Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-19
District School Cost.

The STATISTICS 1urnlSneQ 10 the senate
by the bureau Of education relative te
the cost of public education in Washing
ton. which make an apparent showing
of excessive expense at the capital
should be regarded merely as giving a
starting point for the ascertainment OF
the truth Of the contention that the Dis
trict system is unwarrantedly costly. The
question that has been raised on this
score should be answered. but that an
swer should be given in the light OF all
the facts. If the schools are too expen-
sive, what are the items of the excessive
cost? The two main items OF school ex-
pense are the salaries OF teachers and the
cost Of buildings. AS to the former, the
bureau of education's figures show that
the local teachers in the elementary
grades are paid less than the average
and it is easily possible to demonstrate
that in spite Of advances recently made
by Congress in the pay scale. the
bulk of the teachers are still under
paid. Whatever may be the relative
showing in this respect there has been
no extravaganza on the part of the school
administration and certainly none on the
part of Congress with reference to the
great majority of the workers in the
schools
So far as affects the cost Of buildings.
the responsibility is to be put upon the
policy adopted by Congress. This ques-
ton has been locally fought over. and
after listening to appeals on the part Of
the school authorities and representatives
of the general public, Congress has de-
cfned to accept recommendations that
were made to 1t by q commission of COM
petent officials who devoted a long period
of investigation to the subject and pre-
sented a report which might safely have
been accepted as the basis of a consistent
course Of appropriation procedure. The
result is that instead of the school build
ings of Washington being designed in &C
cordance with a systematic plan, they
are appropriated for individually, and the
present plan comprises schoolhouses Of
all Sizes both old and new. The respon-
sibility for this condition undoubtedly
rests upon Congress and not upon the
local authorities. If the results Of the
policy are good Congress is entitled to
the credit; If bad, to the discredit. 1t Is
now in order to determine the effect Of
the policy, to weigh the disadvantages
of the small building and the advantages,
to determine whether 1t Is better on the
whole to maintain the schools in groups
of small units or to abandon the small
buildings and replace them with larger
ones.
The statistics now before the Senate
bearing upon other items of school ex-
pense, such as furniture. fuel. ETC., afford
the foundation for a thorough exami-
nation Of the question Of school fiscal
administration. If no good reason is
found for paying as much as Is paid now
for the supplies furnished the local public
schools, the present system should, OF
course, be stopped. If the prices paid
here are consistent with those that pre-
vail in other lines of public service pur-
chasing the District should be given the
benefit of this fact in any reckoning Of
comparative school costs.
In any event this matter OF comparative
cost has little bearing upon this years ap-
preparation, and in the consideration Of
the District bill by the Senate which be-
gins today, the statistics furnished by the
bureau of education should not be used
for the purpose of effecting a lowering Of
the allowances for educational purposes.
They should be studied only as affects
the wisdom of the system which Congress
has heretofore adopted. The expenses of
the schools as they are at present con-
stituted must be met until Congress
changes the system. If there are too
many small schools, tending to increase
the cost. Congress must decide to build
large ones and abandon the small Ones
and sell them instead of continuing them
in service. For this purpose attention
should be given to the recommendations
of the schoolhouse commission which
Congress has heretofore ignored.