Q !-,^ A SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF WINONA, MINNESOTA BY MERVIN G. NEALE Professor of Educational A d mini d ration, University of Minnesota AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON Assistant in Educational Administration, University of Minnesota Price : 50 Cents MINNEAPOLIS. MINNESOTA Dectraber. ig.:? A SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF WINONA, MINNESOTA BY MERVIN G: NEALE 'I Professor of Educational Administration, University of Minnesota AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON Assistant in Educational Administration, University of Minnesota MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA December, 1922 ^^1^ 2 1924 CONTENTS PAGE Introduction ; vi Author's introductory statement viii Chapter I. The school building situation in Winona i Chapter II. The number of pupils for whom school facilities should be provided 25 Chapter III. A proposed school building program for Winona 37 Chapter IV. The ability of Winona to finance the proposed program 46 Appendix A. The Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card 61 Appendix B. Advantages of a central junior high school for Grades 7. 8. and 9 65 LIST OF TABLES TABLK PAGE I. Date of erection, type of construction, number of class- rooms in use. pupil enrollment, and grades accommo- dated in the school buildings of Winona i II. Scores allotted to the Junior High School building by thre" j udges 3 III. School buildings of Winona arranged in the order of total scores allotted 4 IV. School buildings of Winona arranged according to the total score allotted to each building 5 V. Comparison of the distribution in per cents of elemen- tary school buildings of Winona with those of Duluth and St. Paul on thei basis of their allotted scores ri VI. Playground space per child enrolled in the Winona pub- lic schools 13 VII. Height of blackboards in the kindergarten and first four grades in Winona 14 VIII. Per cent of classrooms in each of the school buildings of Winona that have less than the standard ratio of window space to floor space, that have standard ratio, and that have above standard ratio 15 IX. Orientation of rooms in the Winona school buildings.. 16 X. Comparison of trend of population growth in Minne- nesota and Winona over a period of years 25 XI. Trend of population in Winona by wards from 1910 to 1920 26 XII. School enrollment in Winona by grades from 1912-13 to 1921-22 27 CONTENTS iv TABLE PAGE XIII. Number of elementar)-, junior high school, and senior high school pupils attending school in Winona in April, 1922, by wards and precincts 28 XIV. Number of elementarj^ junior high school, and senior high school pupils attending school in Winona in April, 1922, by present school districts 29 XV. Population of Winona, by wards as shown by census returns in 1910 and 1920 with estimates of population in 1930 and 1940 30 XVI. Enrollment by school divisions in Winona from 1912 to 1922 32 XVII. Per cent distribution of enrollment by school divisions, in Winona from 1912 to 1922 33 XVIII. Number of elementary, junior high school, and senior high school pupils attending school in Winona in April, 1922, by proposed school districts 35 XIX. Population by decades of fourteen cities used in making financial comparisons 47 XX. Population by decades of ten Minnesota cities used in making financial comparisons 47 XXI. Per capita debt of Minnesota cities for schools 48 XXII. Total amounts spent each year for land, new buildings, and equipment in Minnesota cities 49 XXIII. Expenditures for capital outlay of Winona and seven other comparable Minnesota cities, 1904 to 1921 50 XXIV. Assessed valuation, the ratio of assessed to real valua- tion, and the real valuation of fourteen Mississippi Valley cities of about Winona's population in 1917-18.. 51 XXV. Real wealth per capita of fourteen Mississippi Valley cities of about the same population as Winona 52 XXVI. Real wealth per child in average daily attendance in fourteen Mississippi Valley cities of about the same pop- ulation as Winona 52 XXVII. Total assessed valuation and the assessed valuation per capita of ten Minnesota cities 54 XXVIII. Total and per capita wealth in moneys and credits of Winona and eight other comparable Minnesota cities... 55 XXIX. The tax levy in mills for school purposes by years in eight Minnesota cities between 1909 and 1920 55 XXX. Relative municipal and educational efiFort, as expressed in tax rate in mills, of Winona and eight other compa- rable Minnesota cities, 1921-22 56 XXXI. Total school tax levies in certain Minnesota towns and cities for the school year. 1921-22 59 CONTENTS LIST OF CHARTS CHART PAGE 1. School buildings of Winona arranged in order of rank for total scores allotted, and compared with the maximum possible total score ; Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card 7 2. School buildings of Winona arranged in order of rank for total scores allotted on Items I and II, and compared with the maximum possible score 8 3. School buildings of Winona arranged in order of rank for total scores allotted on Items III and IV, and compared with the maximum possible score g 4. School buildings of Winona arranged in order of rank for total scores allotted on Item V, and compared with the maximum possible score 10 5. Per cent of elementary school buildings falling in each 100- point group in Duluth, St. Paul, and Winona 12 6. The ratio of window area to floor area in the different school buildings of Winona 17 7. Trend of population in Winona from 1880 to 1920 as shown by the United States census reports and estimated trend from 1920 to 1940 31 8. Real wealth per child in average daily attendance in Winona and thirteen comparable cities 53 9. Relative municipal and educational effort, as expressed in tax rate, in mills of Winona and eight other comparable Minnesota cities, 1921-22 -. z,y LIST OF FIGURES 1. Distribution of junior high school pupils in Winona 38 2. The present districting plan of Winona 43 3. The proposed redistricting plan for Winona 44 INTRODUCTION The significance of Professor Neale's report on the building survey for the city of Winona, which is published herewith, in- heres not merely in the fact that it lays out a statesman-like build- ing program for that city ; but it lies rather in the fact that a big educational problem is approached by scientific methods, and a thoroughgoing solution is proposed in the light of results which these methods reveal. In general, building problems in cities of every size have been approached more or less by the rule-of- thumb method, without a complete analysis of all the factors upon which a rational building program can be based. Such an analy- sis Professor Neale has undertaken in the case of Winona and with such success that the Board of Education has adopted a building program based on his proposed solution as given in this report. This study is also significant because of the suggestion which it carries for the solution of other educational problems confront- ing communities throughout the country. An adequate school plant is but one of the problems which boards of education are required to meet. Problems of curriculum, of administration, of instruction, and of teaching personnel are in general of more educational significance than are buildings, and lend themselves quite as easily to methods of scientific analysis and study. More and more will scientific methods be used to investigate such problems ; more and more will experts be enlisted for such special- ized study, and in ever increasing numbers public school ofificials are themselves securing adequate training for such work and or- ganizing within their school systems agencies by which these studies can be carried on. This report is significant in another sense because it repre- sents a cooperative endeavor between the school authorities of the city of Winona and the University of Minnesota. The request for this survey was made by the Board of Education of Winona to the College of Education of the University of Minnesota. In making the request, the Board of Education agreed to pay for the time of Professor Neale and such other persons as would be re- quired to carry the survey through and to meet all expenses inci- dent to the making of the survey. The Board of Regents of the INTRODUCTION vii University of Minnesota agreed, upon this request, to release Pro- fessor Neale from active service for such of his time as would be required to make the survey and to carry through the project, on the conditions of reimbursement offered by the Board of Educa- tion. Upon the completion of the survey, the comptroller of the University rendered the Board of Education of Winona a com- plete bill covering the time of all University employees who par- ticipated in the survey and covering all incidental expenses. The University undertakes to publish this report because of its gen- eral interest to the state and to the country as a whole. Through similar arrangements, surveys have been conducted in the past year by the College of Education, both in the city of Duluth, where a complete study of the building situation was made, and a forward-looking building program was recom- mended, and also in the city of Austin, where a thoroughgoing study was made covering the problems of instruction, results of instruction, courses of study, etc. The Duluth survey is being printed by the Board of Education of that city. The Austin survey is being printed through special arrangements with the University. It is believed that this arrangement between the University and local school communities is a particularly happy one because it makes available to such local communities the most expert service which the University can provide, a service which none of these school systems could provide directly for itself. At the same time, it brings the advanced students of the University into direct study of the problems of school administration, school supervision, and all problems related thereto. Both the Univer- sity and the local community thus contribute to the project and both receive a measurable return. M. E. Haggerty, Dean of the College of Education. University of Minnesota. AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT This survey was undertaken the spring of 1922 in response to an invitation from the Board of Education of the Winona PubHc Schools. Its purpose is to present the facts with respect to the present school building situation in Winona and to propose a school building program which will ultimately provide a first- class school plant for the city. In order to present the facts which the Board should consider, careful studies have been made of each of the pres- ent school buildings, of the distribution of pupils of each type in the different parts of the city, of the probable increase of popu- lation in the different school districts, and of the financial ability of Winona to support a school building program as compared with other similar cities. The building program recommended assumes a desire on the part of the citizens of Winona to provide for the children of that city school building accommodations which will be safe and healthful and which will make possible a thoroughly modern educational program. The program recommended is not expensive when it is con- sidered that practically no buildings for elementary or junior high school use have been constructed in Winona during the past thirty-five years. Acknowledgment is hereby made of the services of Mr. C. A. Ronning in the scoring of the school buildings ; of those of Mr. E. F. McKee who made tests of the lighting, and of the help of Messrs. R. J. Bradley, M. L. Gundlarh, and Ernest R. Hanson, senior and graduate students in the University of Min- nesota, who are responsible for much of the material in Chapter IV of this report. GENERAL SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS MADE The building program recommended in this report is, in brief, as follows : I. The present Junior High School should be replaced by a new building located near the present Senior High School. It is AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT ix recommended that a full block of land be purchased as a site for such a building. 