Evening star., 1925-01-16
|NDORSES SCHOOL
BUILDING PROGRAM
District AssociationApproves
5-Year Plan and Urges
Fight for Enactment.

ThesDistrict Public School Associa-
tion put it's stamp of approval on the
five-year school building program at
a special meeting last night in the
board room of the District Building,
and instructed its committee on legis-
lation to use every reasonable means
and its most energetic effort to secure
its Enactment" The resolution in
dorsing the project pointed out that
IT was not inconsistent with the pro-
posed scientific survey of the public
school system by the United States
Bureau of Education.
The debate on the resolution was
featured by an impassioned appeal by
Mrs. Lucy Swanton to adopt 1t minus
the proverbiaI strings" 1T would
be very unfortunate" she said, for
this association to take a weak stand
on the building program. We all
know the condition of our schools. I
don't see why people can't unite on
some definite program. 1t would not
be becoming to this association to
block such an important proposition
as the five-year program with some
thing new"
Mrs. Swanton also admonished the
association that the public had been
given the impression that it is run
by a clique. Let US answer that"
she declared, "by indorSing the five
year program without tying any
strings to it,
Urges Delay on Platoon PLAN
The organization should go slow in
approving the platoon school, Mrs.
Swanton advised. because 1t has not
been discussed thoroughly through
out the city. And the discussions on
1t here" she added, have been one
sided"
Mrs. z. r. Kalmbach said she IA
vored the ffve-year building project
'in principle" but pointed out that
the program attached to every junior
high school provided in 1t the condi
tion that 1t should be built according
10 plans of the Macfarland Junior
High School
How many of you have seen the
hacfarland, with its little, narrow
halls, its red brick interior, and a
great many other undesirable fea-
tureS?" she asked. The Macfar-
land is not a junior high school. Its
most essential feature-an auditor
ium-is lacking.
Favor Compulsory Schooling.
Explaining that the Macfarland was
within the territory of the association
he represented, James G.. Yaden de-
clared, We are proud of that school,"
The original plans, he said, provided
for two wings and a combination
gymnasium and assembly hall, but
they had to be eliminated because
of the lack of sufficient appropria-
tions. Schools built after the orig
inal plans Of the Macfarland will be
good schools"
Brig Gen. Samuel T. Ansell, president
of the association, took the position
that any bill that has so many de-
tails of purely administrative ma
ture as the building program should
be criticized.
How buildings are constructed. he
maintained, should not be deter
mined by legislative action. But I
am for the bill" he said. That does
not mean that it may not or should
not be improved by amendment, and
I take it our Endorsement would not
prevent our accepting reasonable
notifications"
The association also indorsed the
compulsory education bill, which has
passed the Senate and is now on the
House calendar, and Instructed its
legislative committee to work for its
passage.