Thursday, February- -ggf - City of Somerville

Thursday, March. 2&9
and physical, provided for carrying out the requirements of Chapter
71 oftthe General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and
WHEREAS, The said Chapter JI provides that every city shall maintain a sufficient
number of elementary schools, and certain cities shall main,
tain high schools adequately equipped for the instruction of eligible
children, taught by competent teachers in schoolhouses properly
furnished and conveniently situated, and
WHEREAS, It charges the School committee to have, general control and supervision
over the establishment and maintenance of all public schools,
their teachers and courses of study, and the purchase of textbooks
and other school supplies needed for the operation and conduct of
the schools, and
WHEREAS, The requirements of this Chapter 71» by the obsolete provisions of
the City Charter of Somervllle have been divided very unwisely and
without sound business Judgment between two municipal departments,
tnamely, the school Committee and the Department of public Buildings,
Such division of Jurisdiction places the control only of the educational
policies, organization of the schools, and instruction of
the future citizens within the province of the School Committee,
while all Jurisdiction over selection of sites, location of buildings,
construction, operation, maintenance, and care of school build
ings.,is vested in the Department of Public Buildings. Such a situation
is contrary to the original intent of Chapter 71 because of divergent
opinions, concerning proper professional decisions relating
to educational attitudes and policies, and the possibility and
probability of conflict of authority and supervision of the funcr
tions of the.departments Involved. The complete responsibility for
the general control of education in all Its various forms should be
vested in the jurisdiction of the School Committee, the locally
elected body charged by statute to use its authority, delegated by
the General Court, for the best interests of the complete education
(so far as it is provided at the expense of the local community)
of all the children of all the people, and
WHEREAS, Believing that the housing of the educational activities has not
been kept at the same high level of condition by that part of the
City Government which by the provisions of the City Charter Is
charged with that responsibility, as have the educational offerings
the School Committee, because.of the receipt of numerous complaints
from parents of pupils, and because of its intent to discover the
actual condition of its equipment, educational and physical, caused
a survey to be made of the building needs of the school buildings,
and
WHEREAS, The information obtained reveals a deplorable situation as a result
of neglect over a period of years on the part of those responsible
for providing a sufficient number of school buildings, properly
furnished and equipped, and adequately cared for and maintained.
Many buildings have been allowed to depreciate to such an extent
that not only is the cost of maintenance for further use all out of
logical and reasonable proportion to the cost of replacement, but
conditions are such that the continued use of some of the schools
tmay be decidedly hazardous. None of the thirty units surveyed can
. 'be reported to be free from need of much costly attention. In many
schools, there are some ceilings and walls which are loose and badly
cracked as a result of leaky roofs which need replacement and
side walls which need repoihtlng; floors and stair treads need replacing
due to being worn thin and becoming loose because of years
of constant wear; inside and outside trim, Including window casings
and sashes, not only need repair, but practically all of It needs
reflnisning; and all ceilings,and walls not needing replacement
need whitening and repainting.
Classroom furniture consisting of seating accommodations for
approximately 17,000 pupils and teachers 1 desks and chairs for
350 members of the instructional corps are so antiquated and in
such deplorable condition.that gO^ of the total need complete refinishing,
i.e., sanding and varnishing, If not complete replacement.
The auditorium seating accommodations are wholly inadequate
in quantity to allow the proper use of assembly programs, visual
education, and other such activities. Those available need complete
overhauling and refinishlng. Better than 500 additional seating •
units are needed in the lunchrooms for pupils. . •
Over &Qfi of the window shades are in exceedingly poor condition
because of being torn or in filthy condition and there are
many windows with no shades at all.
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