2. This Junior High School should provide for all pubHc School pupils in the city of Winona from Grades 7 to 9 inclusive. 3. An auditorium and gymnasium building with accommoda- tions for approximately 1,500 pupils should be constructed to take care of the needs of the present Senior High School and pro- posed Junior High School. This building should be located be- tween the two buildings mentioned above and should be connected with them by passageways. 4. The Madison School building should be replaced by a new elementary school building to accommodate a kindergarten and Grades i to 6, inclusive. 5. The Central School should be replaced by an elementary school building to house pupils from the kindergarten to the sixth grade, inclusive. 6. The Jefferson and Lincoln school buildings should be re- paired so as to make them conform, in so far as may be possible, to modern school building standards. Ground should be pur- chased at each of these buildings so that a full block of play- ground space may be available. 7. The Sugar Loaf School should be abandoned and the pupils in that school transported to one of the other elementary schools in the city. 8. The Jackson School should be abandoned and the pupils in that school district sent to either the new Central School or the Kosciusko. 9. The Washington and Kosciusko school buildings should be replaced by a single building, located somewhere between the sites of the above named two school buildings. At least a full block of land, preferably two, should be ])urchase(t as a play- ground for this proposed building. 10. It is recommended that the services of a competent school architect be secured to estimate as closely as possible the exact cost of this building program. 11. The Survey Committee estimates that the complete cost of the buildings, equipment, and land recommended will be in the neighborh.ood of $1,150,000. X AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT 12. If it is not desirable to undertake this entire program at once, it is recommended that it be undertaken in the following order : 1. Construction of a junior high school building 2. Construction of an auditorium and gymnasium building for junior and senior high school pupils 3. Construction of buildings to replace the Central and Madison 4. Purchase of additional playground space and repair of the Jef- ferson and Lincoln school buildings 5. The replacement of the Washington and Kosciusko buildings CHAPTER 1 THE SCHOOL BUILDING SITUATION IN WINONA The city of Winona houses her school children in eleven school buildings. Ten of these buildings were constructed before the beginning of the present century. One of the elementary school buildings now in use was constructed just at the close of the Civil War ; two were constructed during the seventies ; two, during the eighties; and four, between 1890 and 1895. The build- ing in which the Junior High School is now housed was con- .structed in 1887. The Senior High School was built between 191 5 and 1917. Seven hundred eighty-seven school children are housed in buildings constructed before 1880, and eight hundred ten in buildings constructed between 1880 and 1890. Nearly two thirds of the school children enrolled in Winona are housed in school buildings built thirty-five years or more ago. These facts, which are shown in summary form in Table I, in themselves in- dicate with practical certainty the fact that Winona is faced with the necessity of a school building program of rather large pro- portions. TABLE I D.\TK OF Erection, Typk ok Construction, Number ok Classrooms in Use, Pupil Enrollment, .\nd Gr.ndes Accommohated in the School Buildings of Winona School Year of Erection Type of Con- struction No. of Classrooms in Use Enroll- ment Grades Central Madison Washington . . . Jackson Jefferson Junior High — Madison Annex Sugar Loaf. . . . Kosciusko Lincoln Senior High. ... 1866 1874 1877 1885 1886-Q8 1887 1891 1892 '893 1895 1915-17 D D D D D D D D D D B 10 II 7 4 13 ID 4 2 10 ID 36 288 379 225 102 352 356 105* 42 189 224 489 Kg-7 Kg-7 Kg-7 Kg-3 Kg-7 8-9 Kg-4 1-6 Kg-7 Kg-7 I(>-I2t * Included in Madison totaL t Certain classes from the Junior High School are now accommodated in the Senior High School building- 2 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON The development of modern school-housing standards has come about in a very large measure during the past tw^enty years and many of the cities of the United States have adopted the general policy of entirely remodeling and modernizing all school buildings that were built before the beginning of the present century. The development of modern standards of lighting, ven- tilation, and fire protection have rendered practically obsolete the provisions made in school buildings, thirty-five or forty years ago. SCORING THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS In order to get a more accurate measure of the efficiency of each of the school buildings in Winona, they were scored by three men who visited each building and made a careful study of each of the different parts. The scoring was done by means of the Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card for City School Buildings. This score card consists of 114 different points on which a school building may be analyzed and rated. A standard Valuation has been given to each of these 114 different points so that, after a scorer has rated each of them numerically, the total score would indicate the rating of the building. The final score of each build- ing was taken as the sum of the median scores of the three judges on each of the major items of the score card. It was considered advisable to have three judges score each building because in this way it is possible to eliminate any erratic scores which might come from the judgment of a single individual. Table II shows the method of getting the final score for each building from the judgments of the three scorers. This table shows the scores given by each of the three judges and the final score of the Junior High School building. It is believed that these ratings of the buildings in Winona constitute a reliable measure of the educational efficiency of the buildings. The Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card has been used in scoring- hundreds of school buildings so that it is possible to make com- parisons with other cities, on the basis of scores allotted. The points on which the buildings were scored and the maximum possible rating on each point of the score card are shown in Ap- pendix "A" of this report. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA TABLE II Scores Allotted to the Junior High School Building by Three Judges Scorer 1 2 3 Median Median Total Item I 80 67 76 75 A 48 45 45 45 B 28 20 26 26 C 4 2 5 4 Item II 54 63 68 61 A 10 10 ID 10 B 24 29 36 29 C 20 24 22 22 Item III 119 III 94 105 A 41 41 32 41 B 16 12 15 15 C 10 12 10 10 D 6 10 7 7 E 7 4 5 5 F 16 9 7 9 G 13 23 18 18 H 10 Item IV 95 86 108 99 A 6 ID 15 ID B 35 28 30 30 C ; 23 28 32 28 D 5 3 5 5 E 26 17 26 26 Item V 14 29 28 27 A II 22 22 22 B 2 4 5 4 c I 3 I I Total 362 356 374 367 Final score 367. EXPLANATION OF THE SCORES A building which attains a perfect score would be rated at 1,000. The meaning of scores lower than 1,000 is described by the authors of the score card in the following words :^ A score of 500-1,000 indicates a highly satisfactory degree of con- struction and equipment. In fact, in only a few minor respects does such a building deviate from acceptable standards. A rating between 700 and * Strayer and Engelhardt, The Classroom Teacher, pp. 340-42. 4 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON 900 points is fairly satisfactory. It should be studied in the light of its component parts. Slight building alterations will tend to raise consider- ably the score of a building of this group. A score of 600 to 700 points has meant, as experience in surveys points out, that considerable alteration was needed before buildings could be brought to a satisfactory standard of efficiency. Buildings that have scored 500 to 600 points have proven to be highly unsatisfactory and yet not so far gone but that extensive repairs and replacements could make them reasonably habitable. When the scores of buildings have fallen below 500 points, it has been the uni- versal judgment of those who have applied the score card that speedy abandonment of the building for school purposes was the only justifiable course to be followed. In all instances where scores of 500 or less have resulted, it has seemed that expenditures for repairs would be highly ex- cessive. It has also seemed that there was little possibility, even with the expenditure of relatively large sums of money, to secure as a result of such repairs a building which was suitable for school purposes in the modern sense. THE BUILDING SCORES Table III shows the total scores and the relative rankings of each of the eleven school buildings in Winona. The Senior High School building heads the list with a score of 679 out of a pos- sible 1,000. The Junior High School is at the foot of the list TABLE III School Buildings of Winona Arrange]) in the Okdek ok Total Scores Allotted School Building Senior High . . . . Jefferson Lincoln Jackson Kosciusko Washington . . . . Madison Central Madison Annex . Sugar Loaf Junior High. . . . 1 Maximum Rank Total Score Possible Score I 679 1 ,000 2 543 1,000 3 530 1,000 4 513 1,000 5 506 1,000 6 504 1,000 7 468 1,000 8 455 1,000 9 427 1,000 10 420 1,000 II 367 1,000 A school building that is rated at less than 500 points is considered unsuitcd for school use and should be abandoned. The Junior High, Sugar Loaf, Madison Annex, Central, and Madison buildings clearly fall in this group. The Washington and Kosciusko buildings are only slightly better. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 5 with 367 points out of a possible maximum of 1,000. Five build- ings, the Madison, Central, Madison Annex, Sugar Loaf, and Junior High School, score below 500 points and five school build- ings, the Washington, Kosciusko, Jackson, Lincoln, and Jeffer- son score between 500 and 600 points. Table IV gives the arrangement of the school buildings of Winona in the order of total scores allotted and shows the score on each of the sub-items that go to make up this total. By means- of this table it is possible to see whether the low score, allotted to a given building, was due to defects in site, general structure of building, service systems, classrooms, or special rooms. From the information in this table, it is clear that the Senior High School, Junior High School, Lincoln, Jefferson, Kosciusko, and Sugar Loaf buildings are extremely deficient in site. This defi- ciency is due to the fact that no playground space has been pro- vided in the case of each of these buildings. TABLE IV School Buildings of Winona Arranged According to the Total Score Allotted to Each Building Building Total Score of Build- ing Senior High Jefferson Lincoln Jackson Kosciusko Washington Madison Central Madison Annex.. Sugar Loaf Junior High Maximum pos- sible score. . . 