Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-22
FEDERAL SCHOOL
Commissioner
FOR BOND ISSUE.
Sums Up National School
Building Situation, Urging
Omaha to Follow Examples
of Sister Cities.

In a communication to w. E.
Reed, president of the board Of edu-
cation OF Omaha, P. P. Claxton,
United States commissioner Of edu-
cation, sums up the school building
situation in the country. He writes:
Previous to our entrance INTO the
war, we were spending in the United
States $l00,000,000 a year on new
school houses, but at this rate we
were in no wise supplying the need
of hundreds of thousands of chill
dren in the lower grades who were
on half time attendance, and mil
lions attending schools wholly un-
suited to school use, according to
modern standards-badly ventilated,
poorly lighted and otherwise un-
sanitary.
For the two years OF our partic-
ipation in the war, school house
building almost ceased and there are
now both the need of 1916 and the
accumulated need of the two years
Of the war. larger than in normal
times.
ITO supply these needs will re-
quire not less than $500000,OOO Of
building to be completed by the time
OF the opening of the schools in the
fall of 1920. 1t is very important
that legislatures, county and city
councils and boards of education all
over the United States take the nee
essary steps for this building and
for the raising of money for ii. In
view of the part which popular
education plays in the present era
there can be little or no objection
to any expenditure for buildings
that may be necessary for the eff
cheney Of our school systems.
Levy School Taxes.
Everywhere throughout the
country there are evidences that our
cities have seen the need for an en-
larged school construction program.
Almost every large city in the coun-
try is increasing tax levies for
school building purposes or is carry
iEg on campaigns for bond issues.
Buffalo recently voted $8,000,000
to be spent Immediately on school
construction. The program there
provides for II grade schools, an ad-
dition to one high school and IL
junior high schools.
"The board of education of Oak
land has a building program which
calls for FIVE junior high schools,
six 20-room primary schools, the
erection of at least three modern
high schools and the erection of
modern elementary buildings to re-
place II structures which are en-
tirely inadequate. This program is
intended to provide for a permanent
school building plan to meet an esti-
mated increase of 254 class rooms
within the next two years.
"Of the $l6,000000 budget of De-
troit, $5,4o5,0O0 is planned for 20
new buildings and IA additions. A
total Of $l,800000 is asked for ~
sites for buildings and II play
grounds.
"St. Paul recently voted bond is
sue of $3,00O,000 for immediate
school building programs.
Lincoln Carries $4,000, 900.
"Berkely, Cal, a city of only 65,-
600 people, recently voted bonds to
the amount of $2,32l,000. If city
less than third the size of Oma-
ha can handle a bond issue of more
than $2,250,000, what shall we not be
able to accomplish when we have
caught the vision.
'"Our neighboring city of Lincoln
last June carried a $2,000,000 bond
issue by a vote of three to one.
These bonds were voted with the
distinct understanding that the Lin
coin schools are to be completely re-
organized on the junior high school
basis. Two million dollars for city
the size of Lincoln is a much greater