Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-04

items which did not appear in the reg
ular school estimates as submitted to 1t
by the District Commissioners, the Btu
reau of the Budget took a direct step
toward the elimination Of at least IA of
the Districts portable schools and it
anticipated a new policy of school con-
struction which, it is believed, will curb
the use of such structures in the flu
ture.
OF the four items for buildings and
the two for school sites thus inserted,
only that of 100000 for the erection
of an eight-room building with a COM
bination gymnasium auditorium at
Northampton street and Broad Branch
road, was listed by the District Com
missionerS and the Board of Education,
and it went to the Budget Bureau on
the supplemental list" The other five
items were not asked for in the esti-
mates.
Despite these insertions, the total
school budget of $13,O28,8lO is S692, 1892
less than the school authorities them
selves had asked for in their regular
estimates.
The Budget Bureaus allowances for
public schools, however, are actually
$29, 1886 more than the District Commits
sionerS had requested for schools in
their final estimates which specified
| $l2,999,425 for this purpose. The
budget as it goes to Congress is even
larger than the tentative school eSti-
| Inmates of the Commissioners, which
called for $13,024,390.
Addition Made to List.
The fact. that the total school budget
! is more than the Commissioners sought
| does not mean necessarily that all the
items which the District government
heads sent forward in their estimates
we're included in the final budget in adj
dition to some which they had stricken
! from the school authorities list. Ac-
tually many items sent forward by the
Commissioners we're either eliminated
or reduced and the increase over their
| figures was obtained by the insertion Of
certain building items which were not in
the estimates. In addition to the reg
ular" estimates. list of supplemental
estimates totaling $1.101 900 for build
ings and grounds, was sent forward to
the bureau by District heads.
The total allowed by the Bureau of
the Budget for new school construction
actually was $2,710,000, representing an
increase over what the Board of Edu-
cation itself asked for of $4,000. The
School Boards estimates had been
pared by the Commissioners to $685.
900, so that the Budget Bureau in
reality allowed a net increase of $375,-
600 for new public school construction.
Besides the item of 100000 for the
eight-room school at Northampton
street and Broad Branch road, which
! was sent forward on the supplemental
list, the Bureau of the Budget inserted
another item of 100000 for construc-
ton of a 12-room addition to the new
Anthony Bowen School at First and M
streets southwest. The establishment
Of the Bowen as a 20-room school would
permit the elimination of the two port
ables now in use at the SyphaX School
in the same section of the city.
The proposed school for the North
ampton street and Broad Branch road
would eliminate two portables now on
that site.
Buildings to Cost $4,000.
The other two building items inserted
in the budget by the bureau and which
were not asked for by District authori-
ties in their estimates, were for two
four-room extensible buildings at
$4,000 each to be erected in Wesley
Heights and at Tenth and Franklin
streets northeast.
At present it is the practice to build
no school smaller than eight rooms,
and these units are so designed that
additions which would increase the
capacity to as many as "a rooms may
be added as enrollments increase. 1t
is also the. present practice to set up
portable school units in groups of two
or four of the one-room frame Struc-
are opened. Permanent school build
ingS are erected only when there is a
sufficient number of school children in
the vicinity to make use of the eight
rooms provided by the initial unit.
The Budget Bureaus inclusion of two
$4,000 items for four-room extenSible
buildings would anticipate the erection
of initial permanent school units much
earlier In the development Of COM
munity. Then, as the school popula-
ton increases, the original four-room
unit can be expanded to the traditional
8. Is, 20 or "a room structure.
The Budget Bureaus apparent EFFORT
to eliminate the present portables and
curb their future use in the District,
comes upon the heels OF the recent
suggestion by DR.. Frank w. Ballou,
| SUPERINTENDENT
may be employed to transport children
of new or outlying communities to
school buildings already erected. This
was proposed as a means of eliminating
the use of portables.
The proposed Wesley Heights four
room building unit would eliminate
four portables, while that at the Tenth
and Franklin streets northeast site
would do away with two.
Would Relieve Congestion.
The school site items which we're in
serted in the budget and which will
aim at the elimination of portable
buildings and the relief of serious con-
gestion, were 100000 for land at Con-
necticut avenue and Jenifer street,
SIS. 900 for land in the Burleith- Glover
Park section and 100000, unSpecified,
which would permit the purchase of
sites for schools included in the five
year building program. The Connecti-
cut avenue and Jenifer street site
would provide future relief for the
now overtaXed E. v. Brown School, the
elimination of two portables now at
that building and facilities for an anti
cipated school population in Chevy
Chase school in Burleith or Glover
Park would eliminate the two portables
now at the Fillmore School at Thirty
fifth and S streets, and would provide
facilities for the rapidly increasing
school population in that section of
thescity.
The budget as presented to Congress
includes an item of 100000 for the
continuation of construction on the new
Roosevelt High School at Thirteenth
and Upshur streets, which will replace
the present Business High School. The
school board had asked for $700. 900 for
this purpose. The budget includes also
an item of 100000 for the completion
of the Alice Deal Junior High School
now under construction in the Reno
+ SactiOn