679 543 530 513 506 504 468 455 427 420 367 Rank Sub-Iten- IS Basis Serv- of Build- ice Class- Total Site ing sys- rooms Score tems I 80 133 192 213 2 69 95 146 176 3 74 93 138 190 4 108 82 87 186 5 67 92 125 174 6 108 86 116 159 7 98 79 103 147 8 112 81 lOI 132 9 88 76 99 146 10 57 78 63 169 II 75 61 105 99 125 i6s 280 290 Spe- cial rooms 61 57 35 50 48 35 41 29 18 53 27 140 6 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEFERSON This same table shows also that there is no single one of the school buildings in Winona that scores as high as 50 per cent of the total possible score, allotted for special rooms. The Senior High School which scored highest, receives only 61 out of a possible 140. Stated in plain words, it may be said that, with the exception of the Senior High School, there has been practi- cally no provision made in the school buildings of Winona for 'special rooms. This is not to be wondered at because special rooms were not generally provided in school buildings erected before 1900. The low score of the Senior High School on the item of special rooms was, in large measure, due to the fact that no provision has been made in this building for a gymnasium or an auditorium. The scores allotted to the different buildings on each of the sub-items of the score card are shown graphically in Charts i, 2-, 3, and 4. In order to get some basis for comparing the school building situation in Winona with that in other cities. Table V is inserted. It presents a comparison of the scores given to the elementary school buildings of Winona with those given to the elementary school buildings of Duluth and St. Paul. This table shows that whereas the cities of Duluth, and St. Paul have 66 and 35 per cent respectively of their elementary school buildings scoring above 600 points, there is no single elementary school building in Winona which scores above 600. Winona has no single ele- mentary school building which comes in even the "fairly satis- factory" class. In Winona, 44.4 per cent of the elementary school buildings come in the class usually recommended for abandon- ment and 55.6 per cent of them come in the class which is usu- ally considered as being in need of extensive alterations, repairs, or additions. The facts of Table V are shown graphically in Chart 5. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 7 CHART I SCHOOL BUILDINGS OF WINONA, ARRANGED IN ORDER OF RANK FOR TOTAL SCORES ALLOTED, AND COMPARED WITH THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE TOTAL SCORE (Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card) Maximum .r^r^rs Possible 5cor€ ^^^^ Senior High School 6T9 Junior Hi<^h 5ctx)ol Ibl A building scoring from goo to 1,000 is considered highly satisfactory. One scoring from 700 to 500 is fairly satisfactory. Buildings scoring from 600 to 700 commonly need alteration or additions. Those scoring between 500 and 600 are highly unsatisfactory and ordinarily can be made fit for school use only by complete overhauling and extensive additions. Build- ings that score below 500 have usually been found unfit for school use and are ordinarily recommended for abandonment. Winona has no school building falling in even the fairly satisfactory class. Five out of the eleven school buildings of Winona score below 500 points and two others score only slightly above. 8 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON CHART 2 SCHOOL BUILDINGS OF WINONA, ARRANGED IN ORDER OF RANK FOR TOTAL SCORES ALLOTTED ON ITEMS I AND II, AND COM PARED WITH THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SCORE (Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card) Item I - 5ite: Maximum Possible Score Central Washin$"t:on JacK5on Madi5on Madison Annex Senior High School Junior Hi$h School Lincoln Jefferson Kosciusko Sugbr Loaf Maximum Possible Score Item II -Building 165 Senior High School IS3 Jefferson Lincoln P^sciusKo Washington JacKson Cenlral Madison Su^ar Loaf Madison Annex Junior High 5chool 61 Of the eleven school buildings, six are extremely deficient in site and seven in building structure. For sub-items making up Items I and II, see Appendix A. SCHOOJ. BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 9 CHART 3 SCHOOL BUILDINGS OF WINONA, ARRANGED IN ORDER OF RANK FOR TOTAL SCORES ALLOTTED ON ITEMS III AND IV, AND COM PARED WITH THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SCORE FOR THOSE ITEMS (Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card) Item Maximum Possible 5core HI - 5nRvicL; 5y5tem5 £601 Senior High School 192 EJ Jefferson Lincoln Kosciusko \15K1IIZZZZI Wbsbin^ron Junior Hi^h School Madison CcnlTdl Madison Annex Jackson 5u^r Loaf Item IV - Class Rooms Maximum Possible ^core £90 Senior Hi^b 5cbool ID Lincoln JacKson Jefferson Kosciusl^o Su^ar Loaf Wa3bin5ron . Madi5on Madison Annex Central Junior iiigb Z3 ZM With the exception of the Senior High School building, all of Winona's buildings rank extremely low on the item of classrooms. For sub-items making up Items TIT and IV. see Appendix A. MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON CHART 4 SCHOOL BUILDINGS OF WINONA, ARRANGED IN ORDER OF RANK~FOR TOTAL SCORES ALLOTTED ON ITEM V, AND COMPARED WITH THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SCORE FOR THOSE ITEMS (Strayer-Engelhardt Score Card) Item V - Special Rooms MaKimum Possible 3core Senior High 5cbool 61 Jefferson Sugar Loaf Jackson Kosciusko Madison Lincoln Wasbington Cenfral Junior f1i5b Schools Madison Annex 161 All school buildings in Winona are extremely deficient in the item of special rooms. For sub-items making up Item V, see Appendix A. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA ii TABLE V Comparison of the Distribution in Per Cents of Elementary School Buildings of Winona with Those of Duluth and St. Paul, on the Basis of Their Allotted Scores on the Strayer- Engelhardt Score Card Scores Per Cent of Buildings Falling in Each loo-Point Group Duluth \ St. Paul I Winona 301- 400 9 40.1- 500 6 SOI- 600 ig 601- 700 34 701- 800 16 801- 900 16 901-1,000 Total per cent 4 14 44-4 47 55-6 27 6 2 The majority of the elementary school buildings in Winona score lower than those in either St. Paul or Duluth. It will be seen from the above table that 100 per cent of the Winona elementary school buildings score within the 400-600 range. ANALYSIS OF SCHOOL BUILDING WEAKNESSES The scoring of the school buildings by means of a standard score card indicates in a general way the condition of the school plant of Winona. The Junior High School, Sugar Loaf, Madison Annex, Central, and Madison buildings score below the point at which buildings are usually recommended for abandonment. The Washington, Kosciusko, and Jackson score only slightly above the point at which buildings are ordinarily recommended for displacement. The low scores made by these buildings to- gether with their age, may be considered sufficient justification for the abandonment of the first five named buildings and for the abandonment of the Washington, Kosciusko, and Jackson schools as soon as the replacement of these buildings can be pro- vided for in the building program adopted. The scores of the Lincoln and Jefferson buildings are not high and, in the opinion of the Survey Committee, mean that these buildings should not be utilised in the future without extensive additions and repairs. MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON The Senior High School which scores almost 150 points above any of the other school buildings in the city would be made fairly satisfactory with the addition of a gymnasium, an auditorium, and a lunch room. CHART 5 PER CENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUILDINGS FALLING IN EACH Too-POINT GROUP IN DULUTH, ST. PAUL, AND WINONA PerCenl"of Qementery 5choob 60 301-400 401-500 501-600 601-700 TOl-OOO 501-900 901-1000 Duluth 5\Sbd Winona This chart shows that 44.4 per cent of the elementary school buildings in Winona fall in the class usUfLlly recommended for abandonment and that the remainder of the elementary school buildings belong in the type where extensive alterations and repairs have ordinarily been found neces- sary. In order to point out in a more definite and specific way some of the more striking weaknesses of the present school plant at Winona, it is believed desirable to supplement the scoring of the buildings with a discussion of the extent to which the school buildings of Winona fall short of the standards to which modern school buildings should conform. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 13 ORIENTATION School building authorities recommend that buildings should be so constructed that the windows will face the following direc- tions, arranged in order of desirability : southeast, east, south- west, west, south, northeast, north, northwest. It was apparently a matter of chance in the construction of all the buildings in Winona, except the Senior High School, as to which direction the windows would face. If all the classrooms in Winona are con- sidered, 34.7 per cent face the three most desirable directions while 36.1 per cent face the three least desirable directions. PLAYGROUNDS Table VI shows that adequate provisions for playground space has been made in very few of the school grounds of Winona. A very conservative standard for playground area is 100 square feet per pupil. Only the Washington, Madison, and Central schools come up to this minimum standard. The Na- tional Educational Association recommends 272 square feet per pupil as a reasonable size for school grounds. If this latter standard were adopted, there would be no single playground in Winona up to standard. TABLE VI Table Showing Playground Space per Child Enrolled in the Winona Public Schools, Sugar Loaf School Not Included .Schools Washington Central Jackson Madison and Madison Annex Lincoln Jefferson Kosciusko Senior High Junior High Area, Square Feet of Play- ground Space 48,000 48,150 10,000 30,828 3-750 5.000 Enrollment 1921-22 288 379 224 352 igo 489 356 Area, Square Feet per Child Enrolled 2133 167.2 98. 81.3 16.7 14.2 14 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON BLACKBOARDS Table VII shows the facts about the height of blackboards for classrooms in different grades in Winona. According to the very liberal standards set up in this table, it is apparent that black- boards for the lower grades have been built with practically no consideration for adapting them to the pupil groups which were to use them. The blackboards in the kindergarten and first and second grade rooms are above standard height for children in those grades in every elementary school building in the city. In Grade 3, 66.7 per cent are above the standard height, and in Grade 4, 50 per cent are above standard height. TABLE VII Height of Blackboards in the Kindergarten and First Four Grades IN Winona Medium height in inches . . Aver?ge height in inches.. Minimum height in inches. Maximum height in inches. Standard height in inches. Per cent below standard. Per" cent standard Per cent above standard., Kinder- garten Grade i Grade 2 Grade 3 29.8 29-5 29.8 29.8 30.6 29 29.6 29.6 28 28 28 28 36 30 22 32 ' 24-25 25-26 26-27 27-28 ... 33-3 100 100 100 1 (>^.7 Grade 4 30 30.2 28 36 28-29 50 SO. This table shows that the blackboards for the kindergarten and Grades I and 2 are above the standard height for children in those grades in all cases. In Grade 3, 66.7 per cent of the bkckboards are above the standard height, and in Grade 4, just half are too high. NATURAL LIGHTING If the scores given to the natural lighting in all the classrooms in Winona are considered, they average about 60 per cent of what the scores should be if the amount of light provided in all the classrooms were up to standard. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA In a standard classroom, the window space should be at least 20 per cent of the floor space. Table VIII shows that 83.5 per cent of all the classrooms in Winona are below this minimum standard. In 17.39 per cent of the classrooms the percentage is between 5 and 9. in 23.48 per cent it is between 10 and 14, and in 42.6 per cent, between 15 and 19. The relation of window area to floor area is shown graphically in Chart 6. A standard class- room should be lighted from one side, preferably the left, in order to avoid cross-lights which are a source of eye strain. Table IX shows that only 26.1 per cent of the classrooms of Winona meet this standard. In slightly over 6 per cent of the classrooms. pupils face one or more windows while they study. TABLE VIII Phk Cknt of Classrooms in Each of the School Buildings of Wino.v \ That Have Less Than the Standard Ratio of Window Space TO Floor Space, the Per Cent That Have Standard Ratio, and the Per Cent That Have Above Standard Ratio Per Cent of Per Cent of Per Cent of Classrooms Classrooms Classrooms Having Less Having Ahove Buildings Than the Standard Standard Standard Ratio Ratio Ratio Madison Annex 25 '=^0 25 Jefferson 100 Junior High 70 10 20 Senior High 7^-5 20.6 5-Q Sugar Loaf 100 Lincohi 100 100 Jackson Kosciusko 70 20 10 Central 100 Madison 100 85.7 143 Washington Total 83.5 ■ 1 11-3 : 5-2 In a standard classroom the window^ space should be 20 per cent of the floor space. In Winona 83.5 per cent of the classrooms are below this standard, 11.3 per cent reach the standard, and 5.2 per cent exceed it. In the Mrdison, Central, Jack; on, Lincoln, Sugar Loaf, and Jefferson school buildings, there is no single classroom that has the standard amount of light. For a graphical representation of these facts, see Chart 6. i6 MERI/fN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON TABLE IX Orientation of Rooms in the Winona School Buildings* Lighted From Left Left and rear , Left, rear, and right Left and right Right Right and rear Front Front and right Front and left Rear Rear, front, left, and right. Front, left, and right Total No. of Rooms Per Cent of Rooms 30 26.1 S6 48.7 2 17 o 4 3.4 II 9.6 I .9 3 2.6 3 2.6 3 2.6 . 