Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-22
The School Board Urges the Need
for More Buildings.
RES0RTING TO RENTED ROOMS
Provision Made for Increased At
tendance Not Adequate.
THE FREE TEXT BOOKS.


trustees, which has been completed, COM
municates the following to the District
Commissioners:
I'VE herewith transmit the report of the
superintendent of the first six divisions of
the public schools of the District of Column
bia and also the report of the superintend-
ent of the seventh and eighth divisions,
accompanied, in each instance. by full,
interesting and valuable reports from their
several supervising principals and the prin-
cipal of the High School, for the year
1923. The more carefully these reports
are examined the more satisfactory will
be found the history of the schools for the
scholastic year. In all departments the
results obtained have been gratifying, and
the majority of them exhibit highly sat
isfactory degree of efficiency and success.
The board of directors in submitting them
will confine themselves to emphasizing sew
eral of the more urgent needs of the
schools.
For some years preceding the school
year 1857 the annual appropriations for
school buildings were fixed at an arbitrary
figure of 100000, irrespective of the needs
of the schools. The result was that the
attendance of pupils rapidly outgrew the
provision made for them, that at the
date mentioned the halliday system was
in vogue through the first four grades and
had invaded the fifth-if that may be call
ed a system which consisted simply in
turning out the pupils of the grades named
for one-half of each school day, for the
purpose of permitting other pupils of the
same grades to enjoy halliday attendance,
although teachers were in readiness to give
each pupil the benefit of full-day's tuition
had space been provided for their accom-
mediation.
Attendance Exceeding .Accommoda-
lions.
Beginning with the appropriation made
in the year 1867 Congress appropriated
SO literally for the schools that in COM
paratively few years thereafter the school
accommodations very nearly attained pro-
portions adequate for the accommodation
of the pupils. For the past two years,
however, very limited provision has been
made for new school buildings. and the
board now finds itself threatened with an
embarrassing deficiency in this respect.
|. Commencing with the school year 1925
the school authorities have been compelled
to return to the rental Of inadequate and
unsuitable buildings, and have been driven
to a stll greater resort to such rented &C
cCmmodations during the now current
year.
In the meantime conditions have de-
veloped which render the difficulty in ques-
ton more embarrassing than it was at the
former period referred TO. At that time
the plethora was in the lower grades and
there were many parents who were con-
tent that their children of comparatively
early age should be limited to halliday
schools. Now. and under the stimulus OF
facilities for higher education which has
been afforded by the free text book system,
lately introduced, the growth of the schools
has largely been in the more advanced
grades, into which the halliday system is
incapable of introduction.
I'm the estimates for the ensuing year,
which have been furnished, only such in
creased accommodations are actually and
urgently needed have been asked. We re-
spectfully urge that the additional school
buildings asked in the estimate be granted,
without diminution.
LAS pointed out in our last report, the
natural and customary growth in our
schools requires about four eight-room
buildings annually. Last year only one
eight-room building was appropriated for,
while the appropriation for the current year
provides for but two. An eight-room build
5-,O pupils, while the annual increase of pu-
pills is from 10 to 1,4UO.
For the business High school.
THE erection of a suitable building for
the accommodation of the Business High
School is urgently recommended. This val
liable adjunct of a public school system,
Supplying, as it does. a practical education
number of pupils annually, is at present
housed in rented building formerly used
as the Colored High School. and incapable
of suitably accommodating more than four
hundred pupils. There are now nearly five
hundred pupils in attendance there, and the
number to take the business course Is con-
stantly and rapidly increasing. 1t will be
extremely difficult next year TO crowd the
pupils in this branch of the Hight School
into the accommodations at present allotted
able building available or which can be
rented.
These facts emphasize their own conclu-
sion, and In the opinion OF this board, de-
mand the immediate erection of suitable
building for the use of this school.
Free Text Books.
We invite attention to the statement in
the accompanying report of Superintendent
Powell concerning the advantages which
have resulted from the introduction of the
| free textbook system. These advantages
may be briefly summarized as three-fold.
namely: First, increased attendance,
| composed largely of poorer children in the
more advanced grades, thus extending the
additional opportunities TO the children of
the District most dependent upon the pub
lie school system; secondly, a percepIibe
ana hlShly valuable benefit in the inculca-
ton and creation of moral responsibility
on the part of pupils intruSted temporarily
with the property of the government, ac-
NOIuSu " lIefIl lOf IDGlf own advantage,
and for which they held responsible
and, thirdly, greater and easier unifica ton
OF the work among teachers throughout the
schools, resulting from the reader proyis-
ion for the use of all pupils of the neces-
sary textbooks for the purposes of in
StructiOn.
IN this connection We would renew and
very urgently, the recommendation of last
year that d clause be inserted in the an
preparation bill which will permit the use
OF the contingent fund, formerly in so
far as may be necessary. to supply neces-
sltous pupils in the High School with the
Needed text books. Prior to the adoption
OF the free school book system free books
We're furnished to all pupils throughout the
entlre course to such meritorious pupils as
Were without means to procure them The
eNlstlnS provisions of law providing for free
text books TO all pupils in the first eight
sradeS is construed by the accounting OFF,
claIs as excluding the right to furnish free
DOCKS outside of those grades a conse-
quence perhaps correct under principles of
legal construction, but which, it is con-
/ ceiVed was never intended or desired by
the legislative power. Many of our bright
est and most meritorious pupils every year
are the children Of persons in INDECENT or
limited circumstances; and we submit thar
nose OF them who gain admittance to the
hlsh school by their intellectual qualifica-
tlons and Industrious application should not
be turned from it because of their inability
TO supply themselves with text books
1t Is earnestly hoped that this recon-