Date of Award:

5-1954

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Department name when degree awarded

Education

Committee Chair(s)

Keith R. Oakes

Committee

Keith R. Oakes

Committee

Caseel D. Burke

Committee

J. C. Carlisle

Committee

J. N. Eastmond

Committee

Arden N. Frandsen

Abstract

One of the great problems facing the public schools of America today is that of providing adequate school facilities. The immediate need for new buildings is overwhelming. Contributing factors to the need for expanded school plant facilities can be classified, both as a result of a backlog of school building needs over a period of several decades, and because of greatly increased enrollments. A publication of the United States Office of Education summarized a discussion of these factors as follows:

The public schools entered the 1950 decade with a backlog of need for more than 250,000 classrooms and faced anticipated enrollment increases of nearly 7 million pupils during the decade." (28, p. 16)

The cost of needed new school plant facilities has been estimated, by one study group, at $14 billion for the decade ending 1960 (11, p. 11). An estimate published in the New York Times (January 16, 1952) called for $20 billion by 1958. (4, p. 501-footnote) The most usual estimates range from $11 billion to $14 billion. In 1950 Dr. Ray L. Hamon, Chief, School Housing Section, U. S. Office of Education, wrote:

In 1948, 31 states reported to the U. S. Office of Education their public elementary and secondary school building needs for a six year period. Those estimates when projected on a population basis for the nation amounted to more than $9 billion . . . Recently revised forecasts indicate than enrollment will be considerably higher than those on which the above estimates were based. The writer believes therefore that his current estimate of $13.5 billion for public elementary and secondary school plant needs for the next decade is not excessive. Unless building costs come down materially, it is more likely that this estimate is too conservative. (16, p. 58)

A letter written by John H. Bosshart states:

This new construction is essential in order to take care of the increase in enrollments, to provide new buildings where schools are being consolidated, to house children now attending school in churches and vacant stores, and to replace buildings that have become obsolete and unsafe. (12, p. VI)

In Utah, as elsewhere, the task of providing adequate school housing for increased enrollments is expensive and complicated. A publication of the Utah State Department of Public Instruction lists some interesting facts concerning enrollments. For the school year of 1936-37 there were a total of 139,500 students in all grades from one through twelve. For the 1952-53 school year this figure grew to 164,490 and the predicted enrollment for 1960-61 is set at 230,807. This indicates an increase from 1952-53 to 1960-61 of 66,317 students, or a 40.3% increase over an eight year span. This increase is reflected throughout all the grades. (27, p. 6)

This same publication interprets the influence of this increase in enrollments on school building needs as follows:

The estimated increase in the school enrollments point out the need for additional future school buildings. Or in other words, 2,395 additional teachers need 2,395 additional classrooms together with necessary auxiliary facilities and equipment. A high percentage of the population growth is found in the school districts that have already been confronted with building problems. This means that hard pressed school districts and higher institutions will face even greater problems in the future. (27, p. 9)

In 1948 an extensive study was made by the State Department of Public Instruction to determine future school housing needs in the state of Utah and in each of the districts. It was determined then that by the 1956-57 school year, the cost of needed additional facilities, remodeling, and modernization and replacement of obsolete and unsafe buildings would exceed $81 million. It is interesting to note also that every district in the state had need for better and/or increased school facilities. (16, p. 44)

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