485; electrical work, $1,080; septic field and tank, $875; window sash and frame repairs, $225; Memorial auditorium window drapes, $620.
7. Transportation (plus $1,248.64) - Adjustments in routes resulted in more efficient utilization of buses. Transporta- tion of Cathedral pupils outside the Town of Wilbraham is paid for by students being served.
8. Tuition (plus $2,537.67) - There was a drop-out of Trade School pupils and an inability to exactly predict the number who will decide to attend Trade High School.
It has been, and shall continue to be, the policy of this School Committee to develop and present to the voters of Wilbraham, a budget designed to provide an above average education for the pupils. Accurate and detailed records of all expenditures will continue to be maintained, and every effort will be made to conduct an efficient and economical business operation.
As recorded earlier in this report, all funds expended by the School Committee, with the exception of Federal grants and the hot lunch self-supporting program, are appropriated by the voters at town meeting even though in several accounts, sub- stantial state aid is received by the Town Treasurer. The re- quirement that total expenditures must be budgeted and voted tends to produce an inflated school cost picture. The following table, listing credits from the Commonwealth, shows the net cost of the Wilbraham Public Schools.
14
1963 BUDGET ANALYSIS MATERIALS CREDITS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH
1962 Estimate
1962 Actual
1963 Estimates
Chapter 71, Section 7A
(Transportation)
$ 34,000.00
$ 38,586.64
$ 38,000.00
Chapter 70, Section A
75,556.00
75,556.93
87,971.00
Vocational
6,000.00
6,417.56
6,500.00
State Wards
2,800.00
578.00
300.00
School Adjustment Counsellor
3,600.00
3,600.00
3,600.00
Special Class
6,500.00
8,967.56
7,000.00
Chapter 70, Section 3B (Regional)
11,333.00
11,333.54
13,195.00
Total
$139,789.00
$145,040.23
$156,566.00
Operating Budgets
$608,443.00
$601,227.94
$682,080.00
Less: Credits
139,789.00
145,040.23
156,566.00
Net Cost to Wilbraham
$468,654.00
$456,187.71
$525,514.00
In the school statistics appearing at the end of this report, the projected long term increase in pupil enrollment is evident. The Wilbraham Public School system will continue to need three or four new classrooms annually through 1968, the limit to which enrollment projections based on births, can be formulated.
The Pines School addition of twelve classrooms and auxiliary facilities has provided the necessary space for the present and for the 1963-1964 school year. In addition to providing necessary classrooms, this addition has upgraded the facilities and the educational program in this building so that equal educational opportunity is provided in all of the Wilbraham schools.
The School Committee has worked closely with the 1962 School Building Committee and supports its decision to recom- mend the construction of a twelve classroom single story ele- mentary school on South Main Street, adjacent to the Regional High School. This proposed school will be in the area of greatest projected pupil increase, and will be needed by September, 1964.
Over the past four years, difficulties have been experienced with a leaking roof in the Stony Hill addition. In June, 1962, a special town meeting appropriated $14,000 and authorized the School Committee to correct the situation. Through the
15
efforts of Mr. Harry Dabagian, a registered engineer and member of this committee, Town Counsel W. Edwin Watkins, and Archibald MacNeish, engineer, the Carl Fisher Company re- placed the roof on all sections of the building addition. At the time the roof was being repaired, the committee upgraded the specifications of the roof surface to provide for a four ply, twenty- year roof with provisions for venting the air spaces above the ceilings. These improvements, recommended by the engineer, cost $2,875.00, and should result in a long-term saving to the community. Legal costs amounted to $400. leaving an unex- pended balance of $10,725. which was returned to the Town Treasurer. Mr. Thomas Farnham and Mr. Henry Hyde, school custodians, served as inspectors while the work was in progress, repaired the water damaged interior of the building with new ceiling tiles, and repainted the walls.
One of the most difficult and complex phases of the business operation of the Wilbraham Schools is scheduling the safe and efficient daily transportation of pupils to and from school. Pupil transportation, as required by law, is contracted for on a three- year basis. Although contract bids are based on a mileage rate, the determining factor in efficiency of operation is the utilization of equipment for the effective offsetting of fixed charges (depreci- ation, insurance, etc.). This can only be accomplished by maxi- mum use of the vehicle. The Wilbraham School Committee joins with the District School Committee when preparing transporta- tion bids to insure maximum efficiency of operation. At present, fourteen school buses, running 768 miles a day, cover 89 separate routes and transport 1,882 Wilbraham pupils to and from the local schools, Minnechaug High School, Wilbraham Academy, Springfield Trade High School, Cathedral High School, and to the town line adjacent to the School of the Immaculate Con- ception in Indian Orchard. Transportation of pupils to Cathedral High School is paid for by the parents of students being trans- ported. As indicated in the table of credits from the Common- wealth, over half of the transportation expenditure is reimbursed by the state.
The Wilbraham School Committee, after careful study and review of reliable statistics, believes that its policy of providing maximum educational opportunity for all pupils can best be advanced by using ability grouping within the various grade
16
levels. Repeated studies, with favorable results here and on a national basis, have shown that when pupils of like abilities and aptitudes are grouped together for instructional purposes, greater total educational gain is obtained; for this reason, multiple sec- tions of a single grade level have been scheduled in each school. The use of ability grouping will be continued.
