The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-27
SCHOOL SYSTEM
 NEEDS OUTLINED
 THROUGH SURVEY
Birmingham Outstrips All Present Facilities For
 Accommodation
BUILDINGS SMALL
 FOR TODAY'S NEEDS
Year Spent In Investigation Of What Is Necessary To Reach
 Normality

Showing that 15,000 children, or more than 40 per cent of the total enrolment, are improperly and un- comfortably housed and that this over- flow is increasing by leaps and bounds, the board of education, in the first chapter of an Illuminating survey of the Birmingham public schools, just , completed after a years study, calls for a great building program to start now and continue through several de- cades until the system is made safe, sanitary and educationally efficient.
 Vt is for the people to say how this situation shall be relieved" says the report. Birmingham has not kept abreast of its school needs. Fire haz- ards exist in many schools and prac- tically every building is over-crowded. The needs are pressing and demand quick attention"
 Buildings Old
 Many buildings are recommended for complete abandonment, and oth- CTS are recommended for drastic al- terations and improvements. Only four of the 21 negro grammar schools are found to be in satisfactory condition. The report pleads for ample recrea- tion space at the various schools for modern type buildings of attractive appearance for higher safety stand ards and for sweeping changes in al- most every, school unit which has been in use five years or longer.
 Dr. c. B. Gleen, superintendent of schools, and education board members, with the aid of state and government officials and various firms and indi- yi1uals, have assembled a report that goes thoroughly into every phase of Birmingham's educational life. The first chapter deals mainly with the i'm mediate needs. Three subsequent chapters will show the future needs and the estimated cost of expansions that will be necessary during the next 30 years.
 Survey Report
 Copies of the survey will be available for general distribution soon. Mean while, various civic organizations are forging ahead with plans for a big bond issue that will insure a start this year on the recommended expan- sions.
 Text of the opening chapter of the survey is herewith presented:
 II To the People of Birmingham:
 The phenomenal growth and expan- sion of our public school system from it's beginning in 1873 to its present en- rollment of over 10000 pupils has rem dered 1t practically impossible to pro- vide suitable accommodations for all pupils.
 The Board of Education has ap- preached the solution of this problem by having a comprehensive and ex- haustive survey of the situation made This survey includes careful investiga- lions and studies of CD NBirmingharn's present school building situation, (2l the, number of children for whom school accommodations should be provided (3) the recommended building program and cost estimates and (N Birming- hams financial ability versus the esti- mated cost of the recommended build ing program.
 begun more than year ago under the direction of Dr. c. B. Glenn, Superin- tendent of Schools. The collection of data and the preparation of the survey has been in the hands of W. E. Put. nam, Director Research, and William B. Ittner, Consulting Architect of the Board of Education. The task could not have been successfully accomplish ed but for the generous cooperation of the United States Bureau of Census Dr. F. B. Dresslar of the United States Bureau of Education, the Southern Bell Telephone Company, number of real estate firms of the city, several local industrial and public service companies and many interested individual citi- zens.
 An immediate program has been care fully outlined, but in view of the con. ditions set forth In the Survey the Board believes that the plans for the protected 1930 and 1940 programs, as outlined in this survey, should consti- tute the guide in developing a contin. {. uous school building program for Bir- mingham. The recommended imme- diate program Is, therefore, the initial link in the chain of a periodical build ing program extending over one or two decades.
 Birmingham has not kept abreast of llnmfinuad lia ma al .,