1 •9 I •9 IIS 100 *From information furnished by the principals of the different schools in Winona, Minnesota. Only 26.1 per cent of the classrooms in Winona are lighted from windows to the left of the pupils, which is the proper method ; 3.4 per cent are lighted from the right ; 2.6 per cent from the rear ; 48.7 per cent from the left ?nd rear; 9.6 per cent from the right and rear; 6.1 per cent from the front, front and right or front and left ; and 3.5 per cent are lighted from three or four sides. In order to study further the natural lighting in Winona school buildings, tests were made in five school buildings with a photometer or foot candle meter. The unit of measure for the intensity of light is the foot candle. An intensity of one foot candle would mean the intensity of one standard candle on an area of one square foot at a distance of one foot. For class- . rooms, study rooms, laboratories, and blackboards a standard of at least four foot candles would be an absolute minimum for natural lighting. Another standard that should be maintained is that the variation of illumination from one source should not be greater than 4 to i. It is desirable also that the lighting should come from one side, preferably the left, in order to avoid cross-lights which are a source of eye strain. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 17 CHART 6 THE RATIO OF WINDOW AREA TO FLOOR AREA IN THE DIKKKRENT SCHOOL BUILDINGS OF WINONA Madi5on Annex Jefferson Junior Hi^b School vSenior Hi^b ^bool 3ugbr Loaf Lincoln JacKson K05ClU5k0 Ccnrral Madison Washington All Scboob Delow Standard Standard Above Standard According to accepted standards, the window area in a classroom should be 20 per cent of the floor area. In the above chart the black portion to the left represents the per cent of classrooms in which the window area is less than 20 per cent of the floor area; the middle portion represents the number of rooms which are at standard; and the portion to the right, the per cent of rooms which are above the standard. Six of the eleven school buildings in Winona have inadequate lighting in every classroom. i8 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON For the purpose of this survey a stvidy was made of Hghting in the classrooms of the Madison, Madison Annex, Jefferson, Junior High, and Senior High schools. The day was semi-cloudy with alternate clouds and sunshine. The study in the first two schools" mentioned was made during midday ; in the Junior High School between the hours of 9 and 1 1 ; and in the Senior High School during the last hour of the school day. In the Madison School the light comes from two sides. The cloakrooms are practically devoid of illumination. The percent- age which the glass area was of the floor area was less than half the standard required for normal lighting, running on the average a little less than 10 per cent for the entire building. On even the brightest day it would be impossible for these rooms to pro- vide distribution that would furnish standard daylight illumina- tion on the desks. The distribution of light in rooms of this building was about 10 to i, that is, some parts of the room were ten times as well lighted as other parts. The most poorly lighted parts of the classrooms in the Madison building averaged about 60 per cent of the minimum standard illumination and the poor- est lighting, found in any one room, was less than 40 per cent of the standard. The natural lighting in the Jefferson elementary school and Junior High School was somewhat better but was far below the standard, the average distribution being about 8 to i in the Jef- ferson School and about 10 to i in the Junior High School. In neither of these buildings was the illumination up to standard, many cases being found where the illumination on desk tops was only 50 per cent of the standard. The Madison Annex was not far below the standard in the amount of illumination but since the windows were on two sides of the rooms, there were strong cross-lights in every classroom. Natural lighting in the Senior High School is well arranged and for the most part adequate. Excellent distribution was found in all the rooms except those facing the court. The mechanical drawing room used by Junior High School classes was deficient in lighting for those tables most distant from windows. In the emergency sewing room the natural light was only 20 per cent of the standard. In the special room, designed for that purpose, it was about 70 per cent. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 19 The measurement of natural lighting in the Madison School building may be taken as typical of the Washington and Central buildings where the percentage which the window area is of the floor area runs about the same. In the Washington conditions are worse than in the Madison — except in the kindergarten room — and the Central is only slightly better than the Madison. The lighting in the Jefferson and the Junior High School repre- sents about the conditions found in the Sugar Loaf, Lincoln, and Kosciusko. The lack of a sufficient amount of light and the improper orientation of the classrooms constitute a real menace to the eyesight of the school children of Winona. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING The fact that the classrooms of Winona are deficient in natural lighting makes it necessary to provide artificial light in practically all the classrooms of the city. Some provision has been made in each of the buildings but, in general, it is very in- adequate. On the basis of scores allotted, the artificial lighting is on the average only 35 per cent of standard efficiency. In the Madison building, no uniformity of methods is followed with respect to artificial lighting and the variation in distribution of rooms that were provided with artificial light was found to be very great. Only one room in this building had a distribution approaching the standard. This was Room 7 which was provided with two semidirect units with a total of 300 watts. The artificial lighting provided for the domestic science room was wholly in- adequate. The manual training room and the toilets were without artificial lighting of any kind. In the Junior High School pro- vision has been made for some sort of artificial illumination in all the rooms l)ut no general policy seems to be followed as to type of units or as to method of illuminating. In no room was the lighting adequate. As long as these rooms are to be used for school purposes, an adequate system of artificial lighting is neces- sary. Semidirect units with a maximum of 400 watts for the smaller classrooms and 800 watts for the larger classrooms ought to be provided. The poorest artificial lighting found in the Madison, Jeffer- son, and Junior High school buildings ran from o to i foot candle. The general conclusions which might be drawn from 20 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON this photometric study is that the natural lighting in the older school buildings of Winona is highly inadequate and that the system of artificial lighting provided does not adequately supple- ment it. HEATING AND VENTILATION The most commonly accepted heating and ventilating system for school buildings is the direct-mechanical, that is, direct radi- ators located in each room and a mechanically furnished air sup- ply. Thermostatic control should be provided in all buildings to keep the temperature in any room at the proper degree. Each heating and ventilating system should also be equipped with effi- cient mechanical devices for keeping the air clean and supplied with the proper amount of moisture. The air should be taken in from above the roof or from a height of at least fifteen feet from the ground level. As a whole, the heating systems used in the Winona school buildings are fairly satisfactory. Nine out of the eleven build- ings have steam boilers, while two have hot air furnaces. Nearly all schools were reported by the principals as being satisfactorily heated, althovigh it was noticed by the judges that the heat was not evenly distributed in all rooms, some rooms being entirely too warm as compared with standard temperature. This latter con- dition is due to the fact that thermostatic control is not provided in more than about half the buildings. The ventilation in the Winona schools is less satisfactory than the heating. All except two buildings, namely, the Jackson and Sugar Loaf, are equipped with a fan for supplying the fresh air to the classrooms, but few of the buildings have a mechanical exhaust for foul air. In all except three schools, the air intake is at the ground level. In general, it may be said that the ventilat- ing systems are below standard. FIRE PROTECTION Winona buildings are very poorly protected against fire. Tht- median score on fire protection in all schools is only 22 per cent of the standard score. The only building which may be consid- ered fireproof is the Senior High School. All the other buildings are fire traps, with wooden floors and stairways and inadequate SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 21 facilities for fighting fire. In one building only one fire extin- guisher was provided and it had never been tmcrated. The tower fire escapes, consisting of metal covered wooden stair- ways with wooden platforms leading to them, are almost worth- less and can not be relied upon in case of fire. It is impossible to make any one of the elementary school buildings in Winona perfectly safe from fire. However, those ele- mentary buildings which are not to be immediately abandoned should be adequately equipped with fire extinguishers, fire hose, fire alarm systems, fire doors, fire partitions, and as far as ])os- sible, fireproof stairways. TOILETS The toilet facilities in the Winona schools are on the whole very unsatisfactory. The toilets are poorly distributed, tmsani- tary, and in many instances, inadequate. Such toilets as those found in the Jackson Building — inadequate, extremely unsani- tary, with wooden seats, no seclusion, and located outside the building— should not be tolerated. CLOAKROOMS Cloakrooms should be under teacher control, easily accessible to the children, should provide ample space for winter wraps, and be so located as to make i)ossible ventilation away from the class- room. They should be sufficiently large and so arranged as to avoid confusion. The hangers should be so placed as to be easily within the reach of pupils accommodated, and located so as to ]irovide for free passage of air behind the wraps. Cloakrooms in the Winona school buildings are in general below these standards. They seem to be located wherever there is a vacant space that might be used for the purpose. Few are directly under teacher control. Many of them are located in the corridors and some are located in the basement. Since lockers are substituted for cloakrooms in the Senior High School, the facilities for taking care of wraps are satis- factory. However, these lockers should not have been located in the corridors as they now are but in separate rooms on each floor and in close connection with the study rooms and general toilets. 