Evening star., 1922-09-08
SCHOOL OFFICIALS
} URGE EVERY ITEM
Ask Restoration OF Those
] Eliminated, to Supple.
mental Budget. -
ESTIMATES MlMIMU N
Commissioners Told Of Difficulty IN
Handling Situation on
Short Funds.
ESTIMATES MlNIMU N

The board Of education. IN letter
to Commissioner Rudolph yesterday aft,
ernoon, requested that every item cut
from the original school estimates be
asked for in the supplemental estimates
being prepared for the budget bureau.
From beginning to end the commune
cation from the school board was a
strong protest against the order to re-
duce the school expense account for
mex. year from ss.4oO.ooo to approx
mately $500. 900.
The Commissioners already have in
dicated that they would give cons!dera
ton in the supplemental estimates to
the school projects that had to be
eliminated. Practically all Of the money
cut out Of the school budget was for
land and new buildings to relieve class
room congestion. The latter from Dr..
Abran Simon. president Of the board.
read in part as follows:
The board of education appre-
c!ates the dificult position in which
the Commissioners are placed. While
the superintendent and the board de-
sire at all times to cooperate with
the board Of Commissioners, they hnd
st exceedingly dificult. il not in-
t!on Of the Commissioners and at the
sane time discharge the responsible
tty imposed on them by law for oper-
ating an efficient system Of educa-
tion The board Of education desires
to clearly indicate that the estimates
Of $s,4oo.ooo for the expenses Of the
school system for 1924 cannot be re-
uuoed without correspondingly re-
ducing the effectiveness of the educa-
tion Of boys and girls.
Budget Already Reduced.
Tn the first place, the budget sub
ynitted by the board Of education TO
the Commissioners had already been
reduced by the school authorities to
the lowest possible figure consistent
with maintaining the present ef-
hciency OF the school system. 1t was
about s2,ooo.ooo less than the est,-
mates submitted to the Commission
ers the preceding year, all of which
were desirable. 1t was only about
S1.o00.000 more than the actual ex-
penditures of the school system dur
ing the year 1s211s22.
to S5.5oo.oo0 means. therefore. that
the school system must be operated
during 1924 with S1.740,000 less than
was expended during the past year
when not too much money was spent
1t is the opinion of the board OF
be reduced To $5.500,o00 without elimi-
mating items necessary to the main
tenance Of the schools"
Finally" the board says further
down in the letter. The amount by
which the Commissioners propose to
reduce the school estimates Is based
on q fixed proportion of the total
expenditures for the District The
board of education cannot see its
way clear TO agree to this proposed
principle of fixing the amount of
money necessary for the schools.
Aside from the wholly different prac-
tices of school departments and the
usual departments of municipal gov
ernment in general throughout the
country. there Is no Justification for
fixing the amount of money to be
expended for the education of the
school children of Washington on the
basis of the amount of money ex-
pended for streets, sewers, collection
OF garbage and ashes, the work
house. morgue, hospitals or any other
functions Of a municipality for which
money Is expended.
Fixing of Proportion.
Even II this principle were accept
able. the proportion for schools should
be dxed only after careful study and
not on the proportion for schools
which CHANGED to exist in a single
year. The board has been informed
that the average for cities Of the
country OF the size OF Washington is
80 per cent. Moreover, many other
citeis are expending for schools as
much as one-third Of the revenues.
and some cities are expnding 40 per
cent or so per cent. Before the proper
ton Of 81 per cent Is agreed to the