USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Wilbraham > Wilbraham annual report 1961-1965 > Part 3
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Since this is a new high school and until June, 1961, did not have a graduating class, a statistical study in evaluating our prod- uct lacks vitally needed supporting data. Only when we have graduated upward of one thousand pupils will we have sufficient records and depth of information to predict accurately a success pattern for our students. We can, however report on the place- ment of the class of 1961, and compare these figures with the results of state and national studies. Because the term "college" is used loosely - in one instance to include almost any education beyond high school, and in another to identify four year degree- granting institutions - it is difficult to make intelligent compari- sons. If we consider our four year colleges, two year colleges, and three year nursing students together, we have 70% of our graduates in college; the Massachusetts average is approximately 40%. Using the four year degree granting definition for a college placement, Minnechaug had 48%, as compared with a state aver- age of 25%. The detailed placement of the 1961 Minnechaug High School graduating class follows:
Pupils
Percent
Attending 4 yr. colleges
49
48%
Attending 2 yr. or junior colleges
16
16%
Attending 3 yr. nursing schools
6
5%
Attending practical nursing schools
2
2%
Other schools
4
4%
Armed services
8
7%
Employed
16
15%
Left school
2
2%
Did not graduate
1
1%
Despite the almost emotional national concern being given to college placement of pupils, it is important to note that sixteen members of the class of 1961 were successfully placed in gainful
30
employment directly from high school. A comprehensive high school must provide a basic education for all the students enrolled, and this we are doing.
The Business Education Department, because its product is immediately tested and evaluated in the competitive situation of business employment, has contributed substantially to the repu- tation of Minnechaug as a sound academic high school where good work habits and excellent standards of performance are developed and emphasized. The school committee is proud of these pupils and of the faculty that prepared them.
In summary, it again must be stressed that this is the record of a single graduating class and thus cannot be considered a reasonable prediction of the potential of this school or the stu- dent body. Continuous and determined attention to their studies by the students, recruiting and holding of qualified teachers by the administration and school committee, and total support of the school and its educational program by the citizens is necessary if this school is to meet the needs of the pupils and fulfill the potential indicated for its success and usefulness.
In addition to evaluating our high school program through a study of the record of the graduates, we need to examine the cost of the educational program being offered. In 1956, when the Regional School District and proposed four year high school were being planned, estimated operating costs were developed and a report mailed to the voters of the district. These costs, based on actual 1956 operating budget figures, indicated that a regional high school would be a sound long term financial invest- ment for the citizens of Hampden and Wilbraham. Today, five years later, after two and one half years of operating experience, these earlier estimates are accurate. The District Planning Com- mittee, in presenting the Regional School District and four year high school to the voters of the district, based its recommendation on the following:
A. The School Department of Springfield had notified Wil- braham and Hampden that soon it would not be able to accept tuition pupils.
B. The growing school population in the two towns made additional classroom construction necessary and inevitable.
C. A high school in this proposed district could and would provide a satisfactory education for the pupils.
31
D. The citizens of the two communities had demonstrated a willingness and an ability to provide an above average educational opportunity for their children.
E. The record of efficient and prudent management of schools in these two communities made it reasonable to predict that the operating cost of the proposed high school would, over the twenty year period of the construction indebtedness, be such that the total cost of owning and operating a high school would be no greater than sending the pupils to a neighboring school system on a tuition basis.
The assumptions, estimates, and projections of the Planning Committee have now proven to be accurate:
A. Springfield no longer accepts tuition pupils except in the state supported Vocational Trade High School.
B. Even though the two towns have added a substantial num- ber of new classrooms to the local school system, and despite the fact that ninth grade students are now the responsibility of the Regional District instead of the local school systems, there is still a long term need for added classroom space in both communities.
C. The report of the class of 1961 indicates that Minnechaug High School can provide the desired educational opportunity for our pupils.
D. The support of the public schools by the citizens of these communities is a matter of record.
E. The operating estimates, when viewed in the manner in which they were sincerely and honestly presented, a projection of 1956 costs over a twenty year period, reflect the skill and busi- ness training of the planning committee. Translating 1956 dol- lar values into today's cost figures, the expense of education in the Regional District today continues to demonstrate a reason- able long term advantage in owning and operating a high school as compared with paying tuition.
Since 1956, when the teachers' starting salary in this area was $3,400, we have seen established a state minimum salary of $4,000 and the necessity of competing with area communities by establish- ing a $4,300 minimum in 1961 and an increase to $4,500 for 1962. In salaries alone (and salaries constitutes more than 75% of the operating budget), we have had a 32% inflationary increase. Textbooks, supplies, fuel, and maintenance items have increased in cost, less sharply than salaries, but enough to raise substan-
32
tially the per pupil costs developed in 1956.
