Pg. 59 -71
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- Category: The History
- Published on Wednesday, 22 February 2012 23:53
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in the schoolhouse; however, as time wen on the teachers would board in the homes of the pupils.
Mr. Leuginger, Wiseburn's representative, met with representatives from other schools districts. As a result of this meeting, the first high school in the Centinela Valley was established in 1905. This new district was known as the Inglewood Union High School District.
Wiseburn had completed a period of sleep from which it was to experience many startling changes. After 1925, the district could no longer be looked upon as the one-room schoolhouse of Wiseburn.
Up to 1906, the district remained a large school district. After that time, many other districts decided to include parts of Wiseburn within their boundaries. It was also from the original large Wiseburn District that many others were formed.
Chapter V
Wiseburn Grows Up, 1925-1940
The Wiseburn School District started building more and better facilities to accommodate the children of the district. The one-room schoolhouse of Wiseburn was soon declared obsolete. New, beautiful, Spanish style structures surrounded by supers landscaping soon were to identify the Wiseburn School District.
The old farmers of Wiseburn started to be outnumbered by the influx dwelling units. Another interesting change in the population was the number of Japanese farmers moving into the district.
Trustees
The power structure in the community altered somewhat during this time. The majority of the board was now made up of members from the newer single dwelling units in the Liberty Acres section of the district rather than from the old original scattered farms of the area (see Table 7).
Progress was brought to the district in September, 1925, when the first school bus by the trustees.
The purchase price of the bus was $1,994 (see Figure 4)
Board meeting were held on Saturday evening for a short time in 1925. For the most part during the twenties, the meetings were held in private homes. Mr. Martin used his home consistently until he resigned from the board to serve as janitor and bus driver of the school. When Mr. Martin left the board, the meetings were changed back to weekdays.
Former board member Martin had a contract which specified his salary as $125 as the janitor and $25 by his fellow board members. This was because the district funds would not permit a higher salary (see Table 8)
The trustees had to contend with other districts attempting to slice away at its boundaries. In February, 1926, Manhattan Beach took a portion. Los Angles City came into the picture in 1928 and also took part of the district. The year 1935 saw Redondo Beach again taking more of the Wiseburn District.
A problem arose in 1939 when liquor had been served at a New Years Eve party on school property. The trustees felt that if liquor were brought on the school property again, the offenders would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
On December 15, 1936, the trustees leased the original one acre of land in front of the school. The property was leased to the Ruckti Oil Company for $50 a month and one-sixth of all the oil and gas found on the property.
The lease was renewed on August 18, 1937, for an additional six months. Three months later, however, the County Counsel informed the district that the Ruckti Oil Company was entitled to a refund on their lease. No drilling was done, and the lease was cackled. The Ruckti firm claimed that they had been misrepresented when the lease was signed. Mr. Smith proved to the County Counsel that the Ruckti agent had been on their payroll that day he signed several other leases for Ruckti. The district was then informed that no money would have to be paid to the Ruckti firm.
The district did not plan to put a well up in front of the school. It had been their intention to place the well at the extreme east end of the school property and drill at an angle under the land in the front of the school.
Budget protested
Several people were present at a board meeting on April 13, 1935, seeking information about 1935-1936 school beget. These people later returned to the board meeting on July 26, 1935, to protest the budget (see Table 8, p. 65).
Mr. F.M. Robertson appeared at the meeting and requested that the district be out 50 per cent. His property had been assessed at $600, and his tax for the Wiseburn School District was $1.60 a year.
Mr, Shessgreen also appeared at the meeting. He asked of it were absolutely necessary to take down the chimney on the auditorium. He also wanted to know the cost to educate a child in Wiseburn. He stated that school employees' salaries were too high, and he asked that they be given less money.
Mi. Geer, another citizen, wished to know where the broad obtained the money to reef and paint the teachers' garage. He concurred with Mr, Shessgreen that school employees earned too much money. He said that the district might get principal for about $4 a day , or about $80 a month.
The Building Program
Bond elections
On May 12, 1925, a $55,000 bond issue had been passed by the voters of the district. This money had been used for the construction of Unit Number One, or the South Building . Specifically, this construction consisted of an auditorium, a classroom, and two special rooms (see Figure 4, p. 64, far right).
By September, 1925, the $55,000 bond issue was declared inadequate to cover the completion of the building program deemed necessary by the board. THe trustees felt that the taxpayers and citizens of the district deserved school facilities comparable to those of the surrounding district deserved school facilities comparable to those of the surrounding districts.
A bond election for $50,000 was planned for October, 1925. Legal notices were posted in McFarland's Grocery Store, near Maine Street and Inglewood Avenue and Redondo Boulevard (Rosecrans and Aviation); and the Wiseburn Schoolhouse. Legal advertising was given to the Hawthorne Advertiser.
The $50,00 bond election of October 23, 1925, was canvased on October 24. The bond failed to pass by two votes.
Yes 18
No 10
Void 2
Total votes: 35
The bond issue was placed before the voters a second, time on December 18, 1925. The bonds again failed to pass by two voters.
Yes 44
No 23
Total votes 95
The third try for the $50,000 bond was set for February 5, 1926. This time the bonds appeared to have passed. The final count showed the following results:
Yes 65
No 30
Total votes: 95
A patron of the district, Mr. Edwin Fursan, complained about a technicality in election procedures. The election notices had been placed in the El Segundo Herald, an illegal paper for school bond advertising. The election was then declared void.
The fourth try at the $50,000 bonds occurred on April 14, 1926. This time the bonds legally passed.
Yes 75
No 22
Total votes 97
School Construction
Since $55,000 in bonds had been passed in the spring of 1925, the district hired Mr. J.A. Larraldi to design a new school building. Bids for the new building were opened on August 14, 1925, and all those submitted were apparently too high. The architect was instructed to make new plane. On September 4, 1925, Mr. Harvey Nichols was given a contrition contract for $14,900, with the plumbing to cost $1,400 extra.
The new building, of Spanish design, was stucco construction over block tile roof. The structure consisted of two main room: an auditorium and a classroom, with two special rooms between them. Inside toilets, with running water were constructed at the east and of the auditorium. This unit had a coal furnace central heating system (see figure 5, far right).
A pump and tower were build about 100 yards southeast of the auditorium. A horizontal pressure tank large enough to hold 3,000 gallon of water, and three horsepower Fairbanks engine were included in the construction. Mr. R. E. Maley constructed this unit for $745 on November 13, 1925.
The original one acre of land purchased in 1897 was too small to accommodate the district's building plans so nine more acres of land had been purchased on August 17, 1925. This land was purchased from A.T Johnson Corporation for $36,000.
