National Republican., 1878-11-13
ESTIMATE OF EXPENSES
lOlAl. ................,.
IIAAI -LIAI-sEa


In the last report made by the board to the
Commissioners the following statements were
made.
The stpreme need of the public schools Of the
District at the present time Is SChoJl'hOuses. Egh
teen vi these schuplS, cOntrin.n. All average Of
sixty pupils each, have no separate school rooms
seventy six are IN rented rooms mostly unsuitable
And uuheuithtui ten are in old DaIfacks All iu-
heritanCe oG the war, and cannot much longer be
kept from tumblng down, making total Of lOI
schoOl.rooms now needed. The cost Of ufpurchasng
sites aud building thereon plain, substantial school
houses containing In the aggregate, lUi school.
rooms is estimated al about 10000 and the inter.
est on this sum OF money at per cent per aunuin,
Is s4iyO The rental Of property for school pur-
poses for the year ending June 30, 1917, cost the
District s2iWO9i, greater sum than The interest
on sIOJlOj and the number OF schoulro rooms OBJ
tanned for this sll,OO69i was only eighty three, in
Guiding the ten barrack rooms owned by the Dis.
trict, but located on leased ground for which the
District pays an annual rent. II Is therefore
recommended that the sum of 100000 be provided
for the purpose of purchasing sites aud building
| school-hUuses and that the tenancy system be
| giyenup.
| Since the date Of that report, November IL,
| 1873, no school buildings have been erected by
the District and thirty-one additional school
rooms have been rented. 1t will be necessary
| to Gxpend $4,000 for rent for the next school
| year, and this item must increase rapidly each
year until the District government begins
building Its own school houses In making up
the estimate for the next school year an item
of 100000 for permanent improvements has
been included, which, judiciOusly expended
| in plain substantial buildings, would provide
for the regular increase in attendance Of
pupils, and begin the reduction Of the expense
Tor rent
In this connection It is recommended
First-That Congress be asked TO donate to
the District of Columbia, for school purposes
lots Is and ~, square los, on Massachusetts,
| nuc, between Seventeenth aud Eighteenth
slIcets northwest in the city of Washington,
and uWnpI bV TN. IIDitpI Stutg4 (,nyar,.
mcnt. These lots have a front Of lO7 feet by
a depth Of III feet, aud would make an excel.
lent site for a school building for tho children
rcsidiEg in the northwestern section Of tie
city,
Second-That Congress bo asked 10 author.
iEc the Commissioners Of the District OF Co.
lumlia TO Appropriate to school purposes the
ground in square Ii6 purchased by the District
of IU,llnhia from Mr.. W. W. COrcOran, MS asitG
for market under an act Uf the LrgisIatiI c
Assembly, approved June ~, lsi2.
The DistIiCt owns no school building for
white sChUuls in this section Of the city, but il
NOW renting twenty. five schOo.ruoms to re.
con.mOd"te the same. part Of the ground
Ia. RI might be used as Il site for school
building, and the remainder could be sod Tor Il
suG ,uhiclcmt TO pay tho cost u. u building.
ENrLNsEs OF THE sCHOuLS.
The cost per pupil, based Oh the average en-.
!ulmunt tor the school year ended June 80
lss-, was !: 10, Au amount somewhat bcloS y
the average cost in other cities Of the country
Ca the l3lh Ut November, 1871, the buHrd Of
Trustees submitted TO the Commissioners US an
r.lImate Ol the expenses Of the public schools
[ l,r the schUU year ending June 80, 1879, q
tutuI Of $iUjGn7,ibi but We have been informed
t that the commissioners in submitting lhcil
c,dmur,, to Cuugruas reduced that amount ia
s3i5,uuO. This reduction was made without
consultation with the Board Of Trustees Oi
IrbIic s,hopl,, and it will be impossible 10
continue tn" schools through the year Ou the
amount named by the Commissioners.
, The estimate as reduced by the COmmis
) soners seems to have ueen based upon the
actual expenses for the school year e. ling
June 80, 1878, aud no provision was made iul
the increase IN the attendance Of pupils fUl
the succeeding year. Judging from tho at
tendance thus far during the present year II
is estimated that this increase will amount tO
, fully 1000 pupils and ut the average cost per