Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-05
SCHOOL OFFICIALS
PLAN TO OVERCOME
|. CROWDED CLASSES
High School Situation Ex.
pected to Be More Serious
Than Grades.

Than Grades.
With two weeks before the opening
OF the District public schools, officials
this week will concentrate their at.
tention on serious plans for relieving
prospective overcrowded classrooms
The teacher and curriculum problems
have virtually been solved, and
superintendent Ballou and his as
sistants are left free to devote most
OF their time to putting the machin-
cry OF the institutions into perfect
working order.
Despite what schemes may be de-
Vlsed for caring for the expected in.
crease In enrolment, 1t was admitted
ny school authorities last night that
the education of hundreds Of children
Is destined to be seriously retarded
modations. Abbreviated courses In
the lower grades of the elementary
schoois has been one OF the methods
ADOPTED for relieving congestion in
IN. the junior institutions. In the high
problem awaits ultimate solution.
Halliday Sessions Favored.
that halliday sessions for some OF
the high school students and the
grammar school pupils can be the
only feasible plan of accommodating
the hundreds of new children ex-
pected to enroll this year. This plan
is not new outside of Washington
In philadelphia and Reading, Pa, the
half-session classes are to be in
SCtuted this year as methods OF re-
lieving overcrowded classrooms.
The elementary school classes to
operate on a part-time basis will be
the third and fourth grades. In
which of the schools the short ses-
sions will be held has been left en-
tireiy to the supervising principals
OF the various divisions. A list of the
schools in which part-time classes are
to be held will be issued by Supt.
Ballou before schools open Septem-
Under the part-time system pupils
grades in overcrowded schools will
be divided into two distinct sections.
One section will attend from 3 am.
to 1880 pm, the other from 1890
to pm. A similar system probably
will be adopted in the high schools
for hrst-year sections. First-year
pupils enrolled at Mckinley Manual
Training School, however. are to be
quartered In the junior high schools.
formerly old Central. at 7th and o
streets northwest.
The congested conditions in the
schools, it was pointed out, will con-
tinue until more buildings are pro-
vided by Congress. In fact, school
officials expect the conditions to grow
worse each year unless new buildings
are provided. They base this belief
on the fact that the school enroll
ment increases each year.
New Class ProblematicaL
How many new children will be en-
rolled in the public schools this year,
school officials are unable to esti-
mate. The enrolment last year
reached $4,000, and officials are con-
sentative In their prediction that this
year 1t may reach or 60 beyond the
$1,000 mark Adequate accommoda-
tons can be provided for only about
55, 900 of this number.
1t Is believed that the high school
enrolment will increase about 1000.
This figure is arrived at by the num-
Der of students graduated in June and
the number promoted from the ele-
mentary schools to- the senior insti-
tutions. However. school authorities
indicate that the enrolment may even
be increased above 1000 because
many out-of-town children have sig
nined their intention Of entering the
Warrington high schools this fall.
grammar schools this year is beyond
the prediction of school officials. AS
one put 1t, 1--WE don't know how many
children are In their homes today
planning to enter school," So the ex-
act increase this year will not be
known until late in October.
Mig High schesl Enrolment.
Because OF the unsettled popula-
ton Of the District and the unknown
increase in enrolment, school author
tiles also are unable to estimate how
many school buildings will be over
crowded. It is certain that all the
high schools will have more students
than they can adequately accommo-
date, but in the elementary schools n.
Some of the schools which were
congested last year. it is pointed out.
NAV have vacant rooms this year.
This will be true in the case OF
Grover Cleveland School at 9Th and
r streets northwest. which. It is be-
this year. Such q condition. it is de-
ciared, il dine to tho shifting Of fami-
iies from ono section Of the city to
the other each year. A school in
the northeast section may have been
crowded to capacity last year. one
but during the summer families may
have moved to suburban sections OF
In the northwest or southeast sec
lions. consequently. causing the
northeast school to have unoccupied
desks. This condition cannot be pre-
ciuded. and in it lies the primary
cause Of overcrowding In some
schools.
School officials could easily force
the children whose parents had
moved from northeast to southeast
to attend the same school they die
before moving, But this would cause
the parents to be burdened with ar
extra financial expense Of car fare
and an effort il being made to avoid
this.