Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-02
ESTIMATES WOULD
PROVIDE 128 NEW
D. C. SCHOOLROOMS
Statement ~ BaIIcu ard
Simon REVEALS petaiIs
Sent to Senate.
COMMISSIONERS LAUDED
FOR Cordial SUPPORT
Provision for Buildings as Ihdi-
Gated Il Toward Total of 1873
q ~ Rooms Needed.

| Supplementary estimates for new
schoo' buildings recently sent TO tbe
Sena - subcommittee on appropria-
tlof~ by the District Commissioners
VIII provide 12S of the 1873 additional
clsssrooms indicated as needed to
rel.hve overcrowded conditions. This
wses revealed last night in Joint
statement by Supt. of Schools Frank
| w. Ballou and DIR. Abram Simon,
president of the board of education.
| The statement followed confer
shce yesterday between the superin-
sandent and the board president.
J Th declaration of the school Of
/ ficials lauded the Commissioners for
! their cordial and sympathetic" sup
| port in the development of the build
: ing project
1t has been previously stated that
the school board. in it's additional
building budget. asked for approxi-
mately $3,500.oo0 to begin work i'm
house program. About $1,000. 900 was
cut from the s3.5oo.o0o by the Com
| missioners when they sent their sup
Elementary estimates to the SUBJ
committee on appropriations Of the
Senate.
Statement by OMcinIs.
The statement made public by DR..
Rallou and DR.. Simon follows:
| "At the close of the hearings on the
estimates for the, public schools held
ty the committee on appropriations
of the Senate the Commissioners of
the District and the board of educa-
ton were invited by the committee
to present estimates for additional
schooIhouse construction. According
" the building program as presented
to the representatives of civic organi--
cations and approved on December
8 was forwarded by the board of edu-
cation to the District Commissioners
Recently the superintendent Of
schools was requested to- indieafe In
the building program of the board of
education those items which should
be preferred" in case the whole pro-
gram could not be undertaken at this
time. In compliance with this request
the superintendent transmitted such
information to the Commissioners on
December 81.
IAN analysis of the Commissioners
estimates shows that. with a few ex-
ceptions ''prsferred items" were in
cluded. The Commissioners found il
possible to reduce the boards aggre-
gate estimates by szsl.ooo. They elm
mated one four-room addition; they
changed one sixtee room addition to
an etght-room addition: and they
added an item of $4,000 for artificial
lighting of buildings. Out of the s74-
COO requested for additions to school
yards the Commissioners included one
item o. $4,000 for the Peabody School,
1t is gratifying to school officials that
the estimates of the Commissioners
make provisions for 12S classrooms
Medal Those Listed.
the president of the board of educa-
tfon desire to state that in their
judgment the need for all of the
schoolhouses listed in the board of
education's building program is so
urgent that all those officially re-
sponsible in any way for educational
conditions in the District of Columbia
may feel fully justified in supporting
that program with all the resources
at their, command.
THE superintendent and the board
of education believe that at this time
the paramount need in the school sys-
tenn is better schoolhouse accommo-
dations for the children. Other edu-
cational improvements must await the
satisfying of this need. The total
building program of the board of edu-
cation was estimated to cost about.
S5,0O0,000. In viewsof the present cost
of construction. of the ever-increasing
number of pupils to be accommodated.
and of the impossibility of construc-
ton of the usual number of buildings
during the past five or more years,
this sum ought not to appear ex-
travagant. 1t is to bring schoolhouse
construction up to date.
Praise fo= Commissioners.
I'm the development of its building
program the commissioners OIL lQe
District have rendered invaluable as
sistance to the board of education.
They also reviewed the other esti-
mates of the board of education with
sympathetic consideration. They
have. at all times, taken a keen inter-
est in the educational needs. The re-
Iations of the Commissioners and the
board of education have. a. every wey,
been most cordial and sympathetie..
.srhe school authorities believe. of
course, that they understand the needs
of the schools. They do not pretend
to be equally well informed about
other needs The school officials
gladly accede to the judgment of the
Commissioners in their attempt to
provide for the comparative needs of
the whole District The Commits
sioners are best able to judge what
those comparative needs are. School
officials do not ask or expect the
District Commissioners t6 give school
needs a comparative place higher
than, in. their opinion. the public re-
gard for sound education would Justly
entitle them"
!