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Reform of NYC Public Schools, 1896

The construction of buildings was an expensive and time-consuming remedy for student population management by the Board of Education in New York City. In many cases, existing buildings were renovated to accommodate classrooms. Other times, new buildings were constructed from scratch. The challenge of providing sufficient accommodations for this flood of students was compounded by a pressing need to refurbish already existing facilities. Superintendent Maxwell lamented in 1904 that "the remodeling of old buildings, inasmuch as it will improve sanitary conditions and materially to classroom capacity, is scarcely less important than the erection of new structures." (p. 27, 6^th Annual Report of the City Superintendent of Schools to the Board of Education of the City New York (1904), Special Collections, Teachers College, Columbia University) School construction alone was not an efficient means by which to solve the long and short-term student population problems. The Board of Education was quickly overwhelmed in trying to serve students in classrooms. They sought alternative venues in which teach students. These included outdoor classes, botanical classes, nautical ships, double-session classes, part-time students, and evening classes. In hard times, the New York City Schools were forced to rely heavily on creativity rather than on financial and physical resources.

Looking back over the state of the school systems physical plant during previous fifty years, in 1948 the Board of Education wrote:

The first contract that was let by the new City Board of Education was in February 1899. During that year, more than $7.5 million were authorized for new buildings and sites. An additional $3.5 million were appropriated in 1900. But these appropriations were far from adequate. From the time of consolidation to the present day, the City has never caught up with the needs in its school building program. It has never been possible for the Board of Education to build sufficient facilities, so that every child might have a seat in an uncrowded classroom within a reasonable distance from his home for a full school day.