Evening star., 1921-04-29
SCHOOLS CONDEMNED IN 1906
STILL USED TO RELIEVE JAM
Even if $5,ooo,ooo Appropriation Is Passed,
Overcrowded Condition Will Continue
for Years, Officials Say.

Some Of Washington's old public
school buildings. recommended for
abandonment by the schoolhouse COM
mission in 1906. are still being used
in order to preclude a more serious
congestion in the school system than
now exists. These schools, which in
clude the Conduit Road. Reservoir.
Fort Slocum and J. +. Cook, school
authorities pointed out today. are in
exceedingly poor shape. and should
either be abandoned or reconstructed.
Besides these old buildings. school
officials, in order to cope with the
problem of overcrowding, are utiliz-
ing eighteen rented buildings and
seventy eight f1imsy one-room porta-
bles. The rented buildings include
abandoned frame houses. old stores
and Sunday school rooms in various
churches, which have been equipped
for school purposes. The portables.
school officials agree. are decidedly
helpful as emergency structures. but
contend that they are not satisfac-
tory in extremely warm weather or in
cold, wintry weather. Moreover. the
portables take up considerable space
in schoolyards. at the very buildings
where the increase in school popula-
tion makes additional playground
space exceedingly important for
hea lth and exercise.
The $5.000.D00 school building pro-
gram which Congress will be asked
to approve does not provide for re-
pairing the old buildings. nor does
it make possible the abandonment of
the portables. 1t is the intention of
school authorities to give considera-
ton to the elimination of the porta-
bles and the old schools as soon as
funds have been appropriated for
financing the proposed building
project.
Portables to BE Argument.
The use of the portables and the
conditions of the old schools. how
ever. will be called to the attention
of Congress by school officials in
the s5.000.000 building program. This
will be done for the purpose of en-
phasizing how far behind Washing
ton is with it's school building project.
When school officials go before
Congress with the building program
probably next week. they will sub
NIT bare facts and figures. indicating
that $5.OO0.000 will provide only
sufficient number of additional rooms
to remedy the present congestion in
the school system. The proposed
project. they will show. does not
contemplate any accommodations for
the prospective increase in enroll
ment at the beginning of the new
school term in September. which. 1t
is estimated. will be at least 1000.
With this expected increase in reg
istration, school authorities forecast
more serious condition of over
crowding in the schools next fall
than at present. To care for the new
pupils to enroll in September. they
explain. more third and fourth grade
children will have to be put in part
time classes and denied a full five
hours instruction each day.
Not Enough Time in School.
There are twenty-eight classes
above the second grade on part time
instruction in the elementary schools
now. An average of forty pupils
are enrolled in each of these classes.
Therefore. approximately LOO chill
dren are spending only about 20 per
they should spend there.
The part-time classes. the over
crowded classes. the old buildings.
the rented structures and the pOrta-
bles are all undesirable conditions
in the school system today, which
officials declare. are seriously retard-
ing the educational progress of
tions, they cite, will remain for sew
eral years. and probably longer. even
il the $5.000000 building program is
approved by Congress. This. they
claim. will be inevitable. due to the
fact that if funds to finance the
building project are granted imme-
diately the new school accommoda-
tions provided in it cannot be built
before September. 1922.
1t is estimated that an appropria-
tion Of s31,000.000 would be neces-
sary to make ideal and modern the