Districting, or the division of the community into areas for school attendance purposes, has never been accomplished to the complete satisfaction of the citizens of Wilbraham. The 1961 committee report on page 16 of the 1961 Annual Town Report, detailed the governing policy on districting.
Because of the absence of a set pattern for the number of pupils of any age level in any one area of the community, and because of the need to equalize classroom loads and economically utilize facilities and transportation, the assignment of pupils to a designated school tends to disrupt otherwise normal associations of pupils.
In September, 1962, all pupils in grades 1-5 were assigned to the Stony Hill and Pines Schools with one districting line applying to all five grades. Grades 6, 7, and 8 were enrolled at Memorial School. This districting provided for the desired ability grouping at all grade levels, equalization of classroom loads and facilities use, and efficient transportation scheduling. The same plan is anticipated for the 1963-1964 school year. With the opening of a new elementary school on South Main Street in September, 1964, a revision will be necessary in all phases of districting and transportation.
As in many of the past years, the committee has spent a sub- stantial portion of its meeting time in consideration of the question of salary schedules. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has established a $4,500 minimum on teachers' salaries effective January 1, 1963. In order to remain competitive with other communities in the area and recruit and retain above average teachers, the committee has raised the Wilbraham salary by $200. effective September 1, 1963, and will have a minimum salary of $4,700. A salary step adjustment has been voted for clerical, custodial, health, and cafeteria personnel in recognition of their value to the school program as well as the increased cost of living.
The committee, with pride in achievement, calls to your at-
17
tention the professional preparation and accumulative experience of the teaching staff and school employees as indicated in the listing of employees at the end of this report. There has been a continued upgrading in depth of preparation and breadth of experience in the background of our staff. To continue to develop and maintain a better than average school system, we need to recruit and retain individuals of this type.
The committee expresses the regrets of the community at the resignation of Mrs. Margaret Williams, a member of the School Committee since 1958, due to relocation outside the area. Mrs. Williams has always faced each problem and challenge of her assignment with enthusiasm and the desire to develop a better school system.
In conclusion, the committee wishes to thank those individuals, appointed and elected, who have served this community so well in the difficult problems of providing for the education of youth.
ALEXANDER W. MARCO, Chairman
ETHEL M. MUSSELMAN
HARRY DABAGIAN
BRUCE A. STEPHENS
CLAYTON L. THOMAS
SCHOOL STATISTICS Enrollment
The enrollment of pupils by grade as of October 1, 1962 is shown below:
Grade
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Spec. Total
Stony Hill
103
110
118
116
113
560
Memorial
165
146
147
16
474
Pines
87
83
80
80
65
395
Total
190
193
198
196
178
165
146
147
16
1429
Census Report and Comparison October 1, 1962
Year Born
Year to Enter School
Census 1962
1961
1960
1959
1958
1956
1962
195
179
175
156
156
1957
1963
173
163
157
154
137
1958
1964
189
185
162
139
89*
1959
1965
162
145
127
84*
1960
1966
181
152
112*
1961
1967
138
89*
1962
1968
79*
* 9/12 of year recorded
18
Children in School Census and Their Distribution October 1, 1962
5-7 Years
7-16 Years
Total
Boys
212
828
1040
Girls
232
735
967
Total
444
1563
2007
Distribution
In Public Schools
243
1403
1646
In Vocational Schools
7
7
In Private Schools
16
144
160
Not enrolled in any school
185
9
194
444
1563
2007
Total on October 1, 1961
361
1523
1884
Number of Pupils in Elementary Schools by Grades Five Year Period 1957-1962
As of October of each year
Grade
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Spec.
Total
1957
132
122
126
130
148
112
105
91
100 13 1079
1958
148
136
126
126
133
147
122
104
92
19
1153
1959
172
162
140
123
143
133
170
101
*
23
1167
1960
186
185
167
151
129
136
148
157
*
23
1282
1961
186
187
184
175
156
141
149
138
*
17
1333
1962
190
193
198
196
178
165
146
147
*
16
1429
* Grade 9 now at Minnechaug High School
SCHOOL CALENDAR 1962-1963
First Term: Wednesday, September 5 through Friday, December 21
Second Term: Wednesday, January 2 through Friday, February 15
Third Term: Monday, February 25 through Friday, April 11
Fourth Term: Monday, April 22 through Friday, June 21
School will close on all legal holidays, Friday, October 19, Hampden County Teachers' Convention, and Friday, April 12, Good Friday. Schools will close at noon on November 21 for Thanksgiving.
The Wilbraham School Committee schedules regular meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Special meetings are scheduled as required, and all meetings are open to the public.
19
PERSONS EMPLOYED IN THE WILBRAHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Name
Position
Year Appointed
Education and Professional Training
Office :
Irving H. Agard
Superintendent
1950
Eva M. Ellis
Executive Secretary
1959
Joann L. LedDuke
Bookkeeper
1957
Anna B. Tupper
Secretary
1958
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.