The Washington herald., 1920-01-29
BRENT SCHOOL
In POOR SHAPE
Old Southeast Building
Ding Walled, Il-Fur-
nished and Cramped.
DENT Is MORE MODERN
Fine Space for Fairgrounds
Wasted Through Lack
Of Proper Drainage.

Well OF from the general move
ment of population and in a Sec
| tion that has practically reached
its growth SO far as new building
is concerned stand the Brent and
Dent schools. The former is a
very old building. while the latter
has just about passed the score
mark in its history. Both build
ings are fortunate in having large
playground space.
Although the buildings are not
crowded with pupils and the num-
ber in them shows little increase
from year to year. 1t is because of
the method used in distributing
pupils between the two buildings,
all of the "B" grades being at the
Brent and the "A" grades at the
Dent.
But the Brent School seems to
have been forgotten for years in
the matter of repairs and school
furniture. 1t is one of the small
types of eight-room buildings. with
small corridors and no assembly
halls.
Practically every bit of the
Classroom furniture now in the
building was placed there when the
building was first put up. children
In many cases using desks which
had been occupied by their pa
'rents. The seats are worn and
full Of splinters and are not Sc
cured to the floors. In the eighth
grade room none of the chairs are
allowed to be secured for the rea-
son that they are so uncomfort-
able that the teachers would con-
slider II a punishment to require the
pupils to sit in them all day.
Seats Not Adjustable.
Virtually all of the furniture is OF
the rigid type. whereas the type con-
sidered more efficient for schoo
rooms now is the adjustable type tC
suit the size of the child who occupies
it With the rigid type the child must
fit the seat
The class rooms in the building are
dark and dingy from the lack of paint
and the woodwork is all in need oi
attention to put the rooms in a condi-
uon that would make them cheerful
for the pupils to sit in for five hours
a day.
The heating system keeps the rooms
unhealthful. throwing out volumes oi
smoke and SCOT. which. aside from
blackening the walls and ceilings, has
the more serious effect of filling the
lungs of the young people who mus
go there.
The Easements are small anc
cramped.
The children who attend this schoo
have a large space set aside for q
playground. but improper grading and
drainage causes large pols OF watel
to form. Thus the children are denied
the right TO use them.
Cheery Rooms at Dent.
The Dent School is much better off
than the Brent. having adjustable
furniture in a fine state of preserca-
tion. The walls are bright and tn,
rooms cheerful.
These two schools extend from a
street southeast to Virginia avenue
and from South Capitol street to sixth
street southeast.
The condition of the Brent School
is not the fault of the school officials
for they would be only too willing
10 make aIlotments of money with
which to brighten up the building
81 they had it. But. like other school
needs. it is a matter of appropria-
tions-
This year the appropriation for
maintenance of the buildings was only
$4,000. very small one when approx
mately 1JO buildings have to be taken
care OF. Out of this appropriation
must come urgent repairs. such as
mending plumbing and leaks in the
roof. leaving little for painting and
Frightening up and other forms Of
preservation. The estimated value of
the school property here is sl2.0OO,Oop
SO it will be seen that the Upkeep
appropriation is very small.
There is practically no money avail
able for renewing the furniture in the
buildings. no matter how much they
need II, and little relief can be eX-
pected until Congress makes some
provision for larger funds.
Tomorrow the Polk and Henry
J schools at seventh and y streets
northwest.