Evening star., 1925-02-04
F|VE-YEAR SCHOOL
PLAN IS FAVORED
Subcommittee Urges Con.
greSs to Pass Building
Bill for District.

Urging that Congress enact at once
the five-year school building program
bill for the District Of Columbia, a
favorable report on the bill was made
to the Senate today by Senator Arthur
Capper of Kansas, chairman OF the
subcommittee of the joint committee
Of the House and Senate District COM
mittees. The report will accompany
the measure when 1t Is brought up
for action In the House and Senate.
The school bill gives Legislative
authorization for program of school
house construction which, If carried
out, will provide the District, by June
30, 1880. sufficient number Of school
buildings to make it possible to aban-
don all portables; to eliminate the use
of rented buildings, to abandon the
use of undesirable rooms: to reduce
elementary school classes to a stand
ard Of not more than 40 pupils per
class; to provide a five-hour day for
instruction for elementary school
pupils, thereby eliminating part-time
classes; to abandon all school build
ings recommended for early abandon
ment in 1908; to abandon other school
buildings which have become unfit for
further use since 1908; to provide a
full day of instruction for high school
pupils thereby eliminating the "dou-
Die shit program in the high
schools: to provide for the annual
Increase in enrolment of pupils dur
Ing the five-year period; and in gen.
eral, to provide the District of CoIum-
bia program OF schoolhouse con-
struction which shall exempIify the
best in scha0lhouse planning, school
mouse construction and educational
accommodations.
The report goes into every detail
| OF the school situation in Washing
ton. 1t points out that the question
OF adequate school facilities in the
District Is not new one, and that
congressional committees for many
years have been studying the matter,
| and have had the benefit of expert
testimony from the best educational
| minds in the country.
The committees of the House and
Senate on the District of Colum bia
have given consideration for a num-
Der of years to the necessity for ad-
ditional schoolhouse Accommodations
in Washington" the report asserts.
"The mass of evidence which has
been accumulated by the committee
convinces the committee that this
legislation giving legal authorization
| for five-year school building pro-
gram is of outstanding Importance and
should be passed at once
Authorization for construction of
combined assembly halls and gym
nasiums in each new building of 16
rooms or more is carried in the bill.
Attention is invited to two i'm
portant considerations. In the first
place there is no request for an as
sembly hall by the school authorities
for an elementary school of less than
16 rooms, or that will not in the i'm
mediate future be enlarged to 16
rooms. Requests are made for the
construction of eight-room buildings
and assembly halls because of great
er economy in building the first unit
Of 16-room building In this manner.
I'm the second place. the request
Is uniformly for a combined assem-
blygymnasium. Testimony of the
necessity for recreation and meeting
facilities in the school buildings has
been given by noted educators from
all parts of the country and the COM
mittee concurs in their views.
Much consideration has been given
to the subject of adequate play
grounds. The committee realizes the
Importance of recreational outdoor
grounds and points out that the pro-
gram contains a limited number of
Items seeking to enlarge certain
school Fairgrounds, and provisions
for the assembly gymnasiums for in
door physical training during those
days and months OF the year when
weather conditions do not permit out
door play.
Those testifying at the hearings
before the several mmittees of
Congress indorsed the policy of
establishment of junior high schools.
The first Junior high school was
established in Washington in 1919.
Since that time seven additional
junior highs have been establish ed,
making a total OF eight such schools.
This bill continues the policy of new
Junior high schools in those sections