Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-27

Justify themselves TO their own civic
consciences?
he conservative and reasonable In all Its
conduct: we are anxious to cooperate
with the Commissioners by Keeping our
estimates within an equitable Dudgetarg
proportion But the thorough-golng IN
vestigations conducted under the auspices
of the board of education all tend 10 con-
firm the findings Of the schoolhouse com
mission d9oS) that ION account or the IN
excusable neglect in the past when the
board of education was appointed by the
Commissioners the most liberal appro-
priations are needed for a series OF years
to bring the housing conditions abreast
of the city's actual needs. TINS coin-
mission was authorized by Congress In
the organic school law; II consisted OF
the superintendent Of schools. the super
wishing architect Of the United states
Treasury and the Engineer Commissioner
OF the District of Columbia) The Con-
tinIIed occupation of expensive rented
quarters that are absolutely unsuited
to the use of school children Is surely ID
the nature OF disgrace to the caPitai o.
the nation Charged with sacred trust
for the present and the future OF all
classes In this community, our board OF
education has sought to Indicate In It's
annual estimates the undeniably essenlal
needs Of the school system
Estimates of Experts.
THE report of the schoolhouse commits
sion speaks as follows:
1.-The commission believes that an au-
thortzation in new school buildings and
grounds for the fiscal year 1909 of about
100000 should be made and that about
the same sum should be appropriated for
each of the three or four succeeding
years. after which normal basis Will be
reached of about 100000 per year for
new buildings and from 100000 to $780,
900 for repairs to buildings, TO plumbing
and to heating and ventilating apparatus.
Thus these experts recommend the ap-
preparation Of S3.O0OOO0 for new school
buildings and grounds in the three fiscal
years. 1900 to 1911. inclusive. The actual
appropriations for these three years
amount to less than 100000. But In
spite Of this grave situation. the board
of education asked for 1912 less than
s1.o64.OO In a word, If the original esti
mates Of the board Of education had been
enacted into law the schools would still
be more than q million dollars short of
the recommendations Of the schoolhouse
commission for new buildings and
grounds for the four fiscal years Q9O9
1910. 1911 and 1919. With what show Of
reason. then. can the Commissioners call
that unreasonable?
Tn determining an equitable budgetary
proportion for the public schools of the
capital of the nation, Is 1t not reasonable
TO bear in mind that of the forty-six
cities In the United States with q popu-
latiop of more than 100, thirty-one, or
60 per cent, expended larger proportion
of their general and special service ex-
penses' for schools in 1908 than did the
District of Columbia? Among these
thirty-two cities are New York, Cleve-
land, Detroit, Newark, Minneapolis. Jer-
sey City, Indianapolis. Louisville and St.
Paul. osee U. 8. Census, Special Reports.
Statistics of Cities: 1905, table 49,
A Bit Of Irony.
TO proceed: Hitherto the board of ed
ucation has labored under the impress
sion that the Commissioners were aware
which school buildings are for white pu-
pills and which for colored Responsible
for the real property of the public schools
might not the Commissioners be fairly
expected to know that the Armstrong
School. the NJ Street High School and the
manual training center for the twelfth d.
vision-the first item you reduced by one
third and the others you cut out en-
tirely-are for colored pupils? That our
board acted upon an erroneous impress
sion Is a matter OF sincere regret. The
Commissioners might wisely become bet
tar acquainted with their buildings.
The board Of education estimated I'M
der the caption Of buildings and grounds
for the fiscal year ending June so. 1917
SOL 6SS In the case OF the white schools
and S292 1877 in the case Of the colored
That is to say, our board sought as al
ways to assign the colored community
Inmates since the enrolment OF the col
ored schools is about one-third that Of
the whole system.
Systematic Cutting Denied.
You state: 1T must have been we'll
known to the board that the Commission
ers would be Obliged to cut the estimates
which 1t submitted, and that in order to
have the benefit of the wisdom of the
board II would cut off items for school
buildings and grounds from the bottom OF
the list of items which it furnished
''As matter of fact. the Commissioners
did not simply and innocently cut off the
items from the bottom of the list up
ward. One of the items for specific
buildings. No II twhiteD they retained.
but No. II (colored) they cut out Nos.
10. and they retained. but No. !
they cut out. Nos. 9. 8. 4 and the
commissioners reduced. The wind blow
eth where II nsteth' and the Commission
ers' blue pencil skipped now here. now
there, in our estimates, adding an en-
t!rely new item In one place. reducing
four or five items In other places, and
cutting out in hit-or-m!ss fashion al
together % per cent of the board OF edu-
cations total estimate for colored schools.
Estimates Not Haphazard.
But the board of education did not ar
range it's items haphazard. The first six
Items on the NSt were eltNeT LOT tie CoUl-
pietion of buildings or for their equip
Tnent. The seventh item was for refitting
storeroems. offices and boardrooms at
FRANKLIN School The eighth and ninth
items (white) were for new projects; the
tenth and eleventh (colored) for new prof.
eets: so were the twelfth twhtte), the
thirteenth. fourteenth and fifteenth (all
coloredp the sixteenth twhite) and the
seventeenth (colored). This arrangement
1T merely undertook first of all to COM
plete projects already begun-was obyt-
ously buslnessiike and equitable. But the
Commissioners blue pencil did not stop
to inquire.
1.-THE Commissioners undertook to do two
things to our estinates-the first was I'M
wise, the second illegal.
1.-The unwisdom consisted in the attempt
TO substitute for the estimates OF the
board OF education estimates Of your own.
You cut three items for white schools /
per cent Of the total for these schools.
You cut two items for the colored schools
, per cent of the total You cut down
our estimates for white schools by elimi-
mating entirely two items amounting to
IL per cent OF our estimates for those
schools. You cut down our estimates for
colored schools by eliminating entirely
five items amounting to more than halt
of our estimate for colored schools.
Had you extended the board OF educa-
ton opportunity TO readtust our own
well proportioned estimates, bringing
them within such compass as to bear a
more modest relation to the aggregate
ynrntnfnal estimates OaiP hoard would