The Hood River Glacier, Hood River, OR., February 1, 1906, page 1
WANT A VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Enthusiastic Meeting For It
Project Met With Unanimous Favor and Committees Were Appointed to Agitate
the Matter
With the enthusiasm characteristic of the valley for
progress and enterprise, the meeting held at Artisans' Hall Saturday for
the purpose of considering the proposition of building a high school for
the city and valley was an unqualified success.
Delegations including members of the high school boards
of Crapper, Odell, Barrett, Frankton, Pine Grove and this city were present
and among all there was no dissenting voice. While some of the gentlemen
present differed as to the mode of procedure to secure the desired results,
all were in favor of the project and gave voice to their sentiments.
J.W. Ackerman, State Superintendent of Schools, and County
Superintendent of Schools Neff were both present to present their views in
favor of the school and to demonstrate what a great benefit it would be to
the community of Hood River valley. Professor Wiley of the Hood River schools,
C.D. Thompson of the Barrett schools and G.W. Brown of the Frankton schools
were also present and spoke for the proposition, though the building of the
school may mean that they would be forced to go elsewhere to seek a livelihood
at their vocation. Such a spirit of self sacrifice at this cannot fail to
bring results, and it is thought that many who came to the meeting with the
idea of opposing the high school plan or at best only lukewarm in their attitude
where won to its support by the position taken by these gentlemen and also
that of A.I. Mason, Roswell Shelley, M.R. Noble and others who have taken
no little pride in the local schools in their districts and have nurtured
and watch them grow with the care they would a pet orchard.
At the conclusion of the meeting, however, all this feeling
was eradicated and a unanimous sentiment prevailed that the school must be
built.
The meeting was called to order by F.C. Sherrieb, who
was chosen chairman, and C.H. Vaughan as secretary. Mr. Sherrieb briefly
stated the nature of the meeting and called upon Prof. Wiley to outline its
purpose. Prof. Wiley did so in a clear and succinct way and told of two plans
that could be used in obtaining the school. The first and the better plan
he thought was to consolidate all the school districts in the valley in one
district with a superintendent and a proper staff of officers and teachers
under him, thereby establishing a thorough system of instruction that could
be obtained in no other way. To do this would require a petition from the
taxpayers of a district to the county court asking for consolidation and
a vote on the question at the June election. The petition would require the
signatures of five taxpayers from districts of the third class and 50 from
the second class. District's which have and enumeration of less than 200
are rated in the third class, and over that in the second class until an
enumeration of 100 is reached when the district becomes one of the first
class. Pupils entering the high school would be taken from the eighth grade
of the primary schools and complete the rest of the course in the former,
which would consist of four more grades. If the outlying districts in the
valley felt that they did not want to give up control of their schools to
one centralized body the other plan was to establish a union high school
to which the various districts would contribute their pro rata share of the
school tax for maintenance. This, however, would require an act of the
legislature. He also said that if the movement for county division was successful
a county school could be erected which would be maintained at the expense
of the county.
Mr. Sherrieb then asked Superintendent Ackerman to speak
on the subject which the gentlemen did most intelligently, answering objections
and putting to rest many of the fears of the greater expense and also what
was considered the most objectionable feature of the matter -- transportation
of pupils.
He said that a building such as was thought would be
adequate for the needs of Hood River valley could be built for $40,000, and
cited as a case, Klamath Falls, where such a structure had recently been
erected. He showed how the difficulties of transportation had been overcome
at Newberg and Prineville, where the system had been inaugurated and demonstrated
that its a cost would be less than two mills. His talk was both business
like and enthusiastic and his answers to objections to the point and
satisfactory. To a question by Mr. States in connection with the new school
and the proposed new county, he said that if the taxpayers would vote to
establish the school he would vote for Cascade County, a statement which
was greeted with much applause.