22 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON SPECIAL ROOMS It has been previously pointed out that the school plant of Winona is almost entirely lacking in special rooms. It is highly desirable that even a modern elementary school building be pro- vided with special rooms which will make possible the type of administration, instruction, and care of health, which a school building should provide. It is recommended that each of the elementary school buildings constructed, in carrying out the building program outlined in this survey, contain as a minimum a combination auditorium and gymnasium, which will serve as a place for community gatherings ; a principal's office with an adja- cent book and store room ; a combination teachers' rest and lunch room; a lunch room for pupils; a nurse's room; a janitor's work- room and storeroom ; and a bicycle room. The Junior High School should be provided with a large number of special rooms adapted to the administration and instructional work of a modern junior high school. In the present school plant of Winona, the offices for school officials are usually small and inadequate. There are no specially designed nurse's rooms, lunch rooms, teachers' rooms, janitor's rooms, playrooms, or studios. There are no library rooms in any of the elementary school buildings. It is recommended that no rooms be provided in the proposed new elementary schools for manual training, domestic science, or in- dustrial work. It is believed that these subjects should be ofifered for the first time in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades; all pupils receiving instruction in these subjects would therefore be attending the central Junior High School. Making provision for the teaching of these subjects in a single central junior high school would be economical in that it would prevent duplication of unnecessary special rooms and special equipment. It would also make it possible to utilize the time of the manual training and domestic science teachers more fully. DRINKING AND WASHING FACILITIES The drinking and washing facilities in the Winona school buildings, though for the most part adequate, so far as numbers go, are in many instances unsanitary and inconvenient. In sev- eral of the schools, bubblers attached to the faucets on the wash- bowls serve as drinking fountains. These are undesirable both SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 23 from the standpoint of convenience and of sanitation. The drink- ing fountains are not of the latest type, since pupils can touch their mouths directly to the metal tops of the bubblers. The best type of fountain is one so designed that children are not able to touch with their mouths the part from which the water comes. One washbowl should be provided for every fifty children. They should be located in toilet rooms, teachers' rooms, janitors' rooms, laboratories, and bathrooms, and should be provided with both hot and cold water. BATHING FACILITIES There are no bathing facilities whatever in any school build- ing in Winona. Shower baths are considered desirable in all types of school buildings. They should be provided separately for boys and girls and located so as to be easily accessible from gymnasium and playgrounds. Individual shower stalls and ad- joining dressing rooms should be provided and each medical in- spection room should have an adjacent tub bath. CONCLUSIONS 1. In this chapter it has been pointed oiit that the city of Winona has been inactive for many years in the construction of elementary school buildings and that her school building plant is now very inadequate from the point of view of modern health standards and modern educational needs. 2. With the exception of the Madison, Washington, and Central schools, the playground space is extremely inadequate. In view of the increasing emphasis now being given to physical training and supervised play, it would be highly desirable to pur- chase playground space around each of the school buildings, which would provide at least 100 square feet per pupil. Two or three times that much would be better. 3. With no exceptions, the elementary school buildings of Winona have an insufficient amount of window space to provide for natural lighting. The system of artificial lighting provided is inadequate. Indeed, it would hardly be possible to install any system of artificial lighting which would remedy the defects in the natural lighting of the Winona elementary school buildings. 24 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSOK 4. With the exception of the Senior High School, every school building in Winona is a fire risk to such an extent that the lives of pupils in these school buildings are in danger every minute they occupy the buildings. It is believed that no city should run the risk involved in housing pupils in buildings of such a dangerous type. 5. Very little provision has been made in any of the school buildings of Winona for special rooms. The buildings w^ere con- structed before the standards for special rooms in school build- ings were devised. 6. It is recommended that the Madison, Central, Madison Annex, Sugar Loaf, and Junior High school buildings be aban- doned, as soon as new buildings can be constructed to provide for the children which these buildings now accommodate. 7. The Washington and Kosciusko buildings score just above the point at which school buildings are recommended for aban- donment. The Jackson, Lincoln, and Jefferson buildings would need thorough overhauling and modernizing in order to be adapted to modern educational uses. The Senior High School building scores low, largely because of the fact that it has neither a gymnasium nor an auditorium. CHAPTER II THE NUiMBER OF PUPILS IN WINONA FOR WHOM SCHOOL FACILITIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED It is the purpose of this chapter to indicate briefly the present distribution of school pupils in the different elementary schools of Winona, to estimate the probable number of pupils to be pro- vided for in the future, and to recommend a districting of the city which would prove most economical and most desirable edu- cationally. Winona was a rapidly growing city from 1870 to 1890. Dur- ing the period between 1880 and 1890, the population of Winona increased 78.4 per cent, an increase more than 10 per cent greater than that of the entire state. From 1890 to 1900, the population of Winona increased 8.3 per cent. During the next ten-year period there was a decrease of 5.7 per cent, but from 1910 to 1920 there was a 3 per cent increase in total population of the city. These per cents are shown in Table X. TABLE X CoMP.\RisoN OF Trend of Popul.\tion Growth ix Minnesota and Winona over a Period of Years 1920 1920 1910 1910 1900 1900 1890 1890 1880 1880 I Increase over Population Previous Census j Per Cent Number* Minnesota Winona . Minnesota Winona Minnesota Winona . Minnesota Winona Minnesota Winona . 2,387,125 311,417 15- 19,143 560 3- 2,075.708 324.314 18.51 18,583 —1,131 —5-7 1,751,394 441,111 33-7 19,714 1,506 8.3 1. 3 1 0.283 529.510 67.8 18,208 8,000 78.4 780,773 341,067 77.6 10,208 3,016 41.9 * Decrease is indicated by a minus sign. This' table shows that Winona grew rapidly from 1870 to 1890 and that after a slight decrease during the period between 1900 and 1910 the population again started to increase during the period between iqio and 1920. 26 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON Table XI shows that the population has not increased uni- formly in all parts of the city, during the ten years between 1910 and 1920. During this period, Wards I and II increased in popu- lation 9.2 and 7.9 per cent, respectively, Ward III had an in- crease of 2 per cent, while Ward IV showed a decline in popula- tion of 5.4 per cent. TABLE XI Trend of Population in Winona by Wards from 19x0 to 1920* Per Cent Ward Population Population Increasef Increase 1910 1920 1910-20 1910-20 I 5,604 6,121 517 9.2 II 3,549 3,828 279 7.9 III 3,704 2>^777 72, 2 IV 5,726 5,417 —309 —5-4 Total 18,583 19,143 560 3 * From the United States census returns, t Decrease indicated by minus sign. Wards I and IL have increased in population 9.2 and 7.9 per cent respectively, during the decade betvi^een 1910 and 1920. Ward III has slightly more than held its own, and Ward IV has decreased in popula- tion 5.4 per cent. The gain in population for the entire city during the period was 3 per cent. The total column at the right of Table XII shows that there has not been any great increase in the school enrollment during the ten years from 1912-13 up to 1921-22. The minimum total enrollment for the period was 2,466 for the school year 1912-13 and the maximum was 2,621 for the school year 1919-20. The average total enrollment for the ten school years mentioned was 2,557. In general then, it might be said that Winona is a city that seems to be settling down to a slow but steady growth after a period of decrease in the population, and that the school en- rollment figures for the past ten years indicate a relatively con- stant school population which shows only a slight tendency to increase when the total enrollment figures for each year are con- sidered. t/2 C^l IT. \0 rO 00 IT) -H ^ t~^ of ri <>f of pf c^f ci i>f cvf t^fC'^QOOOOO i-i\0 OvOnOvi^O O '-I ^ O o -t3 o o V •V a 0\ VO 0\ t>. 00 o c^ 0) lo O T3 nj 00 o o o O\t>.OVO00 lOOO t^iot^ t^t^oo^o o\oo o o rx^ i-ii-i -^oooo ooooo CNl!N>--< o o o o M t-v 00 ^2 o Tj- ro 1-1 ■* r^ ! oi f^ 01 01 <^ r^ 01 VO 01 ON ro 01 M 0\ o 158 47 152 58 188 52 218 86 117 46 26 18 75 22 293 105 99 50 106 30 88 25 361 60 88 20 109 30 59 7 105 3 1,551 484 Senior High Enrollment 167 40 39 42 46 131 55 31 45 91 32 23 45 16 17 5 7 • 434 Total 1,079 297 244 252 286 435 218 75 142 181 172 136 466 124 156 71 115 2,469 * From count of spot maps furnished by the principals of each of the schools in Winona. SCHOOL HL'/LPING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 29 that it shows that Ward I furnishes over 43 per cent of the total public school enrollment of the city. Wards II and III furnish about 38 per cent and Ward IV, about 19 per cent of the total school population. 'ral)le XIV shows the number of pupils by school divisions in eacli of the elementary school districts of Winona. The total number of pupils shown in this table does not agree exactly with the totals in Table XII for the reason that it was made from spot maps furnished by the principals of the individual schools. On these maps, the principals indicated the exact location of each pupil now attending school in the city of Winona. This fact, however, does not interfere with the purpose for which Table XIV is used. TABLE XIV Number of Elementary, Junior High School, and Senior High School Pupils Attending School in Winona, in April, 1922, by Present School Districts* Districts Jefferson . . Madison . . Lincoln . . . Central . . . . Washington Jackson . . . Kosciusko . Sugar Loaf. Total .... Elementary School Enrollment 279 322 208 215 139 155 197 2,6 1,551 Junior High Enrollment 104 104 57 99 41 52 27 484 Senior High Total Enrollment 49 432 118 544 39 304 126 440 40 220 41 248 18 242 3 39 434 2,469 * From a spot map count of the location of pupils furnished by the school principals. ESTIMATE OF POPULATION INCREASE In order to estimate the probable number of pupils to be provided for in any school building program now undertaken, it was believed necessary to estimate the population up to the year 1940. This period of time is not too long because it is well within the Hfe'of any new building constructed at this time and is 30 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON within the hfe of permanent improvements which might be rec- ommended for making any of the present school buildings of Winona meet, in so far as possible, modern school building stand- ards. The estimate of the city population made for 1940 is be- lieved to be a very conservative one. It assumes that Winona will continue to grow slowly very much as it has during the past ten years. The population figures for 1930 and 1940 were determined by continuing the general population trend in each of the wards of the city, except in Ward IV where it is not believed that there will be much further decrease in population. TABLE XV Population of Winona, by Wards as Shown by Census Returns in 1910 and 1920 WITH Estimates of Population in 1930 and 1940 Wards 1910 1920 1930 1940 I II III IV 5,604 3,549 3,704 5,726 6,121 3,828 3,777 5,417 6,683 4,130 3,853 5,200 7,294 4,456 3,930 5,200 Total 18,583 19,143 19,866 20,880 This estimate of the population trend in Winona assumes that each of the wards will continue the trend shown during the ten years between 1910 and 1920, except in Ward IV where it is estimated that there will be very little further decrease in population. Table XV shows the United States census population figures for each of the four wards in 1910 and 1920 and the estimates of the population in these wards for 1930 and 1940. It is esti- mated that the total population of the city will be 20,880 by 1940. The trend of population for the entire city as shown by the United States census figures, and the estimated trend from 1920 to 1940 are represented graphically in Chart 7. