Show T. T 7 hool Bond Issue Cannot Be Deferred Education Board Declares Taxpayers' Taxpayers Plan for t f Increasing Utility of of- I Buildings 1 Criticized I Increase in Bonded Indebtedness Would Not Be Burdensome Child and Wasson Say Terming proposed plans of the Utah taxpayers' taxpayers investigating committee committee com coin for increasing the utility of Salt Lake high school buildings impractical wasteful and detrimental detrimental detri detri- mental to educational standards standard the board of education Wednesday issued its reply to tl ti report of the taxpayers taxpayers' committee The reply emphatically denies denies' that the proposed school bond issue can be deferred deterred until 1932 as suggested by the taxpayers' taxpayers committee without seriously affect affect- ing lag high school and junior high school educational standards It was prepared by George F F. F W Wasson asson president of ot the board of education and George N. N Child superintendent of city schools who were authorIzed authorized author author- by the board of education to answer the taxpayers taxpayers' special committee committee com corn immediately ai aIer er their r r port was made public Monday The complete text of the reply fol follows follows fol- fol lows i I The taxpayers taxpayers' ers committee report founded on an gallon gation made by a corps of experts on the entire high school situation situation financIal financial economic educational and physical J I hand It was expected from what had been promised t that at the report would deal with ith facts and not with generalities and theories However the report gives little of ot value to enable the taxpayers to judge whether a school bond Is needed or not In looking through the report to find facts pertinent to a wise decision for or against the bond the following statements stand out POINT TO EXPERIENCES The first statement Is the in insistence insistence insistence in- in i-i i the report that if a a. n new v high school building is erected we shall have added a very high operating per oper expense for teachers janitors etc whereas it i s i-s not a new buildIng building build build- ing lag that creates such expense but the number of ot children Inthe in inthe inthe the school district That expense will wui be opera operating whether the building build ing is built o 0 o. o not For as the en en- en I grows and it becomes Impossible impossible impossible Im im- possible to house the pupils in iii buildings available the board of education will have to ta buy portable buildings or other temporary y quarters quarters quarters t tp be used as classrooms Experience Ex Ex- has proved that such expendIture expenditures expenditures ex ex- ex- ex o of money are wasteful both financially and educationally The upkeep and operation expense of or such temporary buildings cost more per unit than the better type of school building Moreover there is no saving in the temporary arrangements arrangements arrangements ar ar- ar- ar in teachers and janitorial janitorial janitorial janito janito- rial service The second statement Is in ef effect effect ef- ef feet that many school systems are operating their high schools on an period eight-period da daj thus increasing the capacity of school buildings ma- ma No school systems are named and It is very doubtful whether any can be found that a ao o 0 proceeding on the detailed plan proposed The above facts are about the only ones set forth in the report More attention however howe Is to the presentation and discussion o 0 o. o theories that are called in the report sane and sound LONGER SCHOOL DAY The first alternative to erecting erecting erecting erect erect- ing a new building is to lengthen lengthen the school da day It Is suggested in inthe inthe inthe the report that if It we should begin school earlier in Ia the morning and continue later In the evening we e could add about one-fifth one to the capacity of the pres present nt rants and by way of concrete suggestion the report points out that sixths five of the pupils could be dismissed at 3 55 and l ly ne sixth kept until If the experts expert can explain In detail how such a a. plan can be satIsfactorily satisfactorily sat sat- worked out it would In Indeed Indeed indeed In- In deed be enlightening Jor ur the plan involves that during five of oC the eight periods the Would would woul h have he e eto to provide enough room space to accommodate students for each of these periods or turn them loose to go where the willIn willIn willIn will In the first place neither of the high schools has room space to care for this overflow In fact every available room in the schools would under the proposed plan be used to capacity to provide for tonal uses alone Secondly no more Continued on page pae 8 TAXPAYERS' TAXPAYERS PLANS FOR BUILDINGS ARE GIVEN CRITICISM Continued from page 1 1 condition could exist in any high school than that C c having one- one sixth ot of the students wandering about the school premises waiting for the next t class period to begin during five of t the ht ht periods of the school day Our experience e and observation therefore would lead leadus leadus leadus us to the conclusion that the plan suggested Is ble ble With young g people living as far awn away from high schools as as- asit it is necessary necessary necessary sary for tor them to live it is is inadvisable inadvisable inadvisable able to have them in andr out of or school all hours of the day missing classes classes' at Irregular intervals Moreover Moreover More More- over it does not relieve th the situation situation situa situa- tion to excuse most of ot the children 1 i at 3 keeping the others until 4 55 or any later tl tl ne Any experienced experienced ex ex- school administrator will wll not hesitate to pronounce against the economy i r practicability cf the proposal It Is is' true that in emergencies emergencies emergencies emer emer- some cities have been driven to operate high h gh hool attendance on the ha haday day plan just as as we are arc areat areat at present operating at the Bryant junior high school while WhIle the new building is In the the- course of ot construction construction construction con con- but no modern ci cp ci tOda today I as far as we know mow