The Washington herald., 1921-12-01

1t must be much than out of port
aoles; out of rented rooms out of antquated, d.
laPidated fire traps; out of buildings condemned
over thirteen years ago that to health.
1t must mean more than seat for every child in
a clean, sanitary, modern school building This il,
but one feature, considerable one, yet only eaeS.
in 3 modern city school system. For instance no
one should think, let alone advocate, be satisfied
with building program based on forty pupils to a
room. Such crowding would make good schools
impossible; would be criminal to both teachers
and pupils and is but compulsory program for in
creased quarters for so-called backward and ncor-
rigble pupils.
Just Washington parents are learning Of
appropriations made by Congress for school build
ings OF various Sizes in various sections of the city,
where the fixed in the bill do not reach the
lowest bids. There was one recent instance, also,
of bill which authorized "four-room' addition to
a building When the plans were made, the prin-
cipsl begged for a small office to be cut off from
the END OF hallway. He told this i'm
possible that would make five rooms and the bill
authorized only four If it has not already occurred
to the District Committee, we wish to suggest that
this is absurd way make appropriations for
school buildings. If they will think back home,
quite sure they will find a wholly different
method in there.
1t is not, should not be the province of the
District Committee OF Congress locate the school
buildings Of Washington, determine their size, or
to say in advance what shall be their exact maxi
mum cost There may be school districts in which
buildings ordered this plan, but we do
not happen to know OF any this here. But
they should have much more decisive control at
the other end. We have been asked by members of
Congress why school buildings cost so much in
Washington If this cost is excessive, and to
this know nothing, the way to determine the
fact and check it is to change the method OF max
ing building appropriations
When Congress appropriates not to exceed
certain fixed sum for each of a number of school
buildings toalling into millions of dollars, to be
built at future time, without seeing plan or
a specification it orders lot of pgs-in-poke in
viting carelessness, incompetency worse. No
building should be authorized until the plans and
specifications with estimated costs are placed before
them Then they could get independent estimates
if desired they could have the judgment of archi-
tects who specialize school buildings and build
nothing else; they could assure themselves in ad-
vance of just what they to get for their
money.
They then could even authorize bids and ap-
propriate only after bids accepted. OF course
it will be said this is impractical yet it is quite
universal custom. The final power which provides
the money, is the final power which should author
ize its use by the acceptance of bids or hold its es
tmating agency to exact responsibility. AS it is
Congress appropriates this year not-to-exceed
sum for a building of certain indefinite SIZE to
be built next year. That is the last it knows of the
proposition or needs to know of it, but it
wonders if the tales it hears true. Probably
they are not true; but they might be- 1t is of mo-
ment that the United States government provides
40 per cent of the of all these school buildings
There are still in seventy-eight portables
with an average of over forty pupils in each, and
thirty-hve rented undesirable in use. These
are housing at least 1000 pupils and in addition
there are many hundred children part-time and
a considerable list of condemned buildings which
are totally unfit for school use. In other words
this District needs immediate demand
ings This-i is just seating capacity estimate with
out regard the class of buildings whether grade
junior or senior high platoon This is big
order which must be definitely determined and au-
thorized within this next year. If the money is
assured such program could be completed easily
in two years and at less cost than if dragged out
over a series of years.
Washington has waited long enough 1t should
have to wait any longer for at least decent
accommodations. Nor will it have to wait
-. it still chooses to do 1t has been case
-.c-tia. There is plenty of leadership here to
,:ch a two-year program through. 1t is in the
ems associations, the women's clubs and the
rt-teachers' associations. Tomorrow we will
our notion to how