Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-17
Refuses to Scale $2,O00,000
From Figures, as Directed
by Commissioners.
.$13,972,O00 MINIMUM
NEEDED, CARUSI SAYS
Budget Officers Are Instructed to
Transfer Reductions to Sup
Elemental List.

Declining to make further cuts In
their estimates for the operation of the
District schools for the next fiscal year,
the Board of Education has returned
the estimate to the Commissioners.
The Commissioners announced that
the estimates would be turned over
to Daniel j. Donovan, District auditor,
and budget officers with instructions to
remove from the regular list school
items totaling nearly s2.o0o,o00 to con-
form to the $12,OOO,O00 which they
have agreed must be the school figure
to conform to the cuts made necessary
by instructions from the Bureau of
the Budget.
Certain items designated as of Sec
ondary Importance will be submitted as
supplementals, it was explained at the
District Building.
Charles F. Carusi, president of the
Board of Education, said that the board
had not designated any items as proper
to be included in supplemental es-
innate and issued the following state
ment:
After the conference with the Com
missioners, the Board of Education cut
its estimates of items authorized by law
several million dollars. This was done
in an effort to aid the Commissioners
in keeping down the tax rate and to
enable the total revenues to be fairly
distributed among the various needs OF
the city.
Board Declines to Accede.
"At the meeting of the Board of
Education of September S, commune
cation from the Commissioners was laid
before the board requesting the board
to cut their estimates a further million
dollars and to include the million so
cut in supplemental estimate. After
careful consideration in executive
meeting, the board declined to accede
to this request
'.The estimate as submitted repre-
sented in the opinion of the board the
minimum sum needed by the public
schools and the board feels that as an
independent body, created by Congress
especially for the protection OF the
public school system, no considerations
would justify it in presenting anything
other than an accurate picture OF the
needs of the school system. The final
outcome is in the hands of the d.
rector of the Bureau of the Budget
So far as the Board of Education Is
concerned, 1t, will present its views on
supplemental estimates and what
items should be included in such an
estimate when 1t is called upon by the
Bureau of the Budget to defend the
school estimates.
No Cut, Dougherty Says. .-
Commissioner Dougherty explained
that the action of the Commissioners
in ordering the transfer of about
100000 of the estimates from the
regular budget to the supplemental list
would not actually constitute cut,
as the supplemental list is part OF
the regular estimates and receives equal
consideration at the Budget Bureau.
The only difference between the two,
he pointed out, is that II the Budget
Bureau finds it necessary to make re-
ductions it usually selects those items
in the supplemental list. ~
The original budget of the school
board amounted to S13,972,00O. A re-
duction to nearly $12.000,000 was de-
creed by the Commissioners when the
Budget Bureau returned the tentative
estimates of the District with instruc-
tions to cut it to the figure allotted
the District for the next fiscal year in
accordance with the financial program
of President Coolidge. s'1*
Holds Board Independent.
Mr.. Carusi at various times in open
of the Board of Education
has taken the stand that
the Board of Education is an independ-
ent body and not subject to the di-
rection of the Commissioners. as are the
police. fire and other departments of
the District government. In the face
of the act of 1906. which specifies that
the expenditure of school funds shall
be directed" by the Board of Educa-
ton, his contention has been that an
assumption of authority over school
system finances by the Commissioners
has grown up through the school
boards own lack of exercise of the
powers accorded 1t by law. He has
contended further that school estimates
should be submitted to the Bureau of
the Budget. just as they are prepared
by the Board of Education.
- "a
N