Evening star., 1926-03-11
FIGHT IS EXPECTED
ON TUITION PLAN
ZihIman and Moore to 0p-
pose Charging Nonresident
Pupils for Schools.

A bitter fight on the floor of the
House was forecast today over the
provision in the District appropriation
bill reported to that body yesterday.
which would make it manda tory for
more than 5000 nonresident school
children now enrolled in the local
schools to pay tuition. The provision
is the most drastic ever framed con-
cerning the nonresident question
which has been an issue in Congress
for more than 20 years and would
likely result in a majority of the
5000 pupils being withdrawn from the
local system.
From time to time Congress has
decreed that Maryland residents send
ing children to the District schools
must pay tuition, but they have gen
orally exempted Maryland residents
employed in the District. The pro-
vision included in the pending appro-
priation bill makes no exemptions and
is designed to net the District gov
ernment $274.000 additional revenue
if the slightly more than 5000 non
resident pupils continue in the schools.
Zihlman to Lead Fight.
Opposition to the provision is likely
20 be led by Representative Zihlman
of Maryland. chairman of the House
District committee. and Representa-
tive Moore of Virginia, both of whom
represent the counties adjoining the
District most affected by the drastic
nonresident provision.
In addition to making it mandatory
for all nonresident pupils to pay
tuition, the pending bill gives the
Board of Education authority to des-
ignate what District schools non
resident pupils can attend.
In short. the nonresident pupils nat
urally desire to attend the border
schools nearest their homes, resulting
in the schools becoming eXtraordi-
narily overcrowded. Not believing this
situation is fair to District pupils, the
Board of Education has held that it
has the right to designate what Dis
trict schools the nonresident pupils
can attend on the theory that most of
them come to the District in street
cars, busses or automobiles, and can
travel farther without undue incon-
venience. =
The nonresident issue was brought
to the attention of the Funk subcom-
mittee of the House District commit
tee through Chevy Chase residents III
terested in the E. V. Brown School.
This school is oVercrowded. The situa-
ton also is acute on the Takoma PARK
border. 1t was the opinion of the mem.
bers of the Funk committee that the
Maryland residents should support
Maryland schools, and it now appears
that if the provision is finally enacted
the Maryland and Virginia resi-
dents will press their States for better
school accommodations in order that
they will not have to meet the tuition
fees exacted by the District.
If the pending nonresident provi-
sion results in the loss of the majority
of the 5000 nonresident pupils now
enrolled it will give the local system
space equaling approximately 10
eight-room school buildings, material
ly relieving the overcrowded condi-
tions in the District proper
Fees Highest Ever Charged.
The tuition fees charged non-resi.
dent pupils this year are the highest
ever assessed due to the recent in-
crease of teachers salaries. At pres
ent but 108 nonresident pupils pay
tuition, they being pupils whose IA
theirs are employed in Maryland and
they net the District Government, but
81 900. Following are the tuition rates
which all nonresident pupils would
have to pay if the Funk provision is
enacted, making it apparent that the
cost would be considerable in families
where there are a number of chill
dren of school age:
Nonresident tuition rates, school
year, 19261927: Normal schools,
$186.02; senior high schools, $116.23;
junior high schools, $91.56; elementary
schools, S6S.SS; special schools, $117.51;
vocational schools, $S3.O4; vacation