Minutes 02/11/1947 - Laserfiche WebLink

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there~were p~esent: At a regula~ 'mee~-ng of the ~zty Council, held February lith, 1947, A~thu~ P. Henderson, James N.Howa~d~ Fr~a~k D. ~aw~ence, E. Robie Sturtevant, O.E. Wa~ren~ H. Earl Weiseman, Pea~!e J. ~ilson, A~th~ S. ~wens, City ~!anager and R. Co .Barclay, City AttoEaey. Vice President Pea~le J. ~ilsoni~ the Chair. Reading o~ ~Linutes was de£e~red ~&util next mae~i~g. Notion of E~. Henderson to g~aut the p~ivilege of the floor to a dele- gation from Marshall Wa~d was adopted. ~. E.-E. Bennett, Jr.presented ~he following: ~A STATEMENT CONCEPd~ING ~E CO~ITTEE FOR BETTER SCHOOLS To the ~iayo~ of Portsmouth and the ~iembers of the City Cou~ucil of Portsmouth - Gentlemen: Any thinking pe~son must be very cQiaseious of tl~e fact that, general ly speaking, the physical condi~tion of the public sc~ools in Portsmouth is not good. Ample evidence.~can be presented to substantiate this th!ntiing. ~ CO~ITTEE FOR ~-TTER SCHOOLS - organized for exactly what its name implies,is composed of men ~nd women v~o ~ve not satisfied vrlth the conditions existing in many of the schools in Portsmouth,. We are very much inter- ested in helping to b~ing about 'improvements as soon a s _~osslble. 0~ announced ai~ i s three-fold: (1) V~e want modern schools. (2) ~¥e we_ut the best teaching methods used. (~) ~e want maintained an adequate and well-paid staff of ~eachers. ~e do not thir~k this ~im is impossible. ~¥e thi~ it is practical tt is inspired by cormnon sense auda keenr ecognition of o~ personal responsi bility ~ud that of the c~n~nity to our youth. To achieve t~is aim - we have pledged o~selvesto work unceasingly. ~e feel t~hat Po~t~outh s school problem is a conmrauity p~oblem - that it affects all p~opie in all sections of the City - that any satisfactory solution ~nust be sought on a eo-~unity Basis. At this time, the COMMITTEE FOR EETT~E SCHOOLS is not city-wide. We s~e do'~4~g all we can to broaden its stz~aC- ttLve until it does represent ~ll sections of the City. Judg'.ltg f~om the response we have had duI~ng the last week the- CO~ITTEE will sooz~ be completely r epresen- tative of Portsmouth. ~e a~e fully conscious of the School Boa~d's responsibility and of the responsibility of the City Council. ~ut we believe the people, likewise, have an equa-l~y cle~ out responsibility in t he matter of acquiring and maintaining good schools. It is o~-~ p~a~pose to a~ouse a widempread public recognition this th~ee-~old responsibi.ity It is otkv purpose to wO~k for better schools in Portsmouth. To this end we have the mos t e~nest desire to wo~k with both the School Board.and with the C.i~ty Co-~ucil - in the most helpful mar.~er. ~Ve want to co-operate w~_th ~he School Ooard and the Council in seeking a completely sat'isfac- toz~j solution to our probl~n. In conden~uing the kind of school buildings we have in Portsmouth we feel we would be unfair if we did not, at the same time, pass on to those are responsible for the piano, lng and the building of schools our ~ecommendations concerning the kind ~f schools we want. We feel the people have that right. To do this intelligently the COD~ITTEE Will make its ovrn survey of Portsmouth s~hools as they a~e today. And we will contact those, in other sections of the who are experts in school plarnaing and in fully satisfying the needs of modern education. ~¥e will deal with facts. ~J~ fi_udings in bo~ respects wilt be made available to the School Board and to the Council. ~'e feel such an effor~ on our part will be helpful to both bodies. We are conscious that the mode~ school buildings we need in Portsmouth today will cost mone~ -- a g~eat desl o~ money. ~¥e _tniew this will mean increased ta~xation. Because we feel that an adequate levying of additional taxes or o~ new taxes must be met with a high degree of acceptance on the pa~t of the people of Portsmouth, it is our purpose to study tax possibilities. ~e feel such activity will bring about ~n enlightened public in ~espect to the tax problem faced - if we are t6 have good schools -- a problem the solutionof which is, we are fully conscious, the very specific responsibility of Council. If the Council desires, we will gladly make available the results of this study of tax possibilities. ~Je publicly state that we have no political affiliation and that we ha~e no intention of ~dealing in personalities in our e2£orts to get better schools for Portsmouth. (Attached to this statement is the Plan of Action - adopted by the COM~ITT~ FOR ~ETTEti SCHOOLS- ~f~ich explains qui~e clea~ly the o~gauization which is bei~ s~t up within the City of Portsmouth~ Mauriee E. Bennett, Jr."