Evening star., 1928-12-14
S15,0l,D)) ASKED
BY SCHOOL BOARD
Dr.. Carusi Puts Financing of
Second Five-Year Program
Up to Citizens.

Fifteen million dollars will be required
to finance the proposed second five-
year school building program which the
Board of Education hopes to present to
the current session of Congress.
This was indicated by DR.. Charles F.
Car1lsi. president of the Board of Edu-
cation, in his address to the representa-
tfves of the civic and trade bodies meet
ing last night with the school authori-
ties in the Franklin Administration
Building, in which he declared it would
take that amount, "in round numbers, to
provide your public school system with
adequate buildings and equipment"
Declaring that cities comparable in
size to Washington spend more than
one-third Of their toa1 annual munich
pal revenue on their public schools, DR..
Carusi said the District should be able
to allot $l4,00o,000 year to its school
needs on the basis Of the present $1.70
tax rate and the annual 100000
lump-Sum contribution Of Congress.
Estimating the school systems operat-
ing expenses at 100000 for 1881
and several subsequent years, the presi-
dent Of the Board of Education con-
tended THAT an, annual expenditure OF
$3.0o0,000 for buildings and grounds
curing II uFe-yedI peElOO WAA Wing IAAC
school system up to date.
Put Up to Taxpayers.
DR.. Carusi contended it was for the
Washington public to say whether such
a program should be sought. and in
order to determine public opinion on the
matter he put a definite question to the
civic group representatives at last
nights conference, which, he said, he
wanted to be carried back to the repre-
sented organizations for definite action.
The question, one of two asked. was:
do the citizens and taxpayers OF
washington desire that in addition to
the sum necessary to provide for the
current expenses Of the public school
system for 1891 there shall be added /
the sum of $4,000 900 for buildings and
grounds, provided the total Is not in
excess Of one-third Of the toal revenue
of the District of Columbia from all
sourceS?"
The second question which Dr. Carusi
out tSp the citizens seeks public opinion
on tie boards contention that its fun
estinI teS be submitted to the Bureau
of trI Budget rather than the estimates
which are pruned by the Commission
ers, 81 at present. The second question
follovE:
"DT the citizens and taxpayers of
WeshikTon desire that the Com
missio19 Yrs shall transmit to the Fed
eral Ellreau of the Budget the esti-
mates hs prepared by the Board OF
Ecucatku, with such recommendation
by the Commissioners as to the maxi
mum to be allowed as, In the light
of other needs of the District, the Board |
Board Is Commended.
Each of these questions was given to |
the assembled citizens in mirneographed /
form, so that when the various aSsocia- |
lions come to debate them and to frame |
their answers there will be uniformity |
In their action.
DR.. Carllsi's orderly presentation OF |
the situation involving the school sys-
TEN and its dif1cultieS and his assign
ment of the two questions. which, as
one delegate declared from the floor,
has given US more to take home TO
our associations than any previous con-
ference we've had with the school au-
thorities," provoked the adoption OF a
resolution commencing the Schcol
Board for its efforts on behalf OF the
Improvement of the school system.
Following DR.. Carusis address, DR..
Frank w. Ballou, superintendent OF
schools, presented a statement OF the
school items which the Board OF Edu- |
cation ha0 included in its estimates and
their final status when the budget was !
sent to Congress. Il
In his address DR.. Carusi declared |
that while no city in the world has
finer municipal buildings, streets and
parks than washington, the Capitals
schools, up to six or seven years ago.
were behind other cities. He said he
believed this condition existed because
In self-governing cities popular de-
mand constitutes a mandate that must
be heard and obeyed; and the demand
for public education is essentially q
popular demand
"Cities comparable In size to WASH
tngton have demanded that more than
one-third of the entire municipl reve-
nue. shall be spent on their public
schools Dr. Carusi said. "Thirty-five
per cent is nearer the average than
80 1-3 per cent The position taken
by the Board of Education is, that until
we are on an equal footing with other
municipal activities. and only until then,
our children should have the benefit of
the expenditure of not less than one
third of the total income OF the Dis
trict from whatever source derived.
Expense Over s10,Ooo,OOO.
sour normal operating expense is
something over $l0,0O0,000. Allowing
for growth, it Is not likely to exceed
$II,O00,00O for 1891. Add to this So
100000 year for rfive years and we will
be up-to-date and able to keep at an
annual expense Of $l1 900, 900 or $12,-
100000 for quite some years to come.
Eleven million and three million are
IA million, and $4,000 900 Is SO Ia per
cent Of $4,000, ,000,a and $4,000, 900 Is
just one-half million dollars less than
the Board of District Commissioners
estimated for the District for 1880 on
the basis of a tax rate of $1.70 and
100000 contribution from Congress"
The president of the Board Of Edu-
cation cited the Budget Bureaus action
in cutting the Commissioners estimates
to $40,000,000 for regular estimates and
S2,500OO0 for supplemental estimates,
declaring that the public schools bore
the brunt of the, cut. The Comn1is-
sicners, he said, cut the regular public
school estimates to $i2,000;O00 and sub
Initted regular estimates for the depart
ments under their control Of S28,0o0.000.
There is nothing surprising about
that" Dr. Carusi told the citizens, "It
has been going on always in Washing
ton. That accounts for the backward
condition of our public school system"
Commenting on the SIS, ,000, 600 fig
Ire as that which he said is needed to
bring the school system up-to-date, DR..
Carusi declared it included items which
may be debatable, some the Bureau
OF the Budget might disapprove, or the
committees Of Congress might disap-