Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 21, 1961.
TV Plan Discussed By Board
11 Schools In City System Are Considered
An airborne television equipment decision, 1960-61 teacher’s salary study, and other business occupied members of the Valparaiso Community schools Board of Finance Monday evening.
Primarily the board was concerned with the question of whether or not to make airborne television classroom plans which would place at least one unit in each of the system’s 11 buildings next fall.
Units are now in process of installation at Cooks Corners elementary and in the senior high school. Another unit, presented as a gift, has been set up in the Benjamin Franklin Junior High school, Supt. G. Warren Phillips reported to the board.
Cost $250 Each
Phillips noted that the receivers and aerials can be procured through the National Defense Act as a minimum cost of $230 each.
However, after consulting with numerous educators, consensus pointed toward “proceeding slowly” with the experimental classroom broadcasting plan for which the Ford Foundation has granted about $7 million, the school administrator told the board.
President Morris Groverman, Jr., felt that it would be wise to take advantage of a purchase from the NDA “but we don’t have the money to go whole hog. This idea may or may not prove to be a ‘Frontier of Education’ as has been noted in promotions,” he added.
After much discussion, the board decided to make an application to the NDA for 11 units, but included a reservation that eventual purchase may or not be made even though approved by the federal agency. Future approval of the purchase by the board will be dependent upon success of the venture, it was noted in the motion.
According to Phillips, there have been two delays to date in the proposed airborne television classroom instruction schedule. Original plans call for instruction to be imparted from an airplane flying about 23,000 feet above Montpelier, Ind.
