EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3898, 27 November 1928, Page 73

EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Otago Education Board held its monthly meeting on Wednesday; present: Messrs J. Wallace (chairman), J. Horn, J. H. Wilkinson, J. Mitchell, J. Smith, G. Livingstone, P. M'Kinlay, R. H. Todd, W. R. Brugh, and D. T._ Fleming, M.L.C. SUBSIDIES. Subsidies were granted 'to the following committeesTe Houka, £l2 10s, top-dressing the drill square; Kelso, £55, asphalt at school; Pukepito, £l6, topping trees; Macandrew Road, £lB, top-dress-ing asphalt. CAVERSHAM. The architect reported on the various matters referred to by the deputation which waited on the board last month. The matters referred to were:—Leaking cistern in lavatories at old school; condition of rooms in use at old school; asphalting ground at back of new school; water in boilerhouse; leaking tauk at outoffices ; broken lavatory basin; and a crossing required over footpath. It was estimated that the asphalting at the rear of the school, together with storm water channelling, would cost £l2O, and the committee might be asked to find onethird of this amount. The crossing would cost £6 10s, and repairs to basin, taps, etc., £3 10s. The total cost to the board would be £5O. The architect added that the deputation had greatly exaggerated their grievances, and suggested that as the old school was very dilapidated no money should be spent on repairing it. Mr Wilkinson said the position was apparently not so serious as ,vas represented by the deputation. The matter ought not to have been over-stated. Anyhow, it would be well to put things right, so that the children would not be inconvenienced by water lying about the ground. He moved that £5O be expended to put the place in proper order. Mr Todd said he did not think the committee would be able to contribute one-third of the amount. It had been put to considerable expense in connection with the new school and ground. Recently it bought a power machine for cutting grass, which was an absolute necessity if the ground was to be kept in order. He agreed with he architect’s remarks on the old school, and said that something would have to be done in the way of erecting additional rooms at the new school. He thought the deputation had exaggerated to some extent with regard to the water lying about the ground. On the afternoon of the day on which the deputation waited on the board he visited the.school ground, and could not see six inches of water anywhere. It was decided to send a copy of the report to the committee, and the motion to expend £5O was agreed to. ALEXANDRA. The committee intimated that it would contribute £6O towards new furniture and the renovation et the school. The architect estimated that the cost of removing galleries, making the floor good, and providing wallboard for charts in four rooms would be £9O. It was agreed to expend £9O and to accept the committee’s offer. OUTRAM. The committee wrote making a request for levelling floors, repairs to' shelter sheds, renewing of infants’ outhouses, painting of infant department and improvement to floors of the main school. The architect recommended levelling of floors, as the floors in any case were”in a bad state. Improved ventilation was also necessary. The infant lavatories were not up to date, but with a little attention they could be made to do for some time yet. The painting of the infant department was already provided for in the remodelling work. The estimated cost of the work recommended was £ll6. It was resolved to carry out the work. TAINUI. The department wrote instructing the board to proceed with the erection of a three-roomeu school in wood, tenders for which were invited in July last. Messrs O’Sullivan and Bailone, whose tender was approved by the board, had agreed to proceed with the work,. In answer to the chairman, the architect said it would be March before the building was finished. PAERAU. The department wrote regretting that it could not approve of a grant in the vicinity of £4OO for a school with suck a small attendance. It would be willing to pay a small rental for a suitable room as long as the school remained in grade I. It was resolved to make further inquiries. SCHOOL BOOKS. The department wrote forwarding a copy of a memorandum addressed to the New Zealand Booksellers’ Association regarding school books to be used next year. This memorandum stated that the complete list would be announced at the earliest possible moment. In the preparatory classes the New Beacon Readers would be retained along with the Live Readers, while the Minister had been recommended to approve the following additions to the list of readers:—New Beacon Reader, Introductory Book; New Beacon Reader, Supplementary Books I and II; Tiny Tots Primer ; and First Progressive Primer. The letter was received. VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS.

