Introduction: The following school board resolution details the poor conditions of the school facilities in Yelm in 1946.
Yelm School District
September 11, 1946
Resolution:
We the school board of Yelm Reorganized School Dist#400, on this 11th day of September 1946, offer the following information to supplement Form B-5, relative to the urgency of a new grade unit to the State Department of Education and to the State Development Board.
(a). Our present grade school unit is to crowded as indicated by the placing of fifty students in each room, for grades 4-5-6. The teacher load is recognized as not over 32 students.
(b). We have one second grade class meeting in the furnace room at the present time. The lighting facilities, windows, and ventilation system is very poor.
(c). We have a first grade room meeting in an old portable building in back of the main grade building, which is difficult to heat and not suitable for a classroom use. (This building would be moved to the present site of the garage and used to house a new 60 passenger school bus).
(d). The present lavatories in the present grade unit have been rated by the State Health Department as inadequate for this size school and very poor.
(e). There is no room or space at present for a health unit, for the school nurse. The new grade unit would provide for both grade and high school use. Children getting sick during the day need to have a comfortable place to lie down. The small room now used as a lunchroom would be converted into a cloak room and supply room for the high school.
(f) There is no regular library in the grade unit at the present time. What books we have there are placed in the rear of an over crowded class room Where this library is not be used by 450 students to much confusion is created if regular use of the library is attempted.
(g) The remedial room that was located in the high school has been discontinued due to the increased enrollment in the high school, and the demand of the high school for another room. Students needing special help are nor placed into an over-crowded room, with no chance for special help from the teacher.
(h). Our lunchroom last year served 75851 lunches to school children. The average per day was 400 students, and the greatest number served at one time was 550. There children come mostly on the busses and need hot lunches. They are served in the small lunch room in the high school that has accommodations for about 50 students at a time. Our district is large and is a farming community, we have 8 large busses that traveled 60,000 miles last year, and had a total average load of 415 students per day. A schedule staggering the lunch periods for high school and grade creates considerable confusion and loss of school time.
(i) The space now used as a lunchroom in the high school would be used for a much needed store room and a place for the high school students to put their wraps.
(j) There is a definite need for a covered play shed where grade students can play without staying out in the rain. The same is true with covered walks and bus loading platform. Students passing between classes in different buildings, or waiting for busses need a sheltered place to walk. This would greatly reduce sickness and absence if the covered walks were provided.
(k) The present heating plant is not large enough to handle the new grade unit. It would need to be remodeled, this would be done when the classroom has been eliminated for the furnace room.
(l) because of a fire this district lost their high school several years ago. It built a new one that is large enough to service this area. The money for the new high school was raised by the local district with no government help, and very little state help. The district has again taxed itself to the limit to provide a new grade unit. It has voted a bond issue
to raise $60,000 and voted a special levy of 25 mills to provide $43,333 more to the building fund. Although a relatively poor district the above information should show that it is making every effort to take care of its building problems without outside help. It does feel that if state aid is available that it should be in line for help to complete this new grade unit, and that an emergency does exist here at the present time.