WILTON • BULI4JET PUBLISHED FORTNIGHTLY AT WILTON, CONNECTICUT, BY THE WILTON ASSOCIATION Editor: G . Evans Hubbard "To Promote the Best Interests of Wilton" P . 0 . Box 374, Wilton, Conn . Subscription $1 per year EDITORIAL V ol . I , N o . 5 MARCH 1, 1937 HIGH SCHOOL The very interesting address of Dr . Paul Collier of the State board of Education on the subject of High School education in the {own of Wilton has provided much food for thought . At present, of course, Wilton farms out its ninth to twelfth grade students in the High Schools of Danbury, New Canaan, Ridgefield and Westport . 1 he expense for tuition is nearly seventeen thousand dollars a year or about $ I 30 per pupil, plus transportation . The disadvantages of this system are obvious . I . The control of these High Schools is entirely in the hands of outside Boards of Education who necessarily fit the curriculum to their own children, not to the needs of Wilton students . 2 . Our students lack the social and recreational advantages which a High School should offer . They are unable to remain after school hours or to return in the evening for the dramatic, musical, athletic and social events which are so im - portant a part of modern education . 3 . We can never be certain how long a student can remain in an outside school . They are primarily for their own towns so that in case of congestion it is our pupils who must be moved . This necessarily pro - duces a break in their education . It happened when Norwalk excluded Wilton pupils . 4 . Most important is the fact that outside education does not make good Wiltonians . Our young people who finish their education at Westport almost inevitably make their friends there, they go to parties in Westport, do much of their shopping there and feel like West - porters . In fact many parents who drive to West - port to take their children to social affairs in connec - tion with their schools get into the habit of doing their shopping there also . The same is true of those who go to New Canaan, Danbury or Ridgefield . Should Wilton build its own High School? Or, perhaps the question should be, "When can Wilton afford a High School)" The High School Survey Committee will not report to the Town till the April meeting . In the meantime there are certain figures which we should study and check . Our "High School population" does not include merely those who now attend High School . At present these are from the ninth to twelfth grades only . To these should be added our present seventh and eighth grades, for any sensible educational set - up contemplates only the first six grades remaining in elementary schools, the second six grades in Junior and Senior High Schools . (In this discussion, both High Schools will be considered together . ) There must also be added the children of neighbor - ing towns who also farm out their high schooling and who might he induced to send some of their (+had, . 11 . W1111111 . EIS Rraeling laC1Ctil now . 11 . 1114 • "iipa • • '••• . 3r, & ••• • .. •, 0 m . School, sixty at Center School in the seventh and eighth grades and 40 at Gilbert & Bennett School, a total of 220 . Weston has 65 children of High School age and Redding 90, or a grand total of 375 . We know that an efficient High School can be run with 400 students . This is the basis for the suggestion of a regional High School run by the three towns . It has been suggested that it might be placed on the ample acreage of the Gilbert Farm at Redding . This property, however, belongs to the State College at Storrs which does not seem im - pressed with the idea of surrendering it to the State Board of Education . Besides, does it seem wise for Wilton to pay 60V0 of the cost of erecting or operat - ing a school in another Town? If it can be shown that Wilton should be able to support a High School of its own within a reasonable time, there seems to be no basis for an outside investment . This brings us back to our original question, "When can Wilton afford a High School?" There is evidence to support the contention that Wilton should be able to have a High School of its own within five years, or by 1942 . The factors to be considered must be: 1 . The probable growth in High School population . 2 . The capacity limit of the present elementary schools . 3 . The rate of increase in the Grand List . 4 . Town debt 5 . Budget of a High School . The cost of a High School may be roughly esti - mated as follows, in rough figures: $ 6,000 $2 4, ,: T $ We now pay about $130 per student to outside High Schools . 300 students would thus cost $39,000, and the above estimate shows a saving of $6,000 . Local transportation should also be cheaper than haulage to Westport, Danbury, etc; how much cheaper, it is hard to say . If Weston or Redding would assure us 80 students in addition to our 220, we might say we could start at once . But we must consider that out - of - town arrangements are subject to the competition of other towns . Besides . we can still accommodate our seventh and eighth grades in the elementary schools . How long will that condition prevail ? _Georgetown has a school of six rooms and audi - torium, seven teachers and eight grades . It ^is not an ideal situation, for two of the grades must either double up or meet in the auditorium . _The fluctuation (continued on ;ant page) maw