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA CHART 7 TREND OF POPULATION IN WINONA FROM 1880 TO 1920 AS SHOWN BY THE UNITED STATES CENSUS REPORTS. AND ESTIMATED TREND FROM 1920 TO 1940 E5.000 20,000 - 15,000 - 10,000 5,000 1050 1690 1900 1920 1930 1940 This chart shows that, after the rapid period of .growth from 1870 to 1890 and the slight decrease from 1900 to 1910, Winona has probably settled down to a slow and steady growth. It is estimated that by 1940 the population will be almost 21,000. 32 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON NUMBER OF PUPILS TO BE PROVIDED FOR BY 1940 It was next considered desirable to estimate the total number of public school pupils to be provided for out of this popula- tion of 20,880. This was done by estimating the per cent which the school population would be of the total population at that time. In 1910 the school population of Winona was 13.2 per cent of the total population. By 1920 this figure had increased to 13.7 per cent. It was estimated that by 1940 the school popula- tion would be approximately 15 per cent of the total population. On this basis, out of the total population of 20,880, there would be 3,132 public school pupils for whom building facilities should be provided. In order to tell the kind of building facilities that ought to be provided for these 3,132 pupils, it is necessary to make some estimate of the number of pupils who will attend the ele- mentary school, the number who will have to be cared for in the Junior High School, and the number who will attend Senior High School. As a basis for making this division. Tables XVI and XVII are inserted. The first of these tables shows the number of pupils in the kindergarten and in Grades i to 6, in Grades 7 to 9, and in Grades 10 to 12, by years from 1912 to 1922; and the second one shows the per cent of the total school enrollment found in each of the school divisions. TABLE XVI Enrollment by School Divisions in Winona fsom 1912 to 1922 Year 1912-13 1913-14 1914-15 191S-16 1916-17 1917-18 1918-19 1919-20 1920-21 1921-22 Kinder- Grades Grades Grades garten 1-6 7-9 10-12 189 1,432 S34 311 230 1,441 '546 325 205 1,419 542 309 240 1,393 563 370 206 1,395 558 354 233 1,410 576 359 262 1,392 573 368 1 273 1,389 561 398 258 . 1,388 553 4.15 1 203 1,349 556 489 Total 2,466 2,542 2,475 2,566 2,513 2,578 2,595 2,621 2,614 2,597 SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA i^ TABLE XVII Per Cent Distribution of Enrollment by School Divisions in Winona FROM 1912 to 1922 Year Kinder- garten Grades 1-6 Grades 7-9 Grades 10-12 12.6 12.8 12.5 14.4 14.1 14 14.2 15-2 16 18.9 Total 1012-1^ 7-7 9 8.3 9-3 8.2 9 10 10.4 9-9 7.8 58 56.7 57-3 54-3 55-5 54-7 53-7 S3 53 519 21.7 21.5 21.9 22 22.2 22.3 22.1 2X.4 21. 1 21.4 100 iQi^-14 100 1914-15 1915-16 1916-17 1917-18 100 100 100 ;oo 1918-19 1010-20 100 100 1920-21 100 1921-22 100 One of the most striking facts revealed in Table XVII is the large and increasing percentage of the school population which is enrolled in the senior high school grades. Ten per cent is con- sidered a high proportion to have enrolled in Grades 10, 11, and 12. In Winona the percentage was 18.9 for the year 1921-22. Another striking fact is that there has been no increase in the percentage of pupils enrolled in the junior high school grades. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that no provision has been made in the junior high school for the seventh grade and to the further fact that the eighth and ninth grade pupils have been housed in a building which is in practically every way inadequate for the needs of a modern junior high school. There has been some decrease in the percentage of pupils enrolled in Grades i to 6 due largely to an increased percentage of pupils enrolling in the senior high school years. After a careful study of Tables XVI and XVII, it is estimated that by 1940, 58 per cent of the total school enrollment will be found in the kindergarten and elementary school grades — that is, from the kindergarten through Grade 6 ; that 24 per cent will be enrolled in the junior high school — that is, Grades 7 to 9 ; and that 18 per cent of the total school enrollment will be in Grades 10, II, and 12. On the basis of these percentages, it is estimated that the 3.132 pupils who may attend the public schools of Winona 34 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON by 1940 will be divided among the three school divisions as fol- lows : kindergarten and elementary schools, 1,816; junior high school, 752 ; senior high school, 564. It is also estimated that provision will need to be made for at least 50 additional high school pupils who may attend from outside the Winona school district. SUGGESTED REDISTRICTING Before estimating the number of elementary school pupils to be provided for in each school district, it is desirable to make certain recommendations with respect to the rearrangement of the elementary school districts. It is recommended that the Washington and Kosciusko school districts be combined as soon as these buildings are replaced. It is recommended that the boundary line of this single district be Laird Street on the west. It is recommended further that the Central School district be enlarged by including in it the portion of the Jackson School dis- trict west of Laird Street. It is recommended also that the Sugar Loaf School building be abandoned and that the pupils from this school be transported either to the Washington or the Kosciusko School until such time as these buildings are replaced. In that event the pupils should be transported to the building which replaces the Washington and Kosciusko. It is recom- mended that other elementary school boundary lines be left as they are. This recommended change in the boundary lines of these school districts will be discussed in detail in Chapter III of this report. Table XVIII shows the number of elementary school pupils, junior high school pupils, and senior high school pupils now residing within each of the proposed districts. By 1940 it is estimated that the following school enrollment in each of these elementary school districts will need to be pro- vided for — Washington-Kosciusko, 475 ; Central, 330 ; Madison, 400 ; Lincoln, 260 ; Jefferson, 350. Elementary school buildings should then be provided in the school building program adopted which would care for the number of pupils indicated above in each of the proposed districts. The Junior High School building should be constructed so as to provide for approximately 750 pupils. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 35 TABLE XVIII Number ok Elementary, Junior High School, and Senior High School Pupils Attending School in Winona in April, 1922, by Proposed School Districts* Districts Washington- Kosciuskof Central^ . . . . Madison . . . . Lincoln Jefferson ... Total Elementary School Enrollment 456 286 322 208 279 1.551 Junior High Enrollment 8S 134 104 57 104 Senior High Enrollment Total 484 69 159 118 39 49 610 579 544 304 432 434 2,469 * As determined from spot maps furnished by the school principals. t Includes the elementary school pupils from the Sugar Loaf district and that portion of the Jackson bounded by Wabasha Street on the north and Laird Street on the east. t Includes that portion of the Jackson School district west of Laird Street. SUMMARY 1. It is recommended that the building program, undertaken at the present time, take into consideration the possible number of pupils to be accommodated in the dififerent school divisions of Winona up to 1940. 2. It is estimated that by 1940 provision will need to be made for approximately 1,816 kindergarten and elementary school pupils, 752 junior high school pupils, and 564 senior high school pupils. 3. It is recommended that a rearrangement of the elementary school districts in Winona be made, so that the Sugar Loaf and Jackson school buildings will be abandoned, and so that the Washington and Kosciusko districts will be combined. This will mean that the Washington-Kosciusko district would provide for the elementary school pupils now enrolled in those schools and also for those now enrolled in the Sugar Loaf School. It is recommended that the portion of the Jackson School district east of Laird Street be annexed to the Washington-Kosciusko district and that the portion west of Laird Street be annexed to the Central School district. 36 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON 4. With the district hues rearranged according to this plan, it is estimated that by 1940 the following numbers of elementary school pupils would need to be provided for in these districts : Washington-Kosciusko, 475 ; Central, 330 ; Madison, 400 ; Lin- coln, 260; Jefferson, 350. 5. It is recommended that the capacity of the elementary school buildings planned for these districts be as above indicated. 6. It is recommended that a single junior high school building be erected with accommodations for 750 pupils. It is recom- mended that provision be made for approximately 600 senior high school students. With the addition of a gymnasium and an audi- torium, it is believed that the present high school building will accommodate that number of students with careful planning of the daily schedule. CHAPTER III THE PROPOSED SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA In Chapter 1, it was pointed out that on the basis of the scores allotted to the Junior High, Sugar Loaf, Madison Annex, and Madison school buildings, they should be recommended for replacement in the immediate future. In addition to the building scores, information was presented about each of these buildings, showing that they were unsafe, imhealthful, and not adapted to the needs of modern education. It was also shown that the Washington and the Kosciusko buildings score only slightly above the point where buildings are usually recommended for abandon- ment. Evidence was also presented which showed that the Lin- coln and the Jefferson schools need to undergo very extensive general overhauling and repairing before they may be considered satisfactory for school use. In Chapter II, studies of the popula- tion and school enrollment were presented and suggestions rela- tive to a rearrangement of school districts were made. It w^as estimated that by 1940 provision should be made for about 600 senior high school pupils (Grades 10 to 12), 752 junior high school pupils (Grades 7 to 9), 1,816 elementary school pupils (kindergarten to Grade 6). In this chapter it is desired to utilize these facts and some others in recommending a building program to the Board of Education and citizens of Winona. ft THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL It is recommended that the present Junior High School build- ing be abandoned and that 'a single building be constructed to take care of the total junior high school enrollment in Grades 7. 