The Washington times., 1894-12-07

Inc urgent necessity JOr increased accom-
modations for the pupils of the public schoolf
is the principal subject considered by the
board OF school trustees of the District in
their annual report TO the Commissioners.
Attached to the trustees report are those of
Supt of Schools William B. Powell, the
principals of the high schools and
the supervising principals. They all show a
gratifying Increase in attendance and i'm
proved methods OF study but deplore the fact
that owing to the lack of accommodations
many Of the pupils are compelled 10 attend
halliday sessions.
The report of the trustees in full is as fol-
lows:
"The board OF trustees of the public
schools of the District of Columbia beg leave
10 submit their report for the year just
closed. Attached 10 our report are those of
the superintendent of schools, the supervls-
ing principals OF the several divisions and
principals Of the high schools.
while these reports and the statistics ac-
companying them are for the most part
highly encouraging to the friends OF educa-
ton and most creditable to the District OF CO.
lumbia, they disclose an inadequacy of school
room accommo 4ation permitted from year to
year notwithstanding the earnest persistent
efforts of the board TO remedy the evil, until
il mas now become so great that the board
feels compelled at this time to present il to
your attention. and through you TO the con-
sideration OF Congress. TO the exclusion of all
other matters connected with the schools.
For some years preceding the school
year lss6-S7, as pointed out in our last re-
port, the annual appropriation for school
buildings was fixed arbitrarily ar 100000,
irrespective OF the needs OF the schools, the
result being that the attendance Of pupils so
rapidly outgrew the provision made for
them that at the date mentioned one-third of
the school population OF the District was
limited TO halliday attendance upon
the schools. The attention and
interest of Congress being at that time awak-
ened. new school buildings were appropriated
for so literally that within a comparatively
few years thereafter the school accommoda-
tiOns were rendered very nearly adequate for
the accommodation of the pupils. For the
past several years, however. very limited pro-
visions for new school buildings have been
made, while the growth in the school at
tendance has been so rapid that we are now
confronted with a situation almost If not al
together as grave as that of nine years ago.
The reports of the superintendents show
that IN addition TO practically the whole Of
| the first and second grades, forty schools. az
gregaung an attendance OF about 1000 pupils
Of the third and fourth grades are limited TO
half day attendance. II the pupils of the
first and second must continue under this
limitation. or restriction of their educational
opportunities. 1t viii require al least five new
buildings 10 AFFORD the pupils above that
gra1e. now actually in attendance. a full
/ days schooling, without making any pro-
vision for the annual Increase in their num-
bers.
''As shown by the report of Supt Cook,
only about tWO-lhirds OF the children of school
1pfa4
schools, and Of this number large proper
tion are permitted to attend one-half day Of
each school day only. In one portion of the
city. as shown by his report there is one
/ square mile in which there is no school at al, ,
and several other sections that are little better
of in this particular Among the white
schools there were this year at a single school
building. namely, the Pierce, situated at G
near Fourteenth street northeast. fifty appIi-
cants in excess Of the utmost seating capacity
OF the building and no other school building
reasonably near TO accommodate them.
The statistics of attendance will further
| show, especially in connection with the col
ored schools, that a very considerable pro-
portion OF the pupils do not progress fur
ther than the second grade, these being
/ doubtless children in INDECENT circumstances,
whose parents are unable to afford them
longer time for education. In other words,
the failure to supply sufficient schoolroom
10 accommodate pupils in these grades, thus
Z necessuatihg resort in them to the halliday
system, is depriying a very large proportion
OF the children most dependent upon the
public schools of half their whole school
lie.
1T viii be observed that the unfortunate
conditions here referred 70 result solely from
the failure to supply adequate schoolroom ac-
cOmmOdation. 4 sufficient number OF teach
/ ers is provided for all the schools. and if we
T had CnhD0lFRRUnG "a Taaa1ad
child now in attendance could receive the
benefit OF a full days schooling without the
employment Of single additional teacher or
the expenditure of a single additional dollar
for teachers salaries. As was pointed out on
a former occasion we occupy precise the at
titude from a business standpoint OF an en-
plOyer who finds ii necessary to engage and
pay the wages of l.000 skilled employees but
who receives the benefit of only half DAYS
labor from a third OF their number because of
his own refusal to provide working room for
them all
THE showing thus presented is sufficiently
unfortunate without the emphasis of any fur
thar fact. The board feels it to be their duty
however. botn to you and the community, to
point out the further fact that the above in
adequacy OF accommodation after resort has
been had not only TO rooms, which, as shown
in Supt. POwell's report. are without excep-
ton unfit for school purposes, being without
ventilation other than open windows and
open doors. which are always harmful and
fraught with danger. and are without ade-
ouatG and in some cases, even without
respectable closet accommodation but
even after converting the easements of school
buildings into school rooms. never intended
Tor such purpose and wholly unfit for it.
having no means of ventilation, no proper
means Of heating and lacking all the neces-
Sary convenlances. No member of Congress
would consent to the use of such rooms for
his comittee or for any other purpose which
would require him to pass the working hours
Of the day in them. and no member, we are
confident, would be willing to condemn the
immature bodies Of little school children to
conditions sanitary and otherwise so unfavor-
able
THE above observations relate TO the
graded schools, and particularly to the lower
grades, which If there must be a difference,
demand the first and principal considera-
tion.
There is, however. another and most de-
serving branch Of the public school system.
the Business High School, in which the ne
cessity for additional accommodation is
equally as imperative
This school for the past several years has
been located in the Minor Building, rented
structure, with a capacity for not exceeding
$50 pupils. There Is now crowded into it, in
Guiding its Easements. 479 pupils. There is
no space left in it which can be used for as
sembling the pupils together for lectures. an
nouncements, or any other exercises or pur-
pose. 1t is a school which has proven of ex-
ceptional practical benefit. has won a well
merted popularity and increases rapidly in
attendance. How it will be possible to get
next years pupils within its walls is a problem
which confronted the school officials A
new and adequate building for It's accomoda-
ton and within the earliest practical period
OF time is most urgently recommended.
"Ihe attention of the Commissioners is also
specially invited to the necessity of an ade-
Quate appropriation for necessary repairs and