has deliberately set out to operate a high school system on tho the half day plan lan Salt Lake take City cannot afford to do so TIME TIME DIFFERENCES As to the recommendation that our high schools begin regular class work at 8 45 a a. a m nt and when It is called caned to mind that standard time in Salt Lake City is nearly one half hour ahead of ot s solar lar time It is evident that this is equivalent lent to beginning about 8 15 in Denver or or other cities in solar time In Salt Lake City s 45 is about as early as the time can bo ho safely set for opening schools especially pe lally during winter months Every attempt will be made as it has been made to utilize the high school plants to te capacity We Weare Weare Weare are at the present time housing in tit the East high school one one fifth more pupils than the n normal capacity of that building By ny any plan consistent consistent con con- with effective education it would be impracticable to extend the enrollment much beyond the number now taken talen care of ot In that building In the report an additional al al- al alternative is set up it is stated that the state will probably probably probably ably money with which to build a secondary training school at the University of Utah and which will absorb or of our high school population or that the legislature may reduce the compulsory compulsory com- com school age from 18 to 16 and thereby relieve the pressure of attendance in high schools Our answer is that neither of ot these al al- al tive is likely to occur The legislature cannot do depended upon to al appropriate money for fer the erection erection tion of ot a secondary training school building at the University of Utah and even If it it did lid so so the relief granted would be inadequate Moreover Moreover More- More over over we are aio informed by high ex- ex exe e e officers of the University of ot Utah that there is no Intention of as asking ash ing ng for such a a. building in the tho Immediate future and even oven when it t is is' provided sometime in inthe the tho distant f future ture It Jt will be bo be It a much smaller Institution In point of numbers than the or 10 50 student stu- stu den dent capacity as given In tho the re report report report re- re port of the committee It would I Ifor be an extremely reactionary st step stI p for the tho legislature to reduce tl the th 3 compulsory school attendance age to 16 years in the state of ot Utah and It is unlikely that pubU l sentiment sen sen- sentiment has changed so far as to about the tho repeal of the present present present pres pres- ent law Jaw All that can be be hoped for is a modification of the present law which will not seriously affect 8 school hool att attendance e. e URGE VOTE VOTE It Is 15 proposed in the I taxpayers' taxpayers report that tho the bond be deferred deterred but that the tho board of education raise the necessary money annually for erecting the additions to junior high schools Such a proposal of course makes the senior high i school building impossible at present present pres pres- ent and also would make It necessary necessary necessary essary for the board of ot education to raise the tax rate at least four times above the tine necessary increase for taking care of the interest and sinking fund on en the new bond The people probably will not favor such sucha a proposal One Ono Important paragraph in the report Is headed Facts vs VB Fiction It is well to emphasize this point and it is our hope that the people will still learn the facts become acquainted with the necessity for forthe forthe or orthe the Improvements called for by the t board of education and vole vote in ac accordance accordance accordance ac- ac with the facts and needs The facts are briefly these 1 1 Our present junior and se senior senior senior se- se high school enrollment re requires requires requires re- re quires some immediate building re relief re- re lief 2 2 The rhe growth in enrollment of or our high schools is rapid and there is ev every ry indication that It will continue continue continue con con- this rapid growth for several several several sev sev- eral years in the future The ac actual actual actual ac- ac increase In grades 7 8 and 9 during the past six years is 1685 1681 pupils or an average of per pel year In the senior high school the tho increase over the tho same period has been 1452 or an average annual annual annual an an- nual Increase fo to pupils 4 A total average annual increase of in the enrollment in out our Ju Junior ju- ju and son senior lor high schools has las been maintained during the tho past six years In per cent of increase this amounts to 27 3 per cent for forthe forthe forthe the junior high schools and 75 6 per cent for the senior high schools ENROLLMENT ESTIMATED 3 3 It Jp VI estimated that wa we shall have by 1930 an excess senior high 5 school hool enrollment of ot at least JOO students over and above the present present present pres pres- ent capacity of our high schools Where are we going to house these young people 4 4 The cheapest most practical practical practical way of obtaining the money for a t new high school and for the enlargement of Junior high school plants Is to bonow borrow it at a low rate of interest on long time bonds 5 5 Our present bonded indebtedness indebtedness indebtedness edness is comparatively low and will be still further reduced in the next two years by 1 G 6 C The added interest and sinking sinking sink sink- ing fund to take care of the In Indebtedness indebtedness in- in over and above the present debt is not a burden On Onan Onan Onan an assessment of 1000 it means an addition of ot approximately 25 cents over what is paid at present A Ahome Ahome Ahome home assessed at would pay PlY approximately 75 cents In addition to what is now paid to take tal e care caie of ot the nety new bond We J believe eleve the people who wh are are interested in good government in good schools in good homes and In the future of their children will study this question and make it their fight Salt Lake City will wm not continue to be THE PLACE If the schools are not adequately housed and otherwise provided for GEORGE F. F WASSON President Board of ot Education GEORGE N CHILD Superintendent of ot Schools |