8, and 9 of the entire city. It is estimated that the enrollment in these grades will reach 752 by 1940 and it is recommended that the building be planned and built to accommodate that number. Many cities are now building junior high school buildings on sites of from seven to ten acres or more. The necessity for play space and athletic fields has been one of the chief factors in the selection of such sites. On account of the peculiar arrangement 38 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON of the city of Winona, however, it is not recommended that the building be located on a site of this size. To get such a site would necessitate locating the building far from the center of the city or paying what would be practically a prohibitive price for three or four blocks of improved property. It is therefore recom- mended that a single block of land be purchased, if possible, near the present Junior High School site. It is strongly recommended that a single junior high school building be erected. The city of Winona is not so long but that the great majority of the pupils would live within a reasonable distance of a building constructed near the present Junior High School building site. School building authorities set a mile and a half as a reasonable maximum radius for a junior high school dis- trict. Figure i shows that a circle drawn from the corner of W^inona Street and Broadway, with a radius of one and one- half miles includes all but fourteen of the junior high school students in Winona (seventh, eighth, and ninth grade pupils / I L Z_.__. FIGURE 1 Distribution Of Junior H.jh School pupils m Wmo„ z =■ 00 tx o tx o ^ tx . — -t N IX o o\ o IX to ^ tx to fo tx N ? VO o ti »o* - " „ 00 tx ^ o •f ^ _ o N o> o P4 rt- O^ N o CT; 00 Tj- a ^o' o" 4 ^^ - " xn o in tx o vo ^ ■* 1 vo IX M o\ o o\ O 1 s> rx 00 N u~. tx vo tx oc J" IX J" J" ^ O tx 00 ■S- ■* o\ N „ o ^ VO tx [ t^ o O o fO P4 "-• in ro PO o vo N O in o^ o" " «3 "•" rx VO <^ 1 " " 1 00 <0 „ tx •o Tf Tt Cv 1 00 N r-> O N o ! ^ N T 1 ^ -r t^ M ^ t^" 00 o in >o vO to 30 in ^ o. 00 O IX to o !>» M_ to 00 Oi VO IX 00 IX ,„ vO ^n •* o a o> M M to N ro fO ^^ o- o" IX cr - " o> N O „ IX o 00 O 00 IX 00 to oo_ %s '? O -r a -r - 6- c &f. O . ^ •n ^ '3 J2 ,4j .'^' & XI > Xi r" S 'X 50 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON Why is it that Winona has little school debt? Has she spent money but paid off her debts, or has she simply gone along, year after year, spending little or nothing? Table XXII shows the latter to have been the practice. This table shows the expendi- tures for land, new buildings, and equipment in eight Minne- sota cities year by year from 1904 to the present time. A glance at the table shows at once that, except for the erection of the Senior High School in 191 6 and 191 7, Winona has spent prac- tically nothing on school buildings or land in eighteen years. Table XXIII, which summarizes the figures given in Table XXII, brings out the fact that Winona has spent but fifty-six cents per capita of population per year for the purposes men- tioned. Every one of the other seven cities has spent more. Crookston and Mankato have each spent over two dollars per capita per year, or about four times as much as Winona. Com- pared with other cities, Winona has a small amount of debt and has spent little money for buildings for a long tim€. TABLE XXIII Expenditures for Capital Outlay of Winona and Seven Other Comparable Minnesota Cities, 1904-21 City Crookston . . Mankato . . . . Red Wing. . . Faribault . . . Fergus Falls. Owatonna . . Brainerd . . . . Winona ■ Total Ex- penditures for Land, Average per New Buildings, and Capita Expenditures Equipment, 1904-21 per Annum $280,331 $2.33 402,639 201 280,409 1.96 285,853 1.70 180,696 1.60 106,644 •95 108,402 •75 192,950 .56 This table shows that Winona has spent very little for land, new build- ings and equipment when compared with other Minnesota cities. Why has Winona not spent money for schools at somewhere near the rate of other Minnesota cities ? Is it because she is poor and does not have it to spend? Tables XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII. and XXVIII throw light on these questions. Table SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR IV I NONA 51 XXIV, showing the assessed values of real estate and personal property in 14 Mississippi Valley cities and the ratio between this valuation and the true valuation makes it possible to tabulate in the fourth column the real wealth of the various cities. Table XXV gives the ranking of these cities on the basis of real wealth per capita while Table XXVI ranks them on the basis of the amount of wealth behind each child in average daily attendance in school. Winona, with $962 per capita of population, ranks sixth of the fourteen cities. Winona is above the average middle western city in wealth per capita. The amount of money behind each child in school is also high. Winona has $8,423 for each child in average daily attendance which is $1,634 or 24 per cent more than the median or middle city possesses. TABLE XXIV Assessed Valuation, the Ratio of Assessed to Real or True Valuation, AND the Real Valuation of Fourteen Mississippi Valley Cities of About Winona's Population in 1917-18 Assessed True Valua- Value Ratio of tion of Real City in Thousands Assessed to and Personal of Dollars Real Value Property Alton, Illinois $ 4,752 14 $33,942,000 Appleton, Wisconsin . . 20,000 90 22,222,000 Cairo, Illinois 4,203 60 7,005,000 Clinton, Iowa 3,120 25 12,480,000 Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 13,811 67 20,613,000 Freeport, Illinois 5,547 33 16,641,000 Galesburg, Illinois .... 7,535 33 22,605,000 Kankakee, Illinois 4,533 33 13,599,000 Keokuk, Iowa 3,145 23 13,672,000 Logansport, Indiana. . . 10,247 50 20,494,000 Ottumwa, Iowa 5,265 25 21,060.000 Richmond, Indiana.... 17,809 59 35,618,000 Streator, Illinois 3,100 20 15,500,000 Winona, Minnesota... 7,499 40 18,624,000 Basic data, with the exception of those for Winona, from Bonner, H. R., Statistics of City School System, 1917-1S, PP- 468-77. Figures for Winona are from Minnesota State High School Inspector's Report. 1917-18. 52 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON TABLE XXV Real Wealth per Capita of Fourteen Mississippi Valley Cities of About the Same Population as Winona. Data for 1917-18 City Real Wealth per Capita 1. Alton, Illinois $i,374 2. Richmond, Indiana i,33i 3. Appleton, Wisconsin ! 1,136 4. Streator, Illinois 1,048 5. Eau Claire, Wisconsin 986 6. Winona, Minnesota 962 7. Galesburg, Illinois 948 8. Keokuk, Iowa 948 9. Logansport, Indiana 947 10. Ottumwa, Iowa 911 11. Freeport, Illinois 846 12. Kankakee, Illinois ; 811 13. Clinton, Iowa i 516 14. Cairo, Illinois j 461 Winona stands above the middle city in amount of wealth per capita. TABLE XXVI Real Wealth per Child in Average Daily Attendance in Fourteen Mississippi Valley Cities of About the Same Population as Winona. Data for 1917-18 City 1. Alton, Illinois 2. Richmond, Indiana. . . 3. Streator, Illinois 4. Appleton, Wisconsin.. 5. Winona, Minnesota.. 6. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 7. Keokuk, Iowa 8. Galesburg, Illinois.... 9. Freeport, Illinois 10. Logansport, Indiana... 11. Kankakee, Illinois 12. Clinton, Iowa 13. Ottumwa, Iowa 14. Cairo, Illinois Real Wealth per Child in Average Daily Attendance at School $11,708 10,728 9,209 8,828 8,423 8,131 7,131 6,447 6,373 5,994 5,506 5,221 5.107 3,532 Winona stands high in wealth behind each child in attendance at school. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 53 CHART 8 REAL WEALTH PER CHILD IN AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IN WINONA AND THIRTEEN COMPARABLE CITIES Real Wealth Per Child *1 1,708 City Alton. 111. Richmond, Ind. 10,U& 3rr(2a|-or.IlI. 9,209 ApplGton, Wi5. d,dZQ WINONA. MINN. 6.423 Cau Claire. Vyi-5. 6,151 Keokuk. lowd 7,DI Galcsbur^, 111. 6.447 frecporMli. 6,575 Lo^nsporl. Ind. ^,994 Kankakee, 111. 5,506| Clinton, Iowa 5,E2l| Orrumwa. Iowa 5,107 Cairo, III. 3,552 The cities compared in this figure are all in the middle west and have had approximately the same rate of growth as Winona. Compared with these cities, Winona ranks high in wealth per child to be educated. Table XXVII compares Winona with other Minnesota cities. WiiTona ranks fourth in per capita assessed valuation of real estate and personal property. Since the ratio of assessed valua- tion to true valuation is the same throughout the state, it is possible to compare the wealth of these cities by studying the assessed valuations. The per capita assessed valuation in Winona is $461. The middle Minnesota city has $435.50. It is evident that W^inona has more wealth than the average Minnesota city. 54 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON In addition to the above showing of wealth, Winona has about nine million dollars in moneys and credits which is taxed at $3 a thousand all over the state. One third of the money raised by this tax goes to the school district. During the fiscal year, end- ing March 31, 1922, the Winona school district received $9,954.61 from this source. Table XXVIII shows that Winona has a de- cidedly higher per capita valuation of moneys and credits than any of the Minnesota cities with which it seems fair to make comparisons. She has nearly six times the per capita valuation in moneys and credits of the lowest city in this group and more than three times the per capita valuation of the middle city. Bond dealers and others, who ought to know, state it as their opinion that Winona has proportionally more wealth in moneys and credits than other cities of the state, with the possible exception of Duluth. We must conclude, then, that Winona has even more wealth than her neighbors. She has not failed to build schools because she is poor. Due to her large wealth and lack of a build- ing program in past years, her tax rate has consistently been last TABLE XXVII Assessed Valuation of Real Estate and Personal Property and the Assessed Valuation Per Capita in Ten Minnesota Cities Which Have Grown in Population at About the Same Rate as Winona and Are of About the Same Type* City Mankato . . . . Red Wing. . . Owatonna . . Winona .... Moorhead . . Willmar . . . . Fergus Falls . Faribault . . . Crookston . . Brainerd . . . . Assessed Valua- Assessed Valuation tion Real and Per- Real and Personal sonal Property Property per Capita $7,256 229 $582 4,721,852 546 3,551.104 489 9,012,716 461 2,513,070 439 2,548,691 432 2,893,042 381 4,116,420 371 2,507,907 367 3,024,354 31S * Minnesota State High School Inspector's Report, 1921. Compared with Minnesota cities, Winona is above the average in wealth per capita. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 55 or next to last in the group of cities studied. For a long time her people have had a very light tax load on account of their schools. They should not complain of heavy taxes if the rate is considerably increased in the next few years. Table XXIX presents the facts upon which the above assertion is based. TABLE XXVIII Total .a.nd Per Capita Wealth in Moneys and Credits of Winona and Eight Other Comparable Minnesota Cities* Citv Winona . . . . Red Wing . . . Mankato . . . Fergus Falls. Faribault . . . Owatonna Crookston . . Willmar . . . . Brainerd . . . Total Wealth jn Per Capita Wealth Moneys and Credits in Moneys and Credits $8,991,321 $469 69 3,436:870 397.92 1,742,468 13974 1,608,956 21223 1,580,210 14250 995,633 137.29 948,154 138.92 934.617 158.62 748,207 78.01 * Figures fiom State Tax Commission. Winona is far in the lead of other Minnesota cities in both total and per capita amount of moneys and credits. She has over three times as much per capita in moneys and credits as the median of the Minnesota cities listed in this table. TABLE XXIX The Ta.x Levy in Mills for School Purposes by Years* City 1920 1919 1917 1916 1914 191 3 1909 Brainerd Crookston Faribault Fergus Falls Mankato Owatonna Red Wing Winona 31-4 36.1 384 31.6 23.0 510 2675 18.71 27.9 32.3 33-1 30.8 23.0 30.45 19.2 18.07 19.35 27.5 23.0 25.0 14.0 21.8 17.0 13.0 16.73 25.6 19.2 22.3 137 18.2 12.8 15.93 1975 26.80 12.1 14.3 II.O 16.5 lO.O II.O 1771 30.10 12.2 178 lO.O 15.0 II.7 no 18.29 23.0 12.4 21.8 10.5 12.0 8.3 9.0 Median 31-5 292 20.1 17-5 _^3-2 13.6 12.2 ' Minnesota State High School Inspector's Reports. 1909-20. 