These twelve schools, I am informed, are the most congested of any group of twelve schools in New York City. There are only 25,331 sittings in these schools and 35,580 children were registered December 31, 1914,—10,249 more than sittings. The registration is 140 per cent of the sittings. But 2500 of the present sittings, representing 50 classrooms, are unsatisfactory. There are 779 classes in the schools and only 480 satisfactory classrooms. The classes are 162 per cent of the satisfactory classrooms.

Two new schools are under construction, and a leased school-building of fifteen classrooms is nearing completion. These three buildings will provide accommodations for 4500 children and 103 additional classes. When these three buildings are completed, there will be 583 satisfactory classrooms for 779 classes. The registration of the twelve schools increased 4000 pupils from December 31, 1913, to December 31, 1914. At the present rate of increase the new buildings will not take care of the increase in school attendance during the construction of the said buildings. Four new buildings in addition to those under construction are needed now to give each child attending the schools a satisfactory school seat. Because of financial limitations the Board of Education is asking for only six new elementary-school buildings for the entire city, and two of the six, to cost approximately $1,000,000, are proposed for the relief of the twelve schools named. If the two additional schools requested, together with the three under construction, could be made ready for use to-morrow, there would still be 4000 children without satisfactory seats and no provision for normal growth in the immediate future.

I herewith submit a plan for the reorganization of the twelve schools named, so that 1022 classes may be satisfactorily accommodated in place of the 583 now provided for.

Under the New Organization unsatisfactory annexes are vacated, and unsatisfactory classrooms are used for auditorium, playrooms, laboratories, and workshops. In place of the 779 classes and 35,580 children now in the schools, room will be secured for 242 additional classes and a total registration of 46,000 children. A future increase in school registration of approximately 10,000 children will thus be provided for.

To accomplish this reorganization, rather extensive annexes are necessary at four schools, costing approximately $475,000. The remaining eight schools need only slight structural changes and additional equipment, costing approximately $44,500. Additional land should be purchased for four of the schools, costing approximately $225,000 [a total of $744,500 for twelve schools, as against $1,000,000 for two new plants on the old plan].

The cost of the four annexes, the remodeling, the equipment, and the additional land will be much less than the cost for buildings, equipment, and sites for the proposed two new schools. If the proposed two-new-schools plan is followed, a total satisfactory capacity on a five-hour single-school system for 671 classes will be secured, which is 108 classes short of the present enrollment. If the reorganization at less cost than the two-new-schools plan is followed, satisfactory accommodations in a longer school day will be secured for 1022 classes, which is 243 classes more than are now enrolled,—a difference of 351 classes and 16,000 children.

The true economy of the New Organization is to be found in the greater educational facilities provided for all of the children, rather than in the great capacity of the plants secured under the new plan.

The upper grades, 511 classes, will have a daily school program of the following type: 80 minutes in classroom for academic work; 40 minutes in gymnasium or play-yard or grounds for physical training and play; 40 minutes for general exercises in the auditorium; 60 minutes for luncheon; 140 minutes in classroom for academic work; and 80 minutes for drawing-rooms, science laboratories, or manual-training and workshops. The lower grades, 511 classes, will have a program of the following type: same as for upper grades, except that the last period of 80 minutes will be given to play, excursions, library, church instruction, or at home. As a rule the children will have 380 minutes in school in addition to the luncheon hour, in place of the 300 minutes provided in the regular full-time school. Such a study-work-and-play school removes the children very largely from the demoralizing life of the street, and gives ample time for academic, physical, and prevocational training.

Under the old regular full-time organization, only manual-training and cooking-rooms are provided, and for seventh and eighth grades alone. Science laboratories for individual work, and drawing studios with special equipment, are not provided at all.

Under the New Organization, manual-training, cooking and sewing-shops, drawing-studios with special equipment, and science laboratories for individual work by students are provided for all the above grades. Besides, there will be sixty-three additional prevocational workshops with special equipment and teachers distributed advantageously in the twelve schools. Also there will be provided gardens, better auditoriums and music-rooms, better classrooms, gymnasiums and playgrounds.

Description of Schools

Public School 28 has fifty-eight regular classes in forty-five regular classrooms, with one wood-working shop and one cooking-room. The ground floor play-yard and fine basement playroom provide ample play space for nine classes at one time. There is a large gymnasium on the top floor that is not desirable for play, and should be used for drawing-rooms. The auditorium on the fourth floor should be made into six regular classrooms by installing permanent partitions for the sliding partitions. The wall partitions should be removed from the four combination auditorium and classrooms on the second floor, and the auditorium thus secured should be seated for a permanent auditorium. Since four classrooms are thus used for the auditorium, there will be left only forty-one regular classrooms. Thirty-six of these should be used for regular class work. Two of the five remaining classrooms should be used for science laboratories, one for a music studio, and two for workshops. These five special rooms, with the manual-training shop and cooking-room and drawing-studios, will provide facilities for nine classes in science, drawing, music, manual-training or shopwork, at one time. Seventy-two regular classes may be accommodated in this school with thirty-six classes in thirty-six classrooms, nine in the auditorium, nine at play, nine in special work, and nine primary classes with an extra period for play, religious instruction in churches, excursions, library work, etc.

With a full register of classes, seventy-six teachers should be employed. Fifty-six teachers should teach the history, geography, arithmetic, language, and reading, and manage the auditorium. Two teachers should have charge of the music, four of the play and physical training, one of the library, two of the drawing, two of the science laboratories, and nine of the manual training, domestic science and art, and the shopwork.

There are thirteen regular classes in the eight-room frame annex, which must be used for class purposes in order to enable the city to hold the property. A special program can be arranged for this annex, to accommodate twelve classes.

Public School 28 and the annex can therefore accommodate eighty-four classes, a gain of thirteen classes over the present enrollment, and thirty-one classes more than the normal capacity of fifty-three classes in a single-school system.

The only expense will be the placing of permanent partitions in the auditorium classrooms, and the equipment of the auditorium, laboratories, studios and shops,—approximately $10,000.

Public School 5 has twenty-seven classes in nineteen regular classrooms, a good auditorium and two portable schools. Four classes are now using the auditorium as classrooms, with only curtains for partitions. There is play space in the basement play-yard for six classes to play at once.

By removing the portable schools a satisfactory outdoor playground can be secured. The basement has a fine shoproom, large enough to accommodate two small shops. In these shops and the nineteen classrooms, with the auditorium and play facilities, thirty-two classes may be accommodated by using sixteen of the most desirable rooms for classrooms. This is five classes more than are now in the school, and thirteen more than the capacity of the main building on a five-hour single-school system.

The cost of moving the portables should be charged to the school to which they are moved. The cost for equipment and remodeling should be approximately $5,000.

Public School 32 has sixty classes in thirty-eight classrooms, with one workshop and one cooking-room. Five classrooms and one cooking-room are now in a gymnasium with only curtains for partitions. Three classrooms are unsatisfactory basement rooms, one is an unsatisfactory attic room, and twelve classrooms are combination auditorium and classrooms.

By placing permanent partitions in the combination auditoriums, twenty-nine satisfactory classrooms and five shoprooms may be secured. The gymnasium and play-yard are ample for a large school. The building is close to Bronx Park for large outdoor play-yard and for gardens. The present site can be enlarged without great cost. I believe that it is desirable to make Public School 32 a seventy-two-room school, which will enable it to accommodate twelve more classes than are now in the school.

An annex should be built containing swimming-pool, auditorium, five shops, and seven classrooms, costing approximately $100,000.