Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-18
SCHOOLS ARE 0. K.
Continued From First Page

CONTINUED From First Page
cent of all city expenditures. Now com
pare this with the proportion of none
allowed for education in the District o
Columbia appropriation bill for 1911: Tota
amount appropriated for all purposes il
the District of Columbia. $40. 1G,. $40. %
total amount appropriated for schools
$50 $500 per cent of all expenses allowed
for education in the District of Colum
bia, ISL.
Average per cent of all expenses al
lowed for education in 1853 cities, 90.
With such a showing as this. by wha
process of rea soning can 1T be argued tina
the public schools in the District. of Co
lumbia are extravagantly manasedo
Expense Not Denied.
The board of education has never de-
MED that the schools are expensive, but
has repeatedly given reasons to show
why they are so.
The board of education is charged
with asking for too much money for the
education of the children in the public
schools of the District of Columbia.
The estimates for the year ending
June 30 1911, were S4.6U,121. Almost
one-haf of this amount, SIC. 130. was
Tor Schooi buildings and grounds made
NECESSARY Dy the neglect OF the past ana
the natural increase in enrolment. The
board has never claimed that all this
money is called for on account of the
increase in school attendance.
To show how the public schools of
Washington have suffered from neglect
1t is only necessary to recall the fact
that from 1903 to 1S7S-Seventy-three
years-the schools did not receive a dol
lar of money or a single acre of public
land. whereas up to 1906 the government
hp6 civ
15OWO0OO acres of public land for edu-
cational purposes. 1t is easy to see how
far behind our schools must have fallen
In these seventy-three years, supported
only by the taxes of our citizens and
without any governmental aid whatever.
1T will take $j0O,OOO to erect buildings
enough to accommodate 126 halliday
schools, which should be whole-day
schools. 1t Will take 100000 for buildings
TO take the place of ninety-six rented
rooms. none Of which are suitable for
school purposes. 1t will take s15O,O1 for
buildings to take the place of eighteen
frame portable schools now in use. 1t
will take 100000 for school houses
to keep pace with the natural annual in
crease. particularly in the suburban
schools.
Since 1895 three different boards of
education have asked in their estimat ties,
for buildings and grounds. S1O.423. 915.15;
and have received s5,0i4, 615.15 We have.
=,
S5319, 800.
These estimates have not been merely
the recommendations of this and former
boards of education, but without excep-
ton have received the hearty approval of
previous boards of Commissioners COM
posed of representative citizens of the
District thoroughly familiar with the his
tory and the needs of the schools.
Race Exactions.
ct is obvious that were it not for the
exactions of the race question, no city of
the size of Washington would consider it
necessary or wise to maintain two deputy
superintendent. two normal schools, or a
expensive manual training schools, or a
sixth high school. Nor would there be
required separate supervisory officers,
such as cooking and sewing. primary
work and kindergartens. music. drawing
and physical culture. These manifeStly
add to the cost of supervision.
"A third local condition which adds to
the cost of the schools in Washington
is the result of the efforts of the school
authorities for the past twenty-five years
to steadily diminish the number of pu-
pills assigned to each teacher. The whole
tendency of the best things in education
is away from the traditional practice of
instructing children in masses and toward
a nearer approach to the teaching of
individuals.
A fourth condition in Washington
which becomes a material factor in the
cost of education is the well known fact
that the population of Washington is not
stable being affected somewhat during
the course of any year by the movements
of Congress.
1T is necessary to organize the schools
and provide teachers in September. not
on the basis of the apparent needs of
the month of September, but with tn
view to accommodating the influx of
school population which attends the con-
vening of Congress and includes con-
siderable number of winter residents.
1T would be a short-sighted policy for
the board of education to organize the
schools so compactly in the opening
month as TO leave no seats for the en-
larged enrolment OF the winter months.
This fuctuation of population necessarily
makes showing of apparently ex
cessve number of vacant seats in the
months preceding the converting of Con-
gress. and also in the spring when the
retinue of Congress begins to depart from
the city. Schools must be organized and
teachers employed. not with reference
to the smallest. but with reference to
the largest demand for accommodations.
1T IS therefore proper to consider the
greatest probable enrolment, rather than
the enrolment on any given day as d
basis for asking for additional teachers,
Just as street railway company must
provide cars in sufficient number for rush
hours rather than TO meet average con-
ditions.