The Washington times., 1922-10-15
bU|LD|NGSLONC
AGOCONDEMNED
REMAIN IN USE
Ten Different Agencies, With
Changing Personnel. Have
Hand In Management.
BLAME LAID ON CONGRESS
No Laws Since 1906, and
Board Of Education Is
Destitute of Authority.

6odTO OF EOuCdtiOH u
Destitute Of Authority.
What's the matter with WASH
fngton's public school system?
DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superin-
tendent Of schools, seeks to answer
this question, which has perplexed
the people of the Capital for
many years. ..-.
In Section vi, Of his annual
report, DIR. Ballou devotes forty
three pages to giving vent to bis
feelings and assailing the half
DOZEN agencies, which attempt tc
run the schools, each having diff
fcrent views on the subject.
Too Much Red Tape.
DIR. Bailou, after two years as
superintendent here. is convinced
that the views of group Of edu-
GATORS as set out In the Cyclopedia
or Education are true In SO far as
they relate TO this city.
Quoting from the cyclopedia, DIR.
Ballou put this in his report:
"The term Board OF Education
10 a misnomer, for the board ~
without power, and is little more
than a board of school visitors.
Courts and commissioners may
review its decisions; treasury off.
cials revise its estimates; and the
board has no authority to make a
single purchase.
auditor, business manager, afchi.
tect. funds. or property.
The confusion existing Is hardly
credible. Authority and responsi.
bility are hopeless:y tied up with
red tape"
Under the present system DIR.
Ballou places on Congress the blame
for the "deplorable" conditions OF the
physical equipment in the schools.
A broad. comprehensive school code
for the District of Columbia, DIR.
Ballou suggests, would cure many of
the Ills of the present system and
remove some of the letters now
about the board members and the
superintendent, that harass them
when they would seek to improve the
system and obstruct them when they
would make the best use Of the
materials at hand.
AT least ten different commits.
sions. bureaus and governmental
bodies here are now concerned with
the management of the schools
and eight Of them have no political
relationship whatever to the
schools. DIR. Ballou says.
Changes In Personnel.
These agencies are changing
their personnel with the changing
Of the seasons and the personnel
Of no one body remains the same
do any constructive work for the
this IL the fact that only three Of
the nine members of the board
when DR.. Ballou took office two
years ago are members now. Six
teen different persons have served
in that period.
Scores Of children are being pen
allied today, DIR. Ballou says, be-
cause agencies, other than the school
board, have reduced the estimates
originally offered by the board.
School rooms, condemned sixteen
years ago, are still being used and
pupils arc able to attend school
only three and one.half hours daily
instead Of the usual five hours. This
In made necessary by the fact that
split sessions must be had to ac-
commodate the large attendance
which Is now more than 1000
greater than there are rooms to ac-
commodate.
MANY pupils fail Of promotion
and hence must repeat the grade"
DIR. Ballou declares, because they
are herded into rooms with forty
a. anA fhtt0
MED the careful training that the
teacher would give with fewer under
her control.
Buildings erected in 1858 and
fourteen years ago condemned are
being used today for 5000 pupils.
No LAWS Since 1906.
Since the organic law, creating the
presApt school system Of the District
was passed in 1906, Congress has
passed mo laws affecting the school
Labor law and Teachers Retirement
law were passed, but they have no
relation to the organization or ad.
ninistration of the school system.
No fixed policy can be carried out
under present laws. says DR.. Ballou,
with 70 many agencies dealing
with the school budget and with
the probability that, for many
reasons. changes will be made in
the personnel Of those agencies, 1t
10 inevitable that policies and prac.
tioes heretofore recognized and fol-
lowed by. one OF these agencies may
not be acceptable to the new Off.
GERS and changed personnel.
Changes In the personnel are so
regularly q rule that those who
argue the budget and follow its
progress toward legislation make
due preparation to provide complete
information for the new officers and
new members Of committees"
Any permanent improvement in
the organization and administration
of public education in the District
OF Columbia is contingent on fun.
damental changes In the present sys.
tenn.
Too Many Agencies. ..
"Responsibiiity and accountable.
ity must be centralized, and the
number Of agencies participa ting
must be reduced. or their authorit Y
must be decreased. The establish.