On the same basis that all goods and services have increased in price over the past years, so also has the cost of education. It is more expensive at all grade levels in every community to educate pupils than it was in 1956. This school committee believes that, over the twenty year period of our capital investment, Minne- chaug High School will continue to demonstrate an efficiency of business management and an excellence of educational product that will justify the recommendation and predictions of the plan- ning committee and the nearly unanimous support of the citizens when they voted to form this district. This Regional School District was the most economical and practical answer to our high school problem as it developed in 1956, and the present operating experience continues to support the decision.
The previous paragraphs, indicating placement of the first graduating class, and reviewing earlier operating cost estimates, are not intended to imply a complacent satisfaction with the school and its program. There is a continuous review of the policies and programs of study, and a critical analysis of pupil participation and possible benefit.
In the spring of 1961, the school committee postponed for one year the offering of first year German when the pupil enrollment for this subject failed to reach a justifiable number. In advanced Latin, classes in Virgil and Cicero are offered on alternating years, providing a four year Latin program at a reasonable cost.
In the spring term of 1961, the Minnechaug staff completed a detailed self-evaluation of the school and the instructional pro- gram. In November, sixteen representatives of the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools under the leader- ship of Mr. Harold S. Fenner, conducted a three day study and evaluation of this high school. The school committee has been officially notified that on the basis of the staff, program, and facili- ties found here, Minnechaug has become a fully accredited high school. Accreditation is synonymous with professional recogni- tion and acceptance.
Three activities of the district, non academic in nature but necessary for the successful operation of the school and its use by the citizens, deserve mention in this annual report.
Despite limited student participation in the first years of opera- tion, the Hot Lunch Program has been operating without tax- supported funds, except for an original investment in equipment
33
and basic supplies.
The behind the wheel training in the Driver Education Pro- gram, through the kind cooperation of a local automobile dealer in furnishing the vehicle, and the pupils paying for their lessons, is conducted without cost to the district.
The adult evening education and recreation programs and the community use of the swimming pool for evening, Saturday, and the summer activities are on a self-supporting basis, with admission fees paying the operating costs of the program.
The Regional District has provided facilities for several school programs of state wide interest. The State Gymnastic Meet, the Western Massachusetts Music Association Fall Concert, and the fall meeting of the Massachusetts School Librarians have all been held at Minnechaug High School. Providing our exceptional facilities for these programs has permitted pupils and citizens to attend and participate in unusually interesting events.
Individually, Minnechaug pupils have earned honors and recognition that reflect credit on themselves, their parents, the district, and the school. For the second time in two years, the Science Fair project of Robert Kendrew was awarded first prize in the state competition. In the fall of this year, Frederick Webb received recognition as Minnechaug's first semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Test.
In June of this year, the Town of Granby, with its new high school nearing completion, terminated the tuition contract with this district. For the school year 1960-1961, approximately eighty Granby freshmen attended Minnechaug High School. This tem- porary arrangement, assisting Granby in the education of its pupils when school facilities were not available, and increasing the operational efficiency of our new school in the beginning years when local enrollment did not fully utilize all the facilities, resulted in a good education for the Granby pupils and a siz- able reduction in the net cost of operation for this district. Tui- tion payments in excess of $40,000 have, over two budget years, been applied to reduce the district's annual assessments to the towns.
After six months of careful study, the district committee has contacted the Massachusetts School Building Assistance Com- mission in Boston to consider a building expansion program. The following enrollment figures, based on pupils now enrolled in the schools in the district, indicate the need for immediate
34
consideration. The capacity of the present building is 675 pupils: Granby tuition pupils are omitted from these figures:
Grades
Year
9
10
11
12
Total
1960
134
135
110
108
487
1961
195
131
128
106
560
1962
179
195
131
128
633
1963
194
179
195
131
699
1964
182
194
179
195
750
1965
204
182
194
179
759
1966
234
204
182
194
814
1967
244
234
204
182
864
1968
242
244
234
204
924
It is indicated by these enrollment figures that the capacity of the building will be exceeded in 1964 and that for September, 1965, an addition is needed. Scheduling three years for plan- ning purposes, necessary town meetings to authorize action, and the actual construction of the facility requires that action be taken at this time to insure adequate facilities when needed.
