Evening star., 1909-04-22
WILL URGE PENSIONS
Board of Education to Work
for Teachers.
SMALL SCHOOLS OPPOSED
High Praise for the New Lucretia
Mott Building.
PLANS FOR vINE-PLANTING
Routine Business Transacted at the
Meeting neutrality-suspicious.
and Promotion Of Teachers.

Meeting neutrality-suspicious.
and Promotion Of Teachers.
/ For pensions for veteran teachers In
the local public schools the board OF
education is to continue to work in the
next session of Congress. according to q
decision reached at board meeting held
yesterday afternoon in the Franklin
School building.
i 1t was decided to ask Congress again to
pass bill framed by the board to provide
for the retirement Of veteran teachers on
pensions. w. v. Cox. chairman of the
committee on ways and means. pointed
out that there was little chance Of the
passage Of the bill in it's present form.
which provides for a retirement fund
made up. as are most Of the expenditure
funds in the District. half from the reve-
nues of the District and half from the
United States Treasury. He asked II the
board should continue to press that bill
or ask for bill providing that the entire
retirement fund shall be paid out OF the
revenues of the District.
| "The District Commissioners will theo-
retically oppose such bill as the latter.
declared Mr.. Cox.
The board decided to reiterate its for
mer position and advocate bill provid-
ing for a 'half-and-half' retirement fund.
Small Buildings Opposed.
Opposition was also expressed to the
erection of small school buildings where
large ones are needed, or will be needed
in the near future. This discussion was
brought up in connection with the con-
struction of an eight-room building to
relieve the johnson School. at School and
Lamont streets. Chairman Cox of the
ways and means committee declared that
there was room enough around the pres
ent Johnson School to allow for the con-
struction of an eight-room addition, and
thus make 1t one large building. In
stead. he declared. the District officials
had decided to erect another small build
ing across the street from the present
johnson structure. This made necessary
the additional expense of another princi-
pal. another janitor and his assistants,
and another heating plant On account
of this increase in the administrative cost
of the school system. Mr.. Cox declared,
representatives of the board have been
criticised by congressional committees and
the board had previously announced its
buildings under such circumstances.
| The result Of the discussion will be
conference at the District building in the
near future between District omcials In
charge of the erection OF school buildings
and representatives of the board OF edu-
cation. Efforts will be made to have the
plans changed to meet the policy OF the
| board.
Plans for the opening Of the new Lu
cretia Mott School. at 4th and w streets,
about May 1: for the celebration of Vine
planting day, April %. and for the OBJ
servance OF Flag day. June II. were also
discussed among other routine matters
which largely occupied the attention Of
l ho
| ter, president. was In the chair. and the
! only absent members were John F. Cook
and Mrs. Mary Church Terrell.
Vine Planting Day.
In connection with the celebration of
Vine-plantng day. the board approved
the following recommendation of Supt
A. T. Stuart:
lat the suggestion Of Miss Susan B.
Sipe. who is In charge Of the school
garden, and with the approval OF the
| chairman OF the committee, announce
ment has been made that Friday, April
%, will be known as Vine-planting day.
and teachers and pupils will be urged
on that day to plant permanent vines or
| seeds of annual vines in all available
places In the schoolyards and In the
yards of their respective homes.
1T is hoped to excite general interest
among the citizens and parents in this
movement toward the Identification OF
the Capital city.
THE chairman OF the committee has
newspapers in forwarding this movement.
respectfully ask the approval of ine
board Of education of the action already
taken"
schools. it was announced. the Depart
ment of the Potomac, G. A. R., will pro-
vide speakers.
The New Mott School.
At the new Mott School. 1t was stated
to the board. active preparations are be-
ing made to install the equipment SO that
school sessions can begin in 1t probably
| May 3. The keys have been turned over
to the school authorities by the District
oficials in charge of its construction.
| The board now awaits reports from the
fire chief and the health officer declar-
| ing that the building is safe from fire
danger and from sanitary viewpoints.
| ut is a very satisfactory building, In
many ways the most complete in the
city," declared Capt. Oyster. I'VE have
| to thank Mr.. Hale. who drew the plans
and superintended the construction
! The appointment Of Miss X. c. Lewis,
now principal Of the H. II. Garnet School.
to be principal Of the new Lucretia Mott
School, to take effect May l, and the ap-
pointment Of Miss NJ. l.. Washington now
principal of the old Mott School. to be
I
proved by the board. This is promotion
for both principals.
| An offer made by Mrs. Ellen Spencer
|Mussey, dean of the Washington College
of Law, of a scholarship to girl In
the graduating class Of the Business
High School. was accepted by the board
with gratitude. Similar action was taken
on an offer of the president Of Wesleyan
University of scholarship to a pupil OF
the Central High School. The board also
granted permission to the pupils of the
Central High and Armstrong Manual
Training Schools to hold luncheons for
the benefit Of athletics.
Bids for School Sites.
AS chairman of the committee on
buildings and sites. w. d. Hoover report
ed that the Commissioners had accepted
land at 10th and D streets southwest as
a site for the new Potomac School. He
also informed the board that bids were
opened at the District building Monday
for sites for new schols provided for in
the last District appropriation act and
that the offers seemed to be within the
| appropriations.
| For the text book committee Chairman
| b. w. Evermann stated that a statement
| was In course Of preparation showing
| the number and cost of text books pur-