Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-23
CONGRESS BLAMED
IN CARUSI LETTER
FOR SCHOOL DELAY
Continued from First Page.)

ator is contained in the fifth section of
DR.. Ballou's report, in which the SUI
perintendent of schools accounts for
each land and building item and indi-
Gates what buildings have been COM
pleted and occupied, what buildings
! have been appropriated for and the
probable date of completion and what
| buildings have not been appropriated
| for, together with such information as
to whether such buildings are still
! needed"
| Commenting upon Senator Capper's
query as to delay In using funds ap-
propriated" or lack of personnel" or
| proper organization" DR.. CaruSi re-
! ferred the Senator to the District Com
missioners.
THE Commissioners of the District Of
Columbia can better advise you"
Carusi said, since the handling OF the
funds and the construction OF build
| ings are carried on under their super
vision It is proper for me to say, how
ever. that the Board of Education is not
aware of any serious administrative
DELAY in the using of the funds appro-
priated for public school buildings that
are not more or less inevitable in such
matters, especially considering the re-
strictiors under which they must
operate"
Continuing his consideration Of the
points raised by Senator Capper, DR..
Carusi declared:
LAS to whether sufficient appropria-
lions have not been made desire TO
AXE the following statement: 1t was
definitely stated when the 5-year school
building program act was passed that
the total cost Of the 5-year program
would be little more than S2O,O00,OOO,
thereby requiring annual appropriations
for buildings and grounds Of slightly
more than 100000 per year. Only in
the appropriations act of 1926, supple
mented by the second deficiency act OF
1925. did the total annual approprla-
ton approximately reach the required
81 900, 600"
The school board president submitted
an itemized table showing the amount
of the appropriations for land and
buildings requested by the school board
and the comparable final appropriations.
The table showed that total OF $18,-
62o. 800 had been requested by the
school board for buildings during the
five-year period covered by the build
ing program. OF this sum, $l4,906,0OO
was submitted by the Commissioners
and $12 ,265 500 was approved by the
Bureau of the Budget. resulting in
final congressional appropriation 1or
buildings.
Requests for Funds Slashed.
Carusi's table indicated that the
school board had made requests for
appropriations for land totaling $7,799,-
400, which the Commissioners cut to
$3,628,130. The Bureau of the Budget
in turn reduced the ground items to
81 .649, $50, while Congress actually APP
propriated $2,096.750.
The total sought by the school board,
it was explained at the Franklin adj
ministration today. does not mean that
the school authorities desired to spend
the full $26,429,230 on buildings and
grounds, but that the requests included
items which were asked for from year
to year.
After calling attention to the school
estimates submitted by the School Board
and the appropriations which finally
were made, DR.. Carusi declared that
under the present system of appropri-
ating money for the District Of Column
bia. including the public schools, 1t
would be difficult, If not impossible, to
say what officer or group of officers is
exclusively and primarily responsible for
the failure to estimate for and to APP
propriate the money required by the
five-year school building program act.
1t is quite obvious. however, that no
fault attaches to the Board of Educa-
ton for failure to originate proper
estimates"
Commenting further on the school