Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-03

| est paid teacher in the force will receiv'
l with the government bonus $1,44O an
| nually, nearly three times the salary
| Of the lowest paid teacher three Year!
| ago. Grade salaries have been leVeled
| 50 far as basic figures are concerned
| SO that an receive with the government
bonus S1,440, plus their longevity; ant
| the high school teachers receive WITT
the bonus minimum of $3.50. while
retaining their $500 longevity for SerV
I ice. Although this Is not all we desire
| it represents a remarkable increase Ii
addition it will take little further az
justment to eliminate salary classes II
the grades so as to bring about ina
elasticity and freedom of assignment o.
teachers so earnestly sought by me.
Seventeen Teachers Retire.
1.-THE retirement act, sought for oVel
twenty years, has been secured our
/ ing the administration just closing
and is now in force and erect. Unoel
it during this year seventeen teachers
/ have been retired. The oenent 70 tnt
school system from the opportunity
to retire from the force those VINO De-
cause of long service can no longer
bring the necessary strength anc
energy to their work is one lone
sought The benefit to the school
morale through insuring to the teach-
ing force a certain protection either
at old age, or on disability. is I'M
questioned However slight the pro-
visions of the retirement law may be
it represents a definite Strengthening
of the system
In treating the building accommoda,
tons of the schools Mr.. Thurston said
that zone of the fundamental prob
lens now facing the District school
system is that of providing proper
school accommodations. I'VE are fac
ing not only serious shortage OF
actual accommodations, resulting In
overcrowding. overlarge classes and
consequent decrease Of educational
efficiency" he added. but we are also
facing a situation created by the type
of older buildings in use which Is
not helpful to educational progress.
crease in the way of permanent struc-
lures is that of the eight-room and
assembly hall addition to the E. ".
Brown School. This school building
is already overcrowded, even with the
addition, and probab bly, will have to be
placed on the platoon plan before an
other year has passed. This plan
than placing higher grades on half
time. During the past year. however.
Congress has authorised sufficient adj
ditional appropriations to permit the
construction of seriously needed
school buildings which were partially
provided for by inadequate apSro-
priations several years ago. These
higher cost limits for the Eastern
High School, the Petworth School, the
Deanwood School, the Burrville
School, the Woodbridge School, the
Phelps School and the Takoma School.
Addition to West School.
Appropriation is also made for an
eight-room addition to the West
School, at which point the most seri-
Gus crowding in the city is likely to
be experienced within q year. There
Is provision, moreover. for necessary
trail High School and the NJ Street
High School. which are used for
junior high schools. The cost limits
of this new construction set by the
bill. although. Of course. not appro-
,priated for at this time, are $2,S12,000.
The early construction of these build
ings will help materially in meeting
they represent by no means all the
centers of need. When they are COM
pleted. owing to the very serious
crowoing and the steadily increas-
ing population, we shall flnd ourselves
relatively little better OF. There must
be a still greater extension Of builds
ings.
"In view Of the fact that our build
ing program is and has been years be-
hind existing needs and that certain
of these needs are so pressing we have
always been able to put forward GER
tain propositions as absolutely neces-
sary, and to ask for appropriation
without delay, but there is new need
for an intelligent planning Of build
ing program to cover "a term of years,
and to take into account the growth
Of population. shifting of population
and educational adjustments. The fac
tors of location, the size. essential IA
cilfties. and development of standard
types Of buildings are important. What
we add should At into a general. well
thought out plan, rather than be con-
structed simply to meet existing needs.
We should proceed as soon as possible,
as have strongly recommended in the
past, to work out definite plan for
building operations for term of years,
so carefully considered and developed
on such sound foundation that it
viii appeal to the community and to
Congress as worthy Of most careful
consideration. This plan should in
clude not only provision for new build
ings Of the various standard types
adopted. but provision for the recon-
struction Of existing buildings, or for
their condemnation or disposal.
For Standard Building.
Tn my last annual report I made q
recommendation. on which the board
OF education took no action, for the
establishment OF a small commission.
schools. and certain education officers,
and representative Of the engineer
department OF the District Of Co.
lumbia, to consider a standard type of
grade building for the future. AS I
have studied over the question since
more OF the opinion that we should go
farther and require by law, or organ.
ize under the board of education, a
schoolhouse commission, permanent
in character. charged with the duty Of
studying the entire building situation
IN the light Of modern school organ
iSation. and planning far ahead, both
for new buildings and for reconstruc-
ton or condemnation. It should he
required further to make annual re-
ports showing the developments and
adjustments Of its plans from time to
time. This commission should GER
tainly contain in it's membership the
superintendent of schools, a represen-
tative of the board of education, and
the municipal architect, the latter in
order to have qualified expert views
on questions of construction which
might arise. To this commission
could be added a representative officer
of the white and colored schools if
deemed advisable. I believe that a
commission of this type would help
materially in properly organizing and
weighing our building problems.
In view Of the certainty Of expen-
sive outlay for building construction.
and in view Of the fact that we are
facing a period of readjustment in
education, it seems to me highly es-
sential that the housing proposition
with regard to the schools should be
made a basis Of orderly development
with view not only to the present
but to future years. Other cities are
beginning to find it necessary to work
out organized plans"