Evening star., 1923-10-08
Officials Shown Vast Over.
croWding From Shortage
of Building Funds.
D. C. HEADS HOPE SURVEY
WILL RESULT IN RELIEF
Effort Made to Bring Most Serious
Cases to Attention of U. S.
Authorities.

schools due to the shortage of ac-
commodations were deeply impressed
on representatives Of the budget bu-
reau and District government au-
thorities who accompanied school Of
ficials today on a tour of inspection
of the school system. Schools in vir-
tually all of the thirteen divisions Of
the system were visited, particularly
rious and in imperative need of i'm
provement.
Although the budget bureau au-
thorities made no comment after the
trip. school officials hope the result
will be shown in the school esti-
mates for the next fiscal year, the
fate Of which will be determined soon
by Gen. Lords bureau.
The inspection party was composed
Of Capt. Redmond D. Stephens, assist
ant chief of the budget bureau, di-
rectly in charge of the Districts esti-
mates; E. Kennedy, budget bureau
investigator; Capt. John E. Wood,
assistant District Engineer Commits
sioner; Ernest Greenwood, vice presi-
dent of the board of education, and
superintendent of Schools Frank w.
Ballou.
Visit Thomson School.
Leaving the administration head
quarters of the school system at the
Franklin School shortly before 10
o'clock, the party went to the Thorn
SON School. at 18th and L streets,
where 1t viewed the work on the
third-story addition to the building
which will give the school six more
classrooms. The work on this build
ing, which is featured by an engineer
ing feat of raising the roof and build
ing the third story under it, is ex-
pected to be completed before Christ
mas.
The party next went to the Shaw
west between New Jersey avenue and
1st street, which is in need of i'm
provements.
High sctooftat 1st and N streets
northwest, where is located Arm
strong High Schools portable col
ony," consisting of ten one-room,
fiimsy frame structures, in which is
housed the overflow from the latter
school. Arranged in rows of five
each, with narrow street dividing
the buildings on either side, this
portable colony" gave the party the
impression of a congested alley set
tement instead of a modern high
school.
The party made it's inspection of
these foregoing buildings from Capt.
Stephens automobile. The car was
parked at the curb near each of these
schools while DIR. Ballou familiarized
nf he art1 -
conditions inside, as we'll as his plans
for relief.
Portable Colony Studied.
Among the other schools visited
was the greatly overcrowded Pet
worth, the new Macfarland Junior
High, which is under construction,
and the Allison street portable col
ony," which is located at the edge of
the mcfarland School site. DIR. Bal
lou pointed out that this portable
colony" comprising four of the one
room buildings, is only accommodate
ing the overflow from the schools OF
Petworth and that two additional
portables are needed in this location
but are not available.
1t was called to Capt. stephens at
tention that there is an item in the
school budget for the next fiscal year
for the construction OF an eight-room
building on the site where the Alli-
son street portables are located. The
retention of this item in the budget
will be strongly urged by the school
officials when they appear before the
budget bureau to defend their esti-
mates.
BallOu Outlines Plans.
Plans for the extension of the junior
high school system, which will ulti-
mately result in a 6-3-3 system OF
education in Washington, were out
lined to the members of the party
by Supt. Ballou Four of these schools
are now in operatoion-the Hine, Co.
lumbia, Randall and Shaw-and two
new ones are under construction-the
Macfarland and the Langley. The school
estimates for the next fiscal year carry
items for several additional buildings
of this type. -.
The junior high school extension
plan is designed to give virtually
every community it's junior high
school, which will draw its student
BODY from the elementary buildings
in the contiguous territory. Thus
with a complete system of junior high
schools. few additional expensive SEN
ior high schools will be needed and
the congestion will be relieved in the
senior high hchools as well as the
graded schools. >
DR.. .Ballou and other school Off
cials, it is expected, will soon be
called before the budget bureau to
discuss school estimates. With a
first-hand knowledge of existing con-
ditions in the school system, the
school officials believe that Gen. Lord
will not be severe with the pruning
knife.