Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09
School Heads Refuse Invita-
ton of Commissioners to
Sit With Them.
DR.. BALLOU AUTHORIZED
TO ATTEND SESSIONS
Superintendent to Be Present Only
in Informative Capacity, With
out Official Advisory Power.

The Board of Education formally has
declined the invitation of the District
Commissioners to sit with them when
they consider the 1881 school estimates
in an announced three-day session be-
ginning tomorrow.
In its action the board was actuated
by the contention that it "acted finally"
on the estimates when it sent them to
the Commissioners early last month for
transmission to the Bureau of the
Budget.
At the same time, the board author
lied DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superin-
tendent of schools, to attend the Com
missioners' declarations in a purely "in-
formative" capacity. The board gave
DR.. Ballou no power to advise the Com
missioners in the event that body sought
to alter the estimates sent to them by
the school authorities, but instructed
him to supply any information the
Commissioners may desire.
Fuel Problem Solved.
This dual decision by the Board of
Education In relation to the 1891 esti-
mates was reached almost simulta-
neously with the decision of the Com
missioners last Wednesday to authorize
a deficiency appropriation for additional
coal, gas and electricity for the school
buildings, the absence of which con-
fronted the school board with the pos
sible necessity of closing the city's
schools for want of fuel, thus solving
problem arising out of the slashing
OF the 1880 estimates, 1t became known
yesterday.
The school board, at its meeting May
IS, decided to ask the Commissioners
for a deficiency of $4,000 for fuel for
the remainder of the school year. Last
Wednesday. the day of the board meet
ing subsequent to the May Is session,
the Commissioners informed the school
authorities In two-page typewriter
letter addressed to DR.. Ballou, that they
were without authority to allow such a
deficiency. The letter, among the list
Of communications received by the
board at the last meeting, cited a law
enacted IN 1906 governing expenditures
OF funds by various departments of the
Federal Government as authority for
the Commissioners refusal to allow the
additional funds.
Wilmarth Predicts Results.
Maj. r. O. Wilmarth, an assistant
superintendent in charge of business
affairs, Immediately informed the Com
miSSionerS that an actual emergency
existed In the schools and that unless q
deficiency was allowed, electrical cur
rent for all school machine shops and
for school lighting, gas for the domestic
science and laboratory classes would be
unavailable. necessitating virtual clos
ing Of the schools.
With this explanation in hand, the
Commissioners reconsidered and noti-
fed the school board prior to its meet
ing that afternoon that a deficiency
not to exceed $1,000 would be granted.
This amount. Maj. Wilmarth said last
night, probably will be adequate for
the schools for the remainder of the
school year. since weather conditions
and the demands for light and electrical
current had fallen short of the esti-
mated needs of nearly a month ago.
1t happens that the deficiency
authorized by the Commissioners cor
responds exactly with the amount cut
by the Bureau of the Budget a year
ago from the estimates under which
the schools now are operating. The
sum, which the school authorities had
requested for light, heat and power,
was not altered by the Commissioners,
who transmitted that item to the
Budget Bureau just as 1t had been sent
by the school board. In its consid-
Grafton Of the estimates for the cur
rent year. however, the Budget Bureau
(ContinIIed on page s Column Al