KinSource - Tale of the Week - Such Sweet Sorrow

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The Minneapolis Journal, January 5, 1891, p. 8

SUCH SWEET SORROW

Parting of the Members of the Board of Education.

The board of education held its last meeting on Saturday afternoon. Under a resolution presented by Director Hale, the Bohanon school lot was turned over to the park board. The lot lies at the intersection of 4th av N and the Cedar Lake road.

Supt. of Buildings Pardee reported the completion of the first floor of the new Holmes school excepting heating appliances. A tabular statement of the floor space in the various school buildings to facilitate the care of the buildings is being prepared.

The business being completed the outgoing members indulged in a little speechmaking, Maj. W. D. Hale leading off. He expressed his regret at the parting, and wished that during his term of office he might have voted for free text books. He regretted the financed of the board compelled him voting against a South Minneapolis high school. In the way of a little statistics for his term of office, the major gave the following:

In 1884 the number of schools was 25, now it is 49; the number of teachers in 1884, 220, now it is 509; number of pupils enrolled in 1884, 11,730, in 1890, 20,592; disbursements in 1884, $280,000, in 1890, $558,000; High school graduates in 1884, 12, in 1890, 105.

He believed, too, that for the money placed in the hands of the board of education, the people had gotten more real returns than from any other department of city government. He complimented Supt. Pardee on the good condition of the buildings, and said, in closing:

"I wish, also, to express my high appreciation of the excellent condition of the schools under the superintendence of Dr. Bradley, and the admirable corps of teachers, who are now devoting their efforts to this work with such earnest zeal and such unexampled success."

President A. C. Austin spoke of the development during his 13 years of service. The buildings had increased from 10 to 49, and the annual expenditure from $8,000 to over $250,000.

Rev. M. F. Gjertsen responded for the members who retain their seats, and the board adjourned. The first meeting of the new board will be held this evening at 7:30.