With regard to the doing away of the forwarding of voluntary contributions to

the boards before subsidies can be claimed the department wrote pointing out that an amendment to the Act must be introduced first. In any case, only seven boards favoured the proposal, and the de: partment was of opinion that the.method as employed at present should be continued in the meantime and suggested that the question he discussed at the first conference that education boards arrange to call. The department desired the boards to agree unanimously to the alteration.

It was decided to inform the department that the board considered the present method cumbersome and unnecessarily slow, and hoped that it would bt altered in the near future. SCHOOL SWIMMING. The Otago Centre of the Amateur Swimming Association forwarded a copy of a report on school swimming. The report commended the work in countrv schools, but it regretted that of the large number of certificates issued last year only 112 were gained by pupils of the primary schools in Dunedin, this being 1 3 than 10 per cent, of the total num” ber. It was hoped that next year would find the teachers in the city schools doing their full share towards the attainment of proficiency by pupils with the object of placing Dunedin on a level with the other centres in the Dominion. The chairman said the board paid for swimming lessons to the children to the extent of £9O a year, and it did not seem to be getting a return for the money Mr M'Kinlay said that more children should be compelled to enter the water. The chairman: They don’t go there unless they enter the water. Mr M'Kinlay expressed a doubt about this. The matter was considered in committee, and it was decided to inquire from headmasters the number of children who are learning swimming. OWAKA. W. J. Bevis, secretary of the Owaka District High School Committee, wrote stating that the committee had learned from the headmaster that the school would be placed in grade 4a as from February 1 next, and as a result another teacher would be added to the staff. The committee wished to point out to the board that the present roll number in the primary - department was 148, and indications pointed to at least as large a r oll during 1929. At present the teachers were labouring under great inconvenience, and it would be the same next year unless fuitber accommodation was acquired. The congestion in the headmaster’s room was so great that it was impossible to do effective work. New furniture was also required for the school. Owing to the large amount of money the committee had raised and spent in various improvements round the school (excavation, levelling, asphalting, fencing, etc.), it was impossible to assist in securing more furniture until its present liabilities were wiped off. Messrs Fleming and M'Kinlay were authorised to visit the district. GENERAL. The headmaster at East Taieli wrote stating that he had spent five days in cutting and repairing hedges, and had had a man for two days grubbing the gorse.—Received. ; The Kaikorai Committee wrote expressing appreciation of the improvements that are being carried out at the school. The headmaster at Pukeuri wrote making application for installation of electric light in the residence, at an estimated cost of £l7 ss.—lt was decided to place the application on the waiting list.

The department wrote approving of the sale of the school glebe at Crookston and the school property at Taieri Ferry. The department wrote intimating a grant for remodelling work at the Balclutha School and a grant for the purchase of Mrs Irwin’s section as an extension to the school site at Oamaru South. The department wrote approving of a grant for the erection of a new school at Tomahawk. Tenders will close on December 3, and the chairman was authorised to deal with them. The department intimated that it could not alter its decision not to subsidise moneys raised locally for the pur pose of providing meals for the pupils of the Sara Cohen Memorial School.— Received.

The Tapanui Ex-Pupils’ Association wrote inviting the board to attend the diamond jubilee celebrations on December 14.—Several members intimated that they -would be pleased to attend.

The meeting was concluded on Thursday morning. The members present were Messrs J. Wallace (chairman), J. Horn, J. Smith, W. R. Brugh, J. Mitchell, J. H. Todd. J. H. Wilkinson, G. Livingstone, and P. M'Kinlay. ATTENDANCES. The attendance officer (Mr J. E. Ryan) reported as follows:—“I beg to report for the month ended November 19 that I find the general attendance is now practically. back to something like normal conditions. The various forms of illness that have been so prevalent for some time past have now to a considerable extent abated. On visiting the Oamaru and Tapanui districts, I found that there was an all-round improvement in the attendance. With . refer ence to Mosgiel and Kurow (the two schools that have been badly affected for some time past), the conditions have now considerably improved, with the result that the attendance in both cases has quite recovered.” The report was adopted. RESIGNATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS. The folio-wing resignations were accepted and appointments confirmed:— Resignations.—Peter J. Anderson, head teacher, Dunback; James F. Wilson, head teacher, Maori Hill; John B. Grant, head teacher, Musselburgh; Catherine Murray, sole teacher, Fruitlands; Elizabeth Russell, sole teacher, Hyde; Marion

