Evening star., 1922-08-25
BUDGET CUT HALTS.
new SCHOOL PLANS
Projects Reported Abandon
ed Because of Big Reduc-
!. tions in Estimates.
EXPECT BIGGER SLASHES
Shortage of Teachers and Over
crowding of Buildings Fore
cast by Officials.
EXPECT BIGGER SLASHES

Every new building project provided
for In the original public school esti-
mates for the next fiscal year has
been eliminated during the cutting
process the school pudget is now un-
dergoing. 1t was learned today from
an authoritative source.
Items for additional teachers. TO-
gether with those for the replacement
Of badly worn furniture and Increased
supplies, also have been slashed from
the estimates When the work of
trimming the budget is completed
there will be nothing left but the
items for teachers salaries anu ioF
the maintenance of the school system
In other words. the original esti-
being cut from about $s.5OO.00o TO
$500, ,0O0-s1.74O. 900 less than Con
gress granted the District schools Tor
the current fiscal year. a further re,
duction in the estimates is expected
when the school budget reaches Con-
gress as this procedure has been
customary.
Building Plans Abandoned.
Exclusive Of the building program.
the appropriation for the schools for
the current fiscal year totals s5,304.-
900 The appropriation for new Duld-
ings was $2.O36.O0O.
The drastic cut ordered in the esti-
mates has disheartened school OFF,
cials who pointed out that the origi-
nal budget for the next fiscal year, as
1t went to the Commit ssioners. carried
only absolutely essential items. 1t
also was emphasized that the restric-
tion of the building projects will
wreck the carefully planned program
of Supt Frank w. Ballou to relieve
the overcrowding in the schools by
setting aside approximately $2.000.OOO
a year for a period of FIVE years or
longer for new school buildings
Not only will the cut in the budget
preclude a continuation Of the school
building program. but 1t will prevent
school officials from replacing class
room furniture which has become al
most useless from forty and fifty
years of service.
Another serious effect of the re-
duced budget will be shortage of
teachers No additional teachers can
be appointed on the appropriation to
be allowed in the slashed estimates.
1t was pointed out that between $50
nd 200 additional teachers are re-
Quired every year to meet the normal
increase in the school enrolment. and
next year this number probably Will
be larger on account Of the opening
OF the two new junior high schools.
ConEe.tion Expected.
Cutting Of the building program
from the budget kills the hopes of the
school officials for relieving the seri-
ously congested conditions in the
high schools. The construction pro-
gram for the next fiscal year was de-
signed primarily to provide additional
accommodations for the high school
students, although there were several
items of relief for the graded schools.
The hardest blow from the budget
cut will affect Mckinley and Arm
strong Manual Training schools.
There were items in the original bud
get for a site for a new building for
Mckinley and an addition to Arm
strong, but both have been eliminat-
ed. it was said
School officials recalled that some
members of Congress for several
years have promised that the over
crowding in the schools would be re-
lieved and that the Washington school
system would be made a model for
the nation.