In order to continue successfully to recruit and hold desirable staff members, the district committee has voted to establish the starting teachers' salary at $4,500 effective September 1, 1962. This starting salary, with the accompanying adjustment of the teachers' salary schedule, continues the district in a desirable competitive position with area communities, with neither the
Some of the members of the Minnechaug Regional High School Gym Team which won the 1961 Massachusetts State Championship.
Photo by H. Bogue
highest nor the lowest salary schedule. The committee has con- tinued the existing policy of not providing non-educationally connected fringe benefits such as dependency payments and vari- ous types of insurance coverage. The policy of maintaining com- petitive salaries and providing adequate supplies and facilities has enabled the district to employ a qualified and highly com- petent staff.
The school committee is again recorded as being highly pleased with the job performance and professional growth of the Hamp- den-Wilbraham Regional School District personnel. Excellent progress is being made and we have every expectation of con- tinued good work.
We solicit the suggestions and comments of the citizens of the district and thank you for your assistance and support.
MR. JOHN R. LYMAN, Chairman
MR. CHESTER L. THORNDIKE, JR.
MR. DONALD E. DICKINSON
MRS. CHARLES I. BOWMAN
MRS. KENNETH WINETROUT
MR. DUDLEY N. HARTT, JR.
MR. ALEXANDER W. MARCO
HAMPDEN-WILBRAHAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR 1961
Planning and Construction Budget
Balance January 1, 1961
$21,746.59
Expenditures
4,042.56
Balance December 31, 1961
$17,704.03
Capital Cost Budget
1961 Assessments to Towns
$100,381.09
1961 State Construction Grant
67,271.91
Total Available
$167,653.00
1961 Expenditures
167,612.23
To Surplus Revenue
$40.77
Operating Budget
1961 Assessments to Town
$343,918.59
1961 Offsetting Credits
56,351.41
1961 Expenditures
365,862.50
To Surplus Revenue
$34,407.50
Surplus Revenue Account Balance January 1, 1961 Receipts, 1961
$20,187.79
102,636.27
To 1962 Operating Budget, Credits
83,648.60
Balance January 1, 1962
$39,175.46
$400,270.00
$122,824.06
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ASSESSMENT OF 1962 REVENUE
Capital Costs Debt Service
$160,114.00 9,050.00
Total Capital Costs
1962 Credits, Construction Grant
$169,164.00 58,617.91
Capital Balance to Assess Towns
$110,546.09
Hampden 22.5% - $24,872.87; Wilbraham 77.5% - $85,673.22
Operating Budget
Total Budget less Capital Costs 1961 Receipts, 1962 Credits
$438,164.00
83,648.60
Operating Balance to Assess Towns
$354,515.40
Pupils: Hampden 125
Wilbraham 443
Total 558
Percentage: Hampden 22.4
Wilbraham 77.6
Total 100
Assessment: Hampden $79,411.45
Wilbraham $275,103.95 $354,515.40
TOTAL ASSESSMENTS TO HAMPDEN AND WILBRAHAM
Capital
Operating
Total
14 Payment
Hampden
$24,872.87
$79,411.45
$104,284.32
$26,071.08
Wilbraham 85,673.22
275,103.95
360,777.17
90,194.30
Assessments payable in four equal installments not later than the first day of April, June, September and December.
PUPIL ENROLLMENT BY GRADE
October 1, 1961
Grade
Ilampden
Monson
Wilbraham
Total
9
39
157
196
10
27
102
129
11
31
1
96
128
12
28
78
107
125
1
433
559
1962 FINAL MAINTENANCE AND OPERATING BUDGET
No.