M'K. Carson, sole teacher, Makarora; Elizabeth M. Grant, sole teacher, Spylaw Valley; Reginald Allan, first assistant. Anderson’s Bay; Mary E. E. M'Curdy' first assistant, Forbury; Hilda E. Cameron, first assistant, Macandrew Road; Alice Snowball, sub, assistant St. Clair; and Hectorina J. Macdonald, secondary assistant, Palmerston District High. Appointments.—John Finlay, head teacher, Kakanui; John J. Movie, sole teacher, Kahuika; Evelyn M. * Kibblewhite, fourteenth assistant, Forbury; Evelyn C. Gaspar, tenth assistant, George Street; Annie G. Shiels, eighth assistant, Kaikorai; and Effie M. M'Kinnon, assistant, Pine Hill. The chairman commented on the fact that Mr J. B. Grant had served for close on 51 years as a teacher in the Otago district, and it was decided to send him a congratulatory message on the success of his work, and a hope that the latter part of his life would be a pleasant one. GENERAL. A subsidy was granted to the Caver.sham Committee for the repairs to the asphalt at the old school. At a cost not to exceed £22, the board agreed to line the gymnasium at Mosgiel, towards which the School Committee was willing to assist by supplying the labour. The request of the Kensington Com- ' mittee for repairs to the partition between Standards I and 11, also to' the fencing in Grosvenor street was approved. Repairs to the floor in the headmaster s office and the levelling of the floor in the north-east room at Oamaru South, at a cost of £55, were authorised. The Oamaru South Committee wrote stating that it had raised the necessary money (£150) to enable the work of laying out the new section to be commenced. The architect submitted an estimate of the total cost of the work. The board was asked to decide what would be a fair contribution.—-Jt -was decided to contribute an amount, and the architect was requested to confer with the committee. The plans for the completion of remodelling work at the Oamaru North School was submitted by the architect and approved. . the Hampden Committee’s application to have part of the veranda at the residence converted into a sleeping porch, the architect reported that, as the're were six rooms in the house, the board might feel that it was not called upon to assist in this work, and he recommended that permission should be given the headmaster to do the work at his own cost.'— The recommendation was adopted. The Caversham Committee reported that the open drain which runs between the new school grounds and the Benevolent Institution was choked with grass and weeds.—The architect reported that to clear the drain would cost about £2 10s, and he recommended that this be approved of whenever the ditch became overfirown. Mr Rodger further stated that the Drainage Board had not yet reached a decision on the question of piping the drain.—lt was decided to ask the Drainage Board to reply to a letter requesting the enclosing of ths drain sent last May. The residents of Moonlight asked that the school should be reopened as there were at present six children of school age and nine younger in the district. This number would provide a salarv. of about £9O per annum, and the residents had been asked if they were willing to contribute anything towards the board of the teacher.—The board deferred consideration of the request, till a reply was received from the residents. The Education Department wrote intimating .that most of the boards had agreed to the department’s suggestion that when unoccupied teacher’s residences were let one-quarter of the rent should be paid to the credit of tlie board’s maintenance account. The department suggested that the Otago Board might see its way to adopt the proposal also.—The chairman: It seems to me to be taking away from the teacher’s salary, and I do not think that is fair. At the chairman’s suggestion the board decided to reply declining to change from its present policy, which bad given satisfaction. The committee having given its approval, permission was given the teacher at Livingstone to let the residence at a rental of £lO per annum. An application from the teacher at West Taieri to let the residence during the Christmas vacation was granted, subject to the usual terms. An intimation from the director of the division of hygiene that the services of dental nurses would be available at the end of March next, for Milton. and Kurow, provided the school committees complied with the conditions regarding the establishment of clinics was received. The Director of Education wrote intimating that he had noticed inexcusable neglect on the part of teachers as to the proper ventilation of buildings. He considered that the board should issue a circular in the matter. —The suggestion was approved. Jt was reported that 68 relieving teachers had been employed during November. This drew from the chairman the remark that the position had been aggravated by the large number of teachers sitting for University examinations.