The Washington herald., 1920-01-27
SHIFTED
TOFIND ROOM
No New School Buildings for
Years in Thirteenth and
B Street District.
PLAYGROUND IS GONE
Portables Take the Space
Where Games Used to Be
Played at Recess.
PLAYGROUND IS GONE

find class room space for the hundreds
of children living there.
Continuing shifting of the school pop
ulation to the westward has been nee
essary, in order to provide schooling
facilities.
new building for years. and this in
the face of a constant growth OF the
territory. with constant increase
in the number of school children.
1t has been necessary for E. g.
Kimball. supervising principal Of the
division. to use the Mauryschool. at
Thirteenth and B streets. neytheasL
and the Edmonds School. at Ninthtand
d streets northeast, as one unit for
student distribution purposes. That
is, one school. the Edmonds. has all
Of the ''B" grades, while the Maury
has all of the IA" grades.
The situation in this district is seri-
out, as the schools are already work.
ing under a load. particularly the
Maury, which is up to its limit in
seating capacity. even with the addi-
ton of two portables which have
robbed the children of their play
ground space.
PrOmotions Increase C0nEestion.
February promotions undoubtedly
will make 1t necessary to send many
children to schools to the west and
north, although the schools to the
north. which are in another division.
are already crowded. and Miss Flora
Henley, supervising principal, Is look
ing over her division now in an urgent
effort to find class room space for
forty-fiv sixth-grade children.
Although none of the children in
these two schools. who by law should
be going for a whole day. are on half
time. il may be necessary in the very
near future. owing to the increase
in the school population. to put soi.Ie
OF these children on half time.
Children in the territory which
should be covered by the Maury
School are being forced to 20 to the
Edmonds School, some blocks TO the
west. and children who SHOULD be
going to the Edmonds School are
being forced to the westward to the
Hilton and Peabody schools. Many Of
tneSe GnllOFtn l1Nc wltnth tnt NCty
shadow of their buildings, and there
has been much complaint from the
parents because OF the fact that their
children have to be sent so far.
School officials are helpless unless
and until some provision Is made in
the way OF new building.
Large Fam lies the Ruiz.
The territory particularly affect
ed by the lack of sufficient school
facilities is that from Thirteenth
street northeast as. far East as the
| Anacostia' River and from East
Capitol street north to L street.
This territory has experienced an
enormous growth during the past
ten years. and. as DR.. Kimball
pointed out last night, is composed
of people who have large families.
DIR. Kimball has been head OF the
division in which these schools
come for many years, and is par
ticularly familiar with the territory.
He points to the enormous growth
in homes in this section and the
lack of new school buildings.
There is a very urgent need of
new building in this section, either
in the center of the territory men,
toned or by an addition to the
sCnOOl. n SlxIGeH-EOOUl
building in this territory could not
be built in less than two years, and
in that time there certainly would
be sufficient children to fill it. the
figures for the past ten years in
dicate.
Although the home building there
in the past ten years has grown by
leaps and bounds, there is still
much undeveloped territory which
undoubtedly will be the scene in
the near future of large home build
ing operations and a consequent in
crease in school population.
New School could BE Filled.
At the present time, in the territory
mentioned. there are enough children
to fill completely five class rooms OF
,forty-eight seats each, who are being
sent into the ninth division on the
north, thus causing a crowded condi-
tion there. No further help in taking
care of the increase can be expected
as 1t is this division which at the
present time is looking for space for
forty-five pupils who will be without
class room on February /.
There are a number of unimproved
sites in this territory which would
be ideal for a school. but IL an addi-
tion was considered for the Maury
School, an eighteen-room building, ad-
ditional ground would have to be pur-
chased. in order to provide for the
new building and sufficient play
grounds.
The Edmonds School is an eight
room building. not crowded now,
which is due to the fact that many
children who should be going to this
gnhnnI hnin~ Canf ~ hA 70
ritory. Last year. before the distribu-
tion system now being used was
placed In effect. the building was
crowded, and would be crowded this
year even IL it only handled the chill
dren in this territory. y
More Ch Idren Than Seats.
At the present time there are $50
children attending the Maury
school, with a total of 464 seats,
including the portables. However.
some of these are children of the
first and second grades who are
only required to 60 on halliday
sessions.
At Edmonds, which has no porta-
bles, there are 37S seats for 336
children. However, with February
Increases impending, these will be
hlled. BY the time q new building
Is completed to relieve the increas-
Ing pressure, there will be many
overcrowded classrooms, which, Of
necessity, win require portables to
take up valuable playground space.
Provision should be made at this
session of Congress for such a
building to relieve the very serious
crowdfng In this section, as, In the
case OF many other sections, the