56 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON SCHOOL AND CITY TAX RATES It has been pointed out in this chapter that Winona ranks high in wealth per inhabitant and in wealth per child enrolled in school. It has also been shown that Winona has the smallest per capita debt of a group of comparable Minnesota cities. It was further shown that during the past eighteen years Winona has made a decidedly smaller expenditure per inhabitant for school purposes and improvements than any other of this group of Minnesota cities. It would be interesting to know whether or not Winona is displaying the same extremely conservative attitude in taxation for municipal purposes which she displays in taxation for school support. Do the schools get their fair share of the money raised by taxation? The answer to this question is found in Table XXX and Chart 9. In Winona the major portion of the money raised by local taxation has been devoted to municipal purposes. Of all the Minnesota cities listed in Table XXX, Winona has the high- est tax rate for city purposes. In tax rate for school purposes. TABLE XXX Relative Municipal and Educational Effort as Expressed in Tax Rate in Mills of Winona and Eight Other Comparable Minnesota Cities, 1921-22 City ! City and i Village Tax Rate in Mills* Winona .... Red Wing... Faribault . . . Crookston . . Mankato . . . . Fergus Falls . Brainerd . . . . Willmar . . . . Owatonna . . 35-34 32.80 3147 29.00 27.10 25-50 23-50 20.19 19.02 Owatonna Brainerd Faribault Willmar . . . . Mankato . . . . Crookston . . Fergus Falls . Winona .... Red Wing. . . School District Tax Rate in Mills 45-33 44.00 39.28 38.49 38.00 34-70 33-30 27.69 24.20 * From figures compiled by State Tax Commission. Of the cities shown, Winona has the largest tax rate for municipal purposes and next to the smallest tax rate for education. Winona and Red Wing are the only cities with a school tax smaller than the municipal tax. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 57 CHART 9 RELATIVE MUNICIPAL AND EDUCATIONAL EFFORT AS EXPRESSED IN TAX RATE IN MILLS, OF WINONA AND EIGHT OTHER COM PARABLE MINNESOTA CITIES. 1021-22 City WINONA Red Wing Faribaulr Crook5ron Mankafc) fergas Talb Brainerd Will mar Owatonna City Owotonna Drainerd laribauir Willmar Mankato Cr9ok5ton fcr^u5 falls WINONA Red Win^ City d Village Tax Rate. Mi lb School District Tax Levy, Milb 4531 In comparison with other cities, Winona underemphasizes taxation for school purposes. Winona ranlcs liighest in tax rate for municipal functions and next to the lowest in tax rate for school purposes. Although all other cities, except one, had a school tax rate from 5.7 to 26.3 mills greater than the municipal tax rate, Winona's school rate was 7.6 mills lower. 58 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON Winona ranks next to the last. With two exceptions, all cities listed in this table have a much higher tax rate for education than for municipal purposes. Winona's tax rate for schools is almost 8 mills lower than her tax rate for city purposes. CAN WINONA FINANCE A $1,150,000 BUILDING PROGRAM? In Chapter III, it was estimated that the approximate cost of the building program recommended for Winona, including the purchase of the necessary land and expenditures for equip- ping the buildings, would be about $1,150,000. How will the bonding of the city for this amount affect the tax rate? Can Winona carry this debt without placing an unduly heavy burden on the taxpayers of the city? Allowing for a reasonable increase in the valuation of taxable property, calculations show that Winona could retire a bond issue of $1,150,000 in thirty years with an average yearly increase of 8 mills over her present school levy. The total tax levy for school purposes in Winona was 28.69 mills for the school year 1921-22,^ A levy of 8 mills added to this would make a total of 36.69 mills. Would this be an unrea- sonable tax levy as compared with other Minnesota towns and cities ? Reports on file in the office of the state superintendent of public instruction show that it would not. In Table XXXI, the total school levies of twenty-eight Minnesota towns and cities are given. If Winona should add to her present total school levy the additional 8 mills required to retire a bond issue of $1,150,000 in thirty years, she would still have a lower levy than any of these twenty-eight cities had during the school year 1921-22. • SUMMARY 1. Compared with nine other comparable Minnesota cities, Winona ranks last in per capita bonded indebtedness for schools. Winona has a per capita debt of only $10.50 whereas the median per capita indebtedness for these cities is $27.65. 2. Compared with seven other Minnesota cities as to per capita yearly expenditures for land, new buildings, and school 1 From report on file in the office of the state superintendent of public instruc- tion. This figure is one mill greater than the levy, quoted above, from the State Tax Commission. TTiis difference is doubtless due to the inclusion of the state one-mill levy in the report to the state superintendent. SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 59 equipment for a period of years, ranging from 1904 to 1921, Winona stands at the foot of the list with only $0.56 per in- habitant per year, whereas the median for these cities is $1.65. 3. In a list of fourteen Mississippi Valley cities of approxi- mately Winona's population and general characteristics, Winona ranks sixth in per capita wealth. In a list of ten Minnesota cities TABLE XXXI Total School Tax Levies in Certain Minnesota Towns and Cities fok THE School Year, 1921-22* City Total School Levy in Mills Grand Forks 94 Montevideo 75 Bemidji 649 Moorhead 57-5 Little Falls 56.6 Lanesboro 55 Mantorville 1 49 8 Park Rapids 1 483 Wabasha 47 7 Tvi'o Harbors ' 46 28 Owatonna 45^3 Alexandria 44-92 Brainerd 44 Breckenridge 42-45 Albert Lea | 42 i Austin 41-93 St. James \ 4^9 Lake City { 41 87 Olivia I 39-9 Faribault 39-3 Morris 39 Willmar 38.5 Northfield 38.4 Pipestone 38.3 Mankato \ 38 St. Cloud I 37-1 Stillwater I 368 WIncna (Present levy and proposed additional 8-mill levy | for bonds) i 36-69 * From reports on file in the office of the state superintendent of public instruc- tion. 6o MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSOK which have grown in population at ahiiost the same rate as Winona, she ranks fourth in per capita wealth. 4. In the list of fourteen Mississippi Valley cities, referred to above, Winona ranks fifth in wealth per pupil in average daily attendance. Winona, therefore, ranks high as to the amount of wealth behind each child attending school. 5. Winona could retire a bond issue for school buildings, amounting to $1,150,000 in thirty years with an addition of 8 mills to her present school levy. APPENDIX A SCORE CARD FOR CITY SCHOOL BUILDINGS' SCORE OF BUILDING I. Site A. Location 1. Accessibility . . . . 2. Environment . . . B. Drainage 1. Elevation 2. Nature of soiL C. Size and Form. II. Building Placement 1. Orientation 2. Position on site. . . . Gros3 Structure I- Type 2. Material 3. Height 4. Roof 5. Foundations .... 6. Walls 7. Entrances . . . . t . . 8. Aesthetic balance. 9. Condition C. Internal Structure. 1. Stairwaj's .... 2. Corridors .... 3. Basement 4. Color scheme . . 5. Attic 25 30 20 10 40 15 10 35 20 15 5 5 5 10 5 5 5 5 10 5 10 125 55 30 40 i6s 25 60 80 iBy Strayer and Engelhardt. Published by the Bureau of Publication. Teachers College, Columbia University. 62 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON SCORE CARD FOR CITY SCHOOL BUILDINGS— Conimw^rf III. Service System A. Heating and Ventilation.... 1. Kind 2. Installation 3. Air supply 4. Fans and motors 5. Distribution 6. Temperature control 7. Special provisions R. Fire Protection System 1. Apparatus 2. Fireproofness 3. Escapes 4. Electric w^iring 5. Fire doors and partitions 6. Exit lights and signs . . . . C. Cleaning Systems 1. Kind 2. Installation 3. Efficiency D. Artificial Lighting System . . 1. Gas and electricity 2. Outlets and adjustment.. 3. Illumination 4. Method and fixtures E. Electric Service System 1. Clock 2. Bell 3. Telephone F. Water Supply System 1. Drinking 2. Washing 3. Bathing 4. Hot and cold 70 10 10 15 10 10 10 5 65 10 15 20 5 10 5 20 5 5 10 20 5 5 5 5 IS 5 . . 5 5 30 10 10 5 5 280 SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR WINONA 63 SCORE CARD FOR CITY SCHOOL BUILDINGS— CoH/in«^d (j. Toilet System 1. Distribution 2. Fixtures 3. Adequacy and arrangement. 4. Seclusion 5. Sanitation H. Mechanical Service System. 1. Elevator 2. Book-lifts 3. Waste-chutes IV. Classrooms A. Location and Connection. li. Construction and Finish. 1. Size 2. Shape 3. Floors 4. Walls 5. Doors 6. Closets 7. Blackboards 8. Bulletin board. 9. Color scheme. . C. Illumination 1. Glass area. 2. Windows , 3. Shades . . . D. Cloakrooms and Wardrobes. Equipment 1. Seats and desks. . 2. Teacher's desk. . . 3. Other equipment. I 2 3 50 10 10 10 5 15 1 ID 5 2 3 290 35 35 95 25 15 J" ID 10 5 5 10 5 10 85 45 30 10 25 25 50 35 10 .S 64 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON SCORE CARD FOR CITY SCHOOL BUILDINGS— Conhnwed V. Special Rooms A. Large Rooms for General Use. 1 . Playroom 2. Auditorium 3. Study hall 4. Library 5. Gymnasium 6. Swimming pool 7. Lunch room B. Rooms for School Officials 1. Officers 2. Teachers' room 3. Nurse's room 4. Janitor's room C. Other Special Service Rooms . . , 1. Laboratories 2. Lecture rooms 3. Storerooms 4. Studios , Totals 10 15 5 10 10 ID ID 10 5 20 10 5 5 1,000 3 140 65 35 40 1,000 1,000 APPENDIX B ADVANTAGES OF A CExNTRAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL It has been recommended in the body of the survey that all seventh grade pupils of Winona be accommodated in the pro- posed new junior high school building. Whenever pupils from individual elementary schools are transferred to a central build- ing, there is always complaint on the part of some of the patrons because of the fact that the pupils are taken away from the com- munity school building and are forced to walk greater distances. The elementary school principals also frequently complain be- cause their more advanced pupils are taken away. Since these criticisms are likely to arise in case all the seventh grade pupils in Winona are accommodated in a single junior higli school building, it is desired to set forth in this appendix some of the chief reasons why such a procedure would be desirable educa- tionally. In the first place, the seventh grade pupils would receive much better educational advantages if they went to a single central junior high school than they would in individual elementary school buildings. This is true because of the fact that it would be possible to have, in a large junior high school, departmental teachers, each teaching one or at most not more than two special subjects. Such teachers, who would be specialists, could do much better teaching than the general grade teacher who would have to teach these pupils in the individual elementary school buildings. The instruction which the seventh grade pupils would receive at the single central junior high school would also be better because better equipment could be provided, more kinds of laboratory room would be available, and a larger library could be provided for their use. In the second place, it would be very much less expensive for the district to place all the seventh grade pupils in a single junior high school building because the elementary schools could then be built without manual training rooms, domestic science rooms, and the other special rooms which would be needed for seventh grade instructional purposes. It would be less expensive because the seventh grade pupils could he more economically classified 66 MERVIN G. NEALE AND SIGURD B. SEVERSON if they were grouped in one building. For example, suppose there were four seventh grade classes in as many elementary school buildings. Suppose these classes had enrollments of i8, 26, 19, and 25, respectively. During each recitation period, it would take the time of four teachers to instruct these pupils in the four elementary schools. If they were attending a single central junior high school, they could be instructed in three classes, which would be a saving in the time of one teacher. In the third place, the central junior high school would be advantageous for the seventh grade pupils because it has been found that the seventh grade marks the beginning of the adoles- cent period for a very large number of boys and girls. Conse- quently, this is the grade with which junior high school instruc- tion should begin. It is therefore very strongly recommended that the seventh grade pupils be sent to the central junior high school. LIBRARY OF CON^Sl Bl^l S914