Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-02-13
Necessity for School Ru,,dinps.

The urgent necessity for additional and better
school buildings has been represented by the
school authorities year after year. and so far
with little avail. At the present time out Of
total OF 36S school-rooms occupied, 100 are
rented, and we have the authority moi only of
the school officers but also of the health officer
Of the District for stating that majority of
them are ill-adapted, and large number are
totally unfit to be occupied by school-children.
Thus 1t will be seen that more than one-third of
our schoolchildren during the present year, or
about 1900 children, are compelled to attend
school In these rented buildings or go unedu-
Gated.
Looked at from financial point of view we
find the following state OF facts to exist:-The
Commissioners have asked for $4,000 to pay for
the rent OF these wretched buildings for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1881. and $4,000 for
repairs-a considerable portion of which Is to
be expended in fitting up, and putting and
keeping in order these rented buildings. Not
withstanding this state OF things we understand
that no item has been included in the school
estimates for the fiscal year ending June 3O.1SS1
for new school misunderstanding that mat
tiers Will rapidly so on from bad TO worse. We
think this is mistaken policy. and that a good
appropriation should he made annually, out of
the District funds for school buildings: and we
are glad TO see that al least one OF the leglSla-
tors for the District OF Columbia holds and has
expressed the same views In recent debate
In the House of Representatives on the bill for
the construction OF bridge across the Potomac
river the Hon. Mr.. Cobb. OF Indiana said: Il call
the attention OF gentlemen TO the fact that TO-
day the District of Columbia and the people Of
the United States are paying Ss5, 600 a year rent
for public school buildings, and. at the same
time, the superintendent o, public instruction
tells that these school huiliinoS of
them, totally unfit for children of the District to
be taught in. Now, If we have to pay $4,000
year rent for buildings for school purposes In
this District / ask how much money ought to be
appropriated for the building of school-houses
here? Would it not be well for this House to
consider whether we ought not to build school,
houses, and whether the necessity for building
school-houses for the education of the children
Of this District is not ten-fold greater than the
necessity for the construction of bridge across
the Potomac river when there are already facili-
ties for crossing that river? 1t is better that
for few years they should pay pretty high
tolls than that the children of this Dis
trict should go uleducated. l say to
you that with the estimates of the taxa
BILE property in this District, and the amount
OF revenue to be raised from the people during
the present year, they will not be enabled to
have their educational interests cared for as
they should be. without borrowing money, or
without the government of the United States
coming forward and through the Representa-
tives OF the people here approprlatlng the
money of the people OF the United States for the
purpose Of keeping up the public schools Of the
District Mr.. Cobb appreciates the importance
and requirements of public schools. He comes
from a state that has a school fund derived
from lands donated to it by the United States
government tn
has taken good care of her school fund, and has
built up one of the most complete and extensive
school systems in the United States