Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-31
COUNTY SCHOOLS
BILL CUT 100000
Senate at Annapolis Passes
Greatly Reduced Montgom-
cry County Measure.
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY,

ANNAPOLIS, Md, March 30.-Ths
bill providing $475,000 for the purchase
of sites and construction of additional
school facilities in Montgomery County,
Nd, recently passed by the House, has
been reported to the Senate by Senator
Eugene Jones of Kensington, an
amount totaling 100000 having been
stricken from the measure. The Sen
ate adopted the amendment.
According to county leaders who
analysed the amendment, scores of
children of Montgomery County, and
particularly those of the metropolitan
district adjacent to the District of Co
lumbia, will be forced to obtain their
education in crowded schools, while the
purchase Of school sites will be put off
for another two years.
Senator Jones amendments also wipe
out the specific projects named in the
bill and leave the building program
entirely with the Montgomery County
Board of Education, with exception of
the purchase of the school sites. which
first must be approved by the board of
county commissioners.
Senator Jones said that the board of
education furnished him with three
schedules, one providing for an APP
preparation of 1897 $50, a second ap-
appropriation of S336,980 for new
schools and sites.
The Montgomery Senator points out
that the House bill provided more than
any of the schedules submitted by the
board of education, and he said that
he tried to get the figure as near the
third schedule as possible.
Discretionary With Board.
He said, however, by his amendment
eliminating the amounts for the specific
projects, he left it discretionary with
the board of education to adopt the
program which would best fit any OF
the three which they outlined to him
The Senator added that he would give
out a statement on the whole legislative
question, at the conclusion of the pres
ent session of the Legislature which ends
Monday night. He would not discuss
his action on any of the other bills
which he has amended in his announced
effort to keep down the bonded indebt-
edness of the county.
The action of the Senator virtually
wipes out the program as passed on by
the Montgomery County Civic Fedora
ton. which, by committee. made a
thorough canvass of the needs of the
county particularly the metropolitan
TGCOHlIIlSIlucQ
sites and new construction. These were
approved by the administration leaders
of the county and were included in the
bill as it originally passed the House.
The civic federation recommended the
purchase OF sites and construction total
ling 1851 900, largely in the metropolitan
district.
Speaker Lees Statement.
It was explained by Speaker E. Brooke
Lee of Silver Spring, county and State
Democratic leader, that the amendment
to the school bill clearly eliminates the
proposed new sites in the Silver Spring
Woodside, Takoma and Alta Vista areas
program, and it approved the program
of the civic federation, the present
reading Of the proposed school board
law makes it appear that the entire
program will have to be revamped ano
the board will have to put the funds
where they are needed most, leaving
other sections entirely unprovided for
One amendment put in by Senator
Jones, in addition to leaving the matter
Of location of new schools entirely with
the board Of education, says that mo
school sites shall be acquired or con-
tracted for by the said board of edu-
of said acquisition by the Board of
County Commissioners of Montgomery
County"
Program Wiped Out.
The program which has been wiped
out is as follows: For the acquisition
Of additional land and the construction
of new building for the Chevy Chase
Elementary School, S140,900; construc-
,tion of additional rooms for the Be-
theSda-C Chevy Chase High School, S57,-
900; construction of additional class
rooms to the East Silver Spring Ele-
mentary School, $4,000; construction
of additional class rooms to the Glen
Echo Cabin John Junior High and Ele-
mentary School, $4,000; enlargement
of class rooms and assembly hall of the
Sherwood High and Elementary School
at Sandy Spring, $4,000; acquisition of
land and the construction of the first
unit of rooms of an elementary school
In the Alta Vista section, S30,500; con-
struction of new building on the pres
ent site or on a new site as may be
determined for the Colesville Elemen-
tary School, $l6,500; construction of
additional rooms to the Glenmount
Elementary School, $4,000; purchase
of furniture and equipment and for
materials Of instruction for schools,
$4,000; acquisition of additional land
for the Bethesda Elementary School.
$26,600; acquisition Of additional land
for the Somerset Elementary School,
$1,000; ACQUISITION of land for an ele-
mentary school in the Chevy Chase Sec
ton, $4,000; acquisition of land for
high and elementary school to
serve the Woodside, Forest Glen and
Four Corners communities, $4,000: ac-
QUESTION of land for an elementary
school at -Four Corners. $4,000; acqui-
sition Of land for an elementary school
to be located south of Wheaton, near
Georgia avenue extended, $10,5O0; ac-
QUESTION Of land for high or an ele.
rnentary school for the town of Tako-
ma Park, to be located south of Sligo
avenue and east of Chicago avenue,
$4,000; for completion of work on the
school grounds of Takoma- Silver
Spring High School. $4,000; construc-
ton Of additional class rooms for the
ing Of portable room for the Chase
Elementary School to the Brighton
Colored School, $500. and acquisition OF
land. moving of portable room from
the Chevy Chase Elementary School
for colored school in the Cabin John
brick yard section, $l,5oo.
Acquisition of Land.
Provision was made for the acqui-
sition of land for the sites proposed fol
new schools and for additions to those
already constructed at this time. i
was said, in order to save thousands Of
dollars In cost to the taxpayers. Those
familiar With the ever-ir1creasing values
of real estate In the county, and par
ticularly in the metropolitan district
saw that the sites. which it was. pro
posed to purchase by the original bill
will cost about double in the next two