Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-08
SCHOOL PROGRAM HIT BY
SIMMONS AS SELF-RUINOUS
Continued From First Page.)

Letter Of Capper Read.
At the outset of his speech Mr. Sim
1 mons read Senator Capper's letter to
| DR.. Carusi and DR.. Carusi'S reply.
! Copies of both were inserted in the
| record. Mr.. Simmons declared the
school board presidents letter. Inter
/ esting reading, both because of what 1t
says and what it fails to say" He
pointed out that while Carusi stated
| the annual estimated elementary school
| enrolment increase for the years 1926
| 1880 was 800 pupils, and that the actual
| increase for that period averaged /, LAB,
! he failed to call attention to the fact
| that during the last two years the aver
! age was only 683, and that the actual
| increase for the year 1928-29 was only
| $50. These figures, Simmons told the
House, show "a rapid decline in the
school population"
that the board lis not aware" of seri-
Gus administrative delays, the subcom-
mittee chairman checked a list of
buildings and appropriations. so that
the Congress and the people of Wash
ington may judge" He declared:
Money for the school at Fourteenth
and UpShur streets became available
July |, 1923. The contract was let 1912
months later, and Is months after the
the building was 25 per cent completed
Three hundred thousand dollars, to
begin construction of the Roosevelt High
School, became available July /, 1929.
1 am advised that plans cannot be COM
pleted for the Roosevelt (BuSineSS) High
School until additional funds are made
available by Congress for the use of the
municipal architects Office. The school
authorities and the municipal architect
RI advise h
committee and the Congress, when they
appeared before it on the 1880 District
bill, that the plans could not be COM
pleted unless a greater amount than 3
per cent of the $780, 900 appropriated
for this school should be made available
for that purpose. The intervening delay
is due entirely to their oversight. Con-
gress gave them exactly what they asked
for. Work on these plans was aban-
doned when they were about 10 per cent
completed. 1t seems hardly likely that
contract will be made for this build
ing until toward the close of the fiscal
year 1880, If then.
Question of Seriousness.
However. in view of the admission
contained in the letter of DR.. Carusi
and the statement of DR.. Ballou that
they overeStimated the high school
need. and that the asking of funds for
carrying out of the high school part of
the f1ve-year program is being delib-
erately retarded by school officials, 1t is
probable that they do not consider this
delay in starting construction of high
school to accommodate 500 children as
a serious administrative delay In
any event, DR.. CaruSi says that the
Board of Education is not aware of it.
THE initial appropriation of 100000
for the Alice Deal Junior High School
became available July l, 1929. This
building is intended and expected to re-
lieve the congestion at the E. V. Brown
School in Chevy Chase, where there are
eight part-time classes and three por-
tables now in use, and need for seven
additional rooms shown by the school
officials report"
Continuing, Mr.. Simmons said there
is still complaint about the crowded
conditions in the John Eaton School,
from which one portable and six part
time classes will be eliminated with the
completion of the Alice Deal Junior
High School. He contended that delay
in starting the junior high school should
be considered serious" Money to start
its construction has been available for
five months. he said, and the work is
being held up while the Park and Plan
ming Commission determines street
grades and the location of the Fort
Drive.
Declaring it has been his observation
that school officials consider the need
for every building "a serious one until
the money is appropriated" the Con-
gresham said he would suggest that the
citizen groups which have been lobby
ing Congress for more appropriations
for the relief of the Eaton and E. V.
Brown Schools devote their time and
energy to the speeding up of construc-
ton for their relief for which appro-
priations have already been made"
Congress, he added, may be relied upon
to continue appropriations for schools
in that area.
John Eaton School Funds.
Continuing his check of buildings and
their appropriations, Mr.. Simmons de-
clared:
Money for the assembly hall and
gymnasium at John Eaton School be-
came available July l, 1929. 1t is ex-
pected that the plans will be ready by
July /, 1880, and the building COM
pleted by January l, 1881.
Money for an addition to the Bu-
chanan School became available July l,
1929. The contract had not been let
when Mr. Carusi made his reply to Sem
ator Capper. 1t is expected that the
building will be ready IA months after
the money was available. or September
/, 1880.
"The same applies to the Park View
School addition.
Money became available for the
Anthony ]. Bowen School July /, 1928.
The contract was let Is months later,
and it is hoped to have the building
done % months after the appropriation
was available.
Thirteen months elapsed between
July l, 1928, when the money became
available for the assembly hall and
gymnasium at Takoma and the compile
ton of the addition.
THE addition to the Francis Junior
High School and the addition to the S.
j. Bowen School were not completed
until more than IA months after the
appropriations were available.
Fifteen months after the money was
appropriated for the Morgan School the
building was AZ per cent complete.
Fifteen months after the money was
available for the John Quincy Adams
School the building was "a per cent
complete. the Rymond School SO per
cent complete, the Burrville School "a
per cent complete, the Paul Junior High
School 80 per cent complete and the
Murch School 81 per cent complete.
Sixteen months after the Langdon
School funds became available the con-
tract was let. The contractor failed
to complete the building in the required
time, and it is hoped to have it done
80 months after the money was avail
able. .
Mr.. Carusi's letter clearly states that
| there has been no serious adminiS-
| trative delay in eXpending funds apprc-
| priated by Congress. Two years ago