1872-1873 School Committee Report

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p 8 9 tion, or for those physical exercises so essential in a school of are enabled to pay, or for any reasonable price,but not entirely this grade. In short, it is a close confined dismal dirt di g y, s- to this. The method of heating the building is defective, and graceful place, and decency demands a change without delay. the cost immense. Five fires constantly burning fail to make We wish every voter disposed to curtail on school expenditures the rooms comfortable, but do not fail to empty the cellar of would take a peep into that room before town meeting. Look fuel. We are confident the building cannot be well warmed in upon the school when it is in session and then in upon the by the present method, and think that hot water or steam ap-_ corresponding school at the Adams School house and vote paratus should be substituted. Even a furnace would be surer 64 no " if you can. In the latter district we have a room large and more economical. The first cost of such an apparatus is and ventilated, and healthier and happier children a;re rarely considerable, and we will leave the subject with these sugges- seen, while in the former everything has an unwholesome tions without urging an appropriation. aspect. Already, perhaps, we seem insatiable in our demands, but We have a plan to suggest to you, and can give you esti- the expense of instruction has not yet been referred to. Al- mates of cost so that you can act without delay. There is though we have not exceeded the amount appropriated for the sufficient room in the rear of the school lot for an extension of past year, that amount is far short of what is needed to con this school-room, making it just twice its present size, and sufli- tinue the schools another year under the same auspices, to ciently large for a number of years. The plan for which we say nothing of changes which we hope to be in a position to have specifleations contemplates an addition of one story fifteen make. feet wide, on a foundation of granite extending below frost,with It would not be a business-like ,proceeding to state publicly a slanting tinned roof, two additional windows and blinds, ad- exactly where the additional expense is expected. It is suffi- ditional outside and inside doors with the.eutries so partitioned #' 'cient to say that more is needed for each school in town, and as to make a small room for the teacher and an alcove for the I we doubt not that you will fully believe us when we say we do platform, a hard pine floor over the whole room and the inside not ask for a single cent more than we require to keep our . and outside finish to correspond with the rest of the building. schools even in their present condition. The timbers of the end and the chimney cut off are to be sup- The town has suffered so much from poor teachers and by ported by iron columns which will come in a row in the centre not retaining good ones, that we cannot believe you will so of the room. Such an addition is easily constructed, and with- cramp our means that we need let any successful teacher go on out injury to the rest of the building. The estimated cost of account of salary, so long as we do not exceed the amount paid this addition finished ready for furniture is twelve hundred and elsewhere for similar service. fifty dollars. The present furniture is new and nearly all we We cannot procure good teachers without paying them what require, and little additional expense would be necessary ex- they can command in other towns, and although we sometimes cept for blackboards. Outside it will be necessary to construct have some teachers who are receiving no more than half what a new out-house and screening fences. These, however, are they coeiId command elsewhere, we have at times others who demanded whether the change in the school-room is made or are paid more than they are worth, but are retained because not. no better material can be obtained with the means at our dis- We cannot neglect to refer to the complaint which has come posal. In short, whenever we have an unprofitable school it from the Hancock School, that the rooms have been uncom- is because we have not money enough to procure a suitable fortably cold. This complaint is not without foundation. We teacher. have labored constantly to prevent it, but have failed. This Perhaps few people have any knowledge of the difficulties failure is owing, in part, to the impossibility of getting any com- we encounter in procuring teachers. To illustrate from the petent person to take charge of the building for the price we experience of the past year: early in the year we advertised