LEVIN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 12 September 1929, Page 6

LEVIN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

MEETING OF COMMITTEE. SUBSTANTIAL CUT IN FINANCES. The monthly meeting of the Levin District High School Committee was held on Monday night, when there were present Miss Bowen, Mrs Hosie, Messrs D. J. Thomson, J. W. Procter, H. G. Kerslake, C. W. Foster, and E. S. Crisp. Mr Thomson was appointed acting-chairman, and on his motion a vote of sympathy was carried in silence with the chairman (Mr F. G. Roe) in the death of his brother.

ROOM FOR TYPEWRITING CLASS

The Education Board wrote stating it had been found very difficult to devise a plan for the provision of a room for the type-writing class at the secondary building, and asking for suggestions fro'm the Committee, also as to the number of pupils taking type-writ-ing and likely to remove before the end of the year. Mr Procter said it would be fairly easy to add a room to the high school building, and it was decided ' to send a plan of the comniittee’s proposal to the Board, with the other information desired.

MAINTENANCE GRANT REDUCED. .1 letter was received from tne Board intimating that, in accordance with a resolution passed at last meeting the Committee’s grant for incidental expenses would be reduced by £24 per year to Hie amount the Board received from the Government.

The Board’s Jotter was as follows; 11 1 am directed to inform you that; the Board, at its meeting to-day, adopted the recommendation of its Works and Finance Committee that in those cases where tlie Board’s grants exceed the Government scale the Committees be informed that for the period Ist September to 2Sth February next the Board should pay no more than is received, i e., the Government grant. The Board has in many cases been paying considerably more than the amount received and has had this matter under consideration for some months. It has now very reluctantly come to the conclusion that an immediate adjustment is necessary as the incidental expenses account will be considerably in debit before the end of the year if the present scale is continued. The deductions are confined to those School Committees which have hitherto been paid oversea!e and for the period referred to will amount to exactly the sum which would in ordinary circumstances be paid in excess of the Government scale. The Board understands that in all other Education districts the basis of distribution of grants to School Committees has been the scale under which the Education Department bases its grants to tiie Boards, but the Wellington Board for many years lias distributed its grants according to a scale which was deemed to be more equitable. Briefly the position is that the Education Department bases its grants to the Board on flu 1 average attendance of children in each school, -whereas the Board, knowing Hint about. SO per cent, of the expenditure of Committees was on account of cleaning, based its distribution partly on the door-space of the building under their can* and partly on average attendance, the approximate percentages being respectively 7b per cent, and 2b Tier cent. The whole position has been placed before the Education Department and the Board has been informed that the matter is now being considered. it is hoped that before Ist March next the Education .Department, will adopt a different system of calculating their grants and so obviate the necessity for any future reductions from the Board’s scale. As Ihe amount yhich your Committee has been receiving this year is £2-1 in excess of Ihe slim ireceived from the Government the payments to be made on account of your school from- Ist. September to 2Sth February next will be reduced accordingly. ’ ’ The monthly grant, amounting to £11) 18s dd was received, a redaction of £2 upon that hitherto paid.

The Secretary said that in 1928, (lie Board allowed the Committee £239 Ids 10d for general maintenance. Out of that £ldO was paid to the caretaker, ami >£7 Ids for cleaning requisites; firewood and gas eost £36 (is; books and stationery used in the school cost £ll 11s; a sum of £34 was spent on repairs and maintenance of the buildings and furniture. This left £3O for general expenditure, ineluding telephone, cartage, and various other necessary items. In an average year firewood would cost £2O more than in 1928 and repairs and maintenance would bo heavier. The Committee’s administrative expenses were less than £3. It would be seen that a cut of £24 in the annual grant was a very serious reduction in the revenue. 1

The Chairman said the Committee had been struggling along on a miser-

able allowance, but it seemed that even that was to be reduced.

Mr foster; Evidently the Board cannot help themselves. Mr Crisp said the only item where retrenchment could be made was in the maintenance Everything that could be referred to the Board under this heading should be sent to them. On Mr Crisp’s motion, seconded by Mr Procter, it was decided to enter a strong protest against the reduction in the allowance, arid to forward a statement of the Committee’s expenditure. GENERAL. Miss Lill, domestic science instructress, wrote in appreciation of the electric irons installlcd in the cookery room arid stating that these promised to give every satisfaction and add greatly to the value of the instruction. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Miss Bowen for organising a bridge evening in aid of the funds. Mrs Ilosie and Miss Bowen reported that the proposed juvenile fancy dress ball had been postponed owing to counter attractions. It was now intended to hold the function on the first Friday in November, and it was hoped that that date would be avoided by other bodies arranging gatherings.' A vote of thanks to the acting-chair-man closed the meeting.