Account
1962 Budget
1
General Control
$15,350.00
2 Expense of Instruction
290,288.00
3 Operation of Plant
51,977.00
4
Maintenance of Plant
9,582.00
5
Auxiliary Agencies
14,142.00
6 Outlay
9,050.00
7 Debt Service
160,114.00
8
Transportation
34,628.00
9
Special Charges
19,197.00
10 Temporary Borrowing
3,000.00
Total
$607,328.00
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Outlay
PERSONS EMPLOYED IN THE HAMPDEN-WILBRAHAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Name
Position
Year Appointed Education and Professional Training
District Office :
Joann LedDuke
District Treasurer
1961
Irving H. Agard
Superintendent
1956
Kenneth E. Johnson
Assistant Superintendent
1957
Eva M. Ellis
Executive Secretary
1959
Joann LedDuke
Secretary
1959
Anna B. Tupper
Secretary
1958
High School Office :
Lincoln A. Dexter
Principal
1961
B.S., M.Ed., Rhode Island State; State College at Worcester
Richard I. Trenholm
Assistant Principal
and Social Studies
1960
Charles B. Thompson
Guidance Director
1958
Peter Gartner
Guidance Counsellor
1959
Marjorie Bean
Secretary
1960
Silvia Peterson
Secretary
1961
Teachers :
Rosemary Athearn
Social Studies
1960
B.A., Colby College
Marilyn M. Ats
Languages
1961
B.A., University of Oklahoma
Donald Bamford
Mathematics
1959
B.S., University of Massachusetts
Barbara Broadbent
Physical Education
1959
B.S., Springfield College
Richard A. Brown
Sciences
1959
B.A., Bowdoin College
Christine G. Clark
Business Education
1959
Ac.S., B.S., Bay Path;
American International College
B.A., M.Ed., Lafayette; State College at Fitchburg B.A., M.A., American International Col. Burdett College
B.A., M.A., Bates College; Boston Univ. B.S., M.Ed., Springfield College; University of New Hampshire A.B., Bates College
38
39
Patricia Cox
Speech Therapist 1960
Judith A. Cross
Home Economics
1961
Leonard DeMaio
Music
1960
James De Wolf
Industrial Arts
1959
Katherine Goulding
Home Economics
1961
Carol Swanson Hooper
Social Studies and English
1960
Dwight D. Killam
Music
1959
B.Mus., M.Music, Syracuse; Boston Univ.
William Michael Kober
Physical Education
1960
B.S., Springfield College
Edgar Law
Mathematics
1960
Vivian Little
English
1959
Hartford Seminary Foundation
Alvin J. McNeill
Physical Education
1961
B.S., M.S., Springfield College
Harold K. Miller
Mathematics
1959
B.S., Springfield College
John E. Moore
Industrial Arts
1959
B.S., Gorham State Teachers College
David L. Nass
Social Studies
1960
A.B., Brown University
Lee D. Post
Languages
1959
A.B., M.Ed., Mt. Holyoke College; Springfield College
George H. Robinson, Jr.
Mathematics
1959
Laura Saunders
Librarian
1959
Daphne E. Scourtis
Languages
1960
Mary E. Socha
Languages
1959
B.A., College of New Rochelle
Judith A. Solomon
English
1960
B.S., Simmons College
Richard P. Spencer
English
1959
B.A., University of Massachusetts
James F. Starkie
Music
1959
B.S., State College at Lowell
Karl D. Sternberg
Mathematics and Science
1960
B.A., American International College
Jean M. Stuart
Business Education
1961
B.A., American International College
Joseph B. Van West
Art
1959
Helen Walinski
Mathematics
1959
B.S., Tufts; Dip., Sch. of M.S.A. A.B., M.Ed., Our Lady of the Elms; Springfield College
B.A., M.Ed., Northwestern University; Boston University
B.A., Keene Teachers College B.Mus., University of Hartford
B.S., State College at Fitchburg
B.S., State College at Framingham
A.B., Bates College
B.A., Trinity College, Hartford A.B., M.A., Mount Holyoke;
B.S., M.Ed., University of Mass .; Springfield College B.S., Simmons College
A.B., Bates College
PERSONS EMPLOYED IN THE HAMPDEN-WILBRAHAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (Continued)
Name
Position
Year Appointed
Education and Professional Training
Constance Willey
English
1961
Doris V. Williams
Art
1961
Wallace Winchell
English
1960
B.A., American International College B.S., M.A., Columbia; Springfield College B.A., M.A., New Jersey State Teachers College; Wayne University
W. Fred H. Wincy
Biology
1960
B.A., M.A., Washington and Jefferson; University of Massachusetts
Health :
Arthur H. Goodwin
Doctor
1959
M.D., Tufts
Madelene Newsome
Nurse
1959
R.N., Springfield Hospital
Hot Lunch Program :
May Jenkins
Manager
1959
Nancy Clark
Cook
1961
Leona A. Isham
Cook
1959
Arlene V. Ross
Cook
1959
Ruth G. Scheibler
Cook
1959
Lucille Schieding
Cook
1959
Gladys Steup
Cook
1961
Custodians :
Everett Pickens
Head Custodian
1959
Walter Polanczak
1959
Harold Rogers
1959
Stanley Strycharz
1959
Leon Superneau
1959
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Transportation : Stuart F. Hill
George W. Motyka
Hampden 1959
Wilbraham 1959
Changes in school personnel not shown in the preceding chart are:
Mrs. Grace Kibbe, Treasurer, retired, April 1, 1961 Arthur W. Reynolds, Principal, resigned, August 30, 1961 Virginia White, secretary, resigned, July 1, 1961 Rosetta Angelica, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Rosalie P. Curtis, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Emerson Dunton, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Patricia Madson, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Lois R. Megliola, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Rose Riskalla, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Louise D. Schatz, teacher, resigned, June 30, 1961 Eileen L. Deane, cook, resigned, June 24, 1961
41
Aid to Agriculture
According to Section 45, Chapter 128 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth, any town may appropriate money to be expended by the Trustees for carrying out the provisions of the law under which they are appointed.
