The Washington times., 1925-03-04
SCH OO[S
To LEAD
NATION
Millions Granted by Congress
Will Make System Model
for Whole Country

Will Make System Model
for Whole Country
A schoolhouse building program
unprecedented in the history OF
the District of Columbia and per-
haps the largest ever attempted at
one time by any city the size OF
Washington, is provided for in the
program for development Of the
District schools over period OF
five years. The total cost is
estimated at approximately $19,-
100000.
Plans for the new Mckinley
high school, to cost $2,250, 900, are
already under preparation in the
office Of Municipal Architect A. L.
Harris.
Sketches for other buildings for
which money has been provided
by Congress will be commenced
shortly, according to officials.
Slightly more than one-fifth of
the entire building program has
been provided for in the regular
appropriation act for the next
fiscal year and in the authorize
ton of the use Of surplus Dis
trict revenues, representing a total
sum of $e4,176,6OO.
High Points In Program.
1t is the intention Of officials 20
strive for an appropriation in each
of the five years approximating
one-fifth the total program to II
sure its completion by the end OF
that period.
Briefly, the five-year school
building program provides for:
Two senior high schools.
Eight junior high schools.
Eighteen elementary school build
ings.
twenty-five additions to grade
school buildings.
Twenty-seven sites for grade
school buildings.
Seven sites for junior high school
buildings.
twenty-five parcels Of land for
school Fairgrounds.
Seven combination gymnasiums
and assembly halls.
New buildings to replace the
present Mckinley and Business
High schools are the largest single
items in the program.
Erection of these structures hs 5
been planned so as to have Nc
Kinley completed or nearly finished
before the Business building is un.
der way. thus distributing the two
largest sums over the entire five
year period without obstructing
provision for grade school needs.
Expenditure Of 81 900 900 of the
District suprlus has been author
lied by Congress to start construc-
uon of Mckinley.
Framed by BaIlou.
The five-year program dates back
to the first survey of the District
schools undertaken by Superintend
ent BalIou i'm the fall of 1920. few
months after he assumed the super
W
schools. Adopting as his slogan, "A
scat for every pupil" Doctor Bal
lou framed his first and later for
mutations of school needs with that
II. mind.
A comprehensive building pro
gram received its initial Congress
sionaI approval in the report of a
Joint committee headed by Senator
1f n tWH-n
ago after hearings were held and
nationally known educational ex-
perts and local educators testified
as to their opinions of remedies for
District educational troubles.
AS stated in the act OF Congress
authorizing the five-year school
construction program, its purposes
are: Abandonment of all portable
buildings. elimination of rented
buildings, abandonment Of unde-
sirable rooms, reduction of ele-
mentary school classes to a stand
ard of not more than forty pupils
per class, and providing for a five.
hour day Of instruction for el,,.
mentAry school pupils. thereby
eliWaating part-time classes.
Twenty-eight Projects.
II does not stop there, but aims
to alleviate accumulated educational
Ills by providing for abandonment
of all school buildings recommended
for immediate or early abandon
ment as far back as 1908, and sor
abandonment of other school build
ings which have become unfit foI
use since that time.
Money has been made available
by the Congress just ended fnl
twenty.eight single projects of the
3ye-year program.
OF these, thirteen are provided
for in the regular appropriation
act, which gave e1.545 900 for theil
realization, and fifteen are apprD
priated for out OF the act giving
the use Cf the surplus revenues Z
the schools to the amount of 81,
So, 800.
List of improvements.
Following are the projects an
the money which has been mad
available by Congress, and II off
cials accompliSh their intention a