At the conclusion of Mr. Ackerman's remarks, Mr. Mason
said that he had come to the meeting with a great deal of pride in his heart
for the little school at Pine Grove, but that it had been dissipated and
he felt that the larger school should be built, and in reply to a statement
of Mr. Ackerman said that Hood River would get a little the worst of the
deal in the matter of taxes he took exception and said that if it did it
would be made up in another direction. However, he said that he was in favor
of consolidation of the districts instead of the union high school plan.
Mr. Neff followed Mr. Mason, and in order to show just
what the enumeration and evaluation of the school districts were produced
the following figures:
Enumeration |
Valuation |
||
| No. 2 | Frankton | 214 | $125,315 |
| No. 4 | Barrett | 207 | 103,770 |
| No. 5 | Odell | 112 | 87,715 |
| No. 7 | Pine Grove | 142 | 100,480 |
| No. 61 | Crapper | 56 | 88,745 |
| ----------- | ---------- | ||
| Total | 731 | $506,025 | |
| No. 3 | Hood River | 660 | 533,315 |
It will be seen it from the above figures that Mr. Ackerman's
statement was correct. Mr. Neff also gave some other interesting information
on the subject which corrected several statements that had been made and
set the ball rolling in the right direction.
Mr. Shelley of Odell spoke in the same vein as did Mr.
Mason in regard to the pride of the Odellites in their local school, but
said that as a representative of his district he would say that he had no
furthew objections to make.
Mr. Noble of Frankton said that something would have
to be done to relieve the congested condition of the school in his district
soon, and while the residents of the district were very proud of their school
he thought that the plan as outlined was a good remedy and ought to receive
the consideration of those present.
At this juncture E.L. Smith who had remained a quiet
listener in the meeting, was asked by the Rev. Mr. Hershner to express himself
on the matter, and he did so with so much eloquence and enthusiasm that at
the conclusion of his talk it was very evident from the animated expression
of his listeners' faces that there were no more opponents of the high school
question in the room.
Other gentlemen then spoke on the matter, among whom
were A.C. Staten, Lee Morse, C.D. Thompson, Mr. Brown, Mayor Blowers, and
last, but not least, Chairman Sherrieb, who made the most convincing argument
for the school that was made at the meeting.
A motion was then made by Mr. Stanton and seconded that
it was the sense of the meeting that it was in favor of consolidating the
valley in one district and was carried.
Mr. Mason then made a motion which was seconded by Mr.
Staten that a committee of two be appointed from the districts of the lower
valley, including Odell, Frankton, Barrett, Crapper and Pine Grove, and the
city of Hood River to hold meetings in the different districts and present
the question to the residents. The motion was unanimously carried and a second
motion was made selecting Messrs. Neff, Wiley and Thompson as a committee
to appoint the committees.
There was some talk about delaying the appointment of
the committees, but Mr. Shelley and Mr. Mason both argued that it be done
while there was such a good representation of the school districts present
and their suggestion prevailed.
The meeting then adjourned until 2 o'clock when the committee
met and selected the following gentlemen to look after the district meetings:
Odell - H.S. Galligan, W.L. Carus; meeting February 1st.
Pine Grove - J.O. Marks, A.I. Mason; meeting February 7.
Barrett - F.C. Sherrieb, J.H. Shoemaker; meeting February 9.
Crapper -- J.A. McCurdy, E.E. Lyon; meeting February 13.
Frankton - M.R. Noble, A.C. Staten; meeting February 16.
Hood River -- T. Butler, P.S. Davidson; meeting February 24.
Delegations from Mount Hood, Dukes Valley and Willow
Flat were also present and took a great deal of interest in the meeting,
and if the establishment of the school is brought to a successful issue these
points can, at any time, obtain admission to the high school district by
petition, by simply changing the boundary line of their school district as
provided by law.
The last meeting which will be held here on Saturday,
the 24th of February, will be a mass meeting at which all the committees
from the other districts will report and at which it is the intention to
have Mr. Ackerman, Prof. Campbell and other well known authorities in educational
matters address the meeting.
[HOME]
© Jeffrey L. Elmer