The Trustees are appreciative of the support given their agents by local citizens who, without compensation, ably assisted in extending the various programs in farm practices, home problems and management, also the work with youth groups through 4 H Club activities.
The following leaders incurred expenses, either for travel or for the purchase of material needed for the various projects under their direction: Mrs. Raymond Beach, Mrs. Clifford Bradway, Mrs. Donald E. Collins, Mrs. Clifford DuBray, Mrs. Walter J. Freeley, Mrs. John Fynan, Mr. and Mrs. Herman G. Grand- champ, Mrs. David Greenaway, Mrs. James Gurecki, Cynthia Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest La Vasseir, Mrs. George Lemieux, Mrs. Sidney Low, Mrs. Edward J. Luff, Alison Murray, Mrs. Clifford Patric, Mrs. Norman Philibotte, Mrs. Jesse Rice, Mrs.
Minnechaug Regional High School was the scene for a public viewing of the lunar eclipse on August 25, 1961 - members of the Springfield Stars Club were hosts.
Photo by H. Bogue
Denny G. Richter, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Lucien Riendeau, Mrs. Charles J. Smith, Jr., Christine Welch, Mrs. E. H. Wessells, Mrs. Roger Whitehill and Mrs. Irene C. Wright.
The agent's counsel and assistance has been available to all citizens of the County without charge.
Any Appropriation made by the Town to the Trustees is held by the County Treasurer and used exclusively for reimburs- ing any local resident of the Town for necessary expenditures in carrying out projects provided by the law under which the Trustees are appointed.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
1961 Appropriation
$150.00
1960 Unexpended Balance
42.30
Total Available for 1961
$192.30
Total Expenditures in 1961
117.82
1962 Balance Available
$74.48
1962 Recommended Appropriation
$100.00
ALBERT H. FULLER, Clerk
Animal Inspector
A total of 255 animals were inspected: 149 dairy cattle, 16 beef cattle, 25 horses, 12 goats, 49 sheep, and 4 swine. All ani- mals were found to be clean and free of disease.
DAVID E. BREHAUT
Assessors' Report
In accordance with Article 25, voted at the 1961 Annual Town meeting, the Board of Assessors awarded a contract to the J. M. Cleminshaw Company to carry out an equalization program of all non-exempt taxable properties.
The J. M. Cleminshaw Company is one of the oldest appraisal firms in the country and is known nationally for the quality of their work. In the last few years, this concern has completed equalization programs in the neighboring towns of Hampden, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Hatfield, Williamsburg, Whately and Sunderland. The contract calls for use of experienced field men and appraisers with a completion date of April 1, 1962.
As of January 1, 1962, the field work, consisting of measuring and listing each building has been completed. The appraiser is reviewing the field data so that the new formula can be applied
43
to each building. A committee of local realtors met with the Cleminshaw job manager and the Assessors to review tentative land valuation procedures. Informal hearings will be scheduled in March for property owners to discuss the new values with Cleminshaw representatives.
We wish to express our thanks to each property owner for the fine cooperation given the J. M. Cleminshaw personnel.
In December 1961 the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in the case of Bettigole vs. Springfield Assessors that fractional assess- ment was in violation of the State Constitution even though the same fraction was applied to all classes of properties. The pos- sible effect of this decision in relation to church properties was discussed with representatives of the local churches. The full effect of the Court decision has not been completely ascertained at the writing of this report, but we will conform to the State Tax Commissioner's interpretation.
In September 1960, the Board of Assessors hired the American Appraisal Company to defend the established values of the Red Bridge dam and power station. Formerly this hydro-electric sta- tion was owned by the Ludlow Manufacturing Company, but the new owner, Western Massachusetts Electric Company, appealed this value of some years standing. The Appellate Tax Board hearing was held in May, 1961 and the Board viewed the prop- erty in November, 1961. At the writing of this report no decision as to the Court's opinion of value has been received, but a deci- sion in favor of the Electric Company could increase the tax rate by as much as one dollar.
Due to the misunderstandings held by many people, we feel it necessary to mention two points. First, state law requires own- ers of personal property other than household furnishings to file a form of list with the Assessors prior to March first each year. Second, any type of application for abatement on real estate, or personal property must be filed with the Assessors on or before October first each year.
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