Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-07
SCHOOLS
WILL Be INSPECTED
Board to Base Future Action
Toward Buildings on Re-
suits of Project.

Approximately one week will be re-
Quired by the municipal architects Of
fee, probably working with the repair
shop force, to complete the inspection
of the rs portable school buildings now
in use in the District of Columbia, AL
bert D. Harris, municipal architect, said
last night.
The inspection Is that which the
Board of Education decided upon as a
basis for the formation of new policies
which might ban portables here once
they are released from service at their
present locations. The school boards
request that the municipal architect
make the inspection was presented at
the District Building by Harry o. Hine,
secretary Of the Board of Education,
yesterday.
Believes Many Beyond Use.
While he had not received the school
boards request when called by The
Star. Mr.. Harris said the actual exam
nation of the frame one-room struc-
lures probably would be made by the
repair shop force. 1t is that depart
ment in the District government, he
pointed out, which has moved the port
ables from one site to another and
which has repaired them following
storm damage. Because of the famil-
iarity of the repair shop force with the.
structures, Mr.. Harris said 1t was the
logical group to inspect them efficiently.
He added that, in his opinion, many Of
the portables now in use are In such
bad condition that they should not be
moved again.
The inspection of the portables was
inspired by DR.. Frank w. Ballou, super
intendent of schools. who, with every
of4 al hoc
growing concern continued use OF the
frame structures in the face Of the
lucky escapes from injury which pupils
and teachers have experienced in recent
windstorms. Or. Ballou cited these
escapes which were accountable to the
fact that the storms generally struck
either at night or, as on one SPECIFIC
occasion, at lunch hour, and asked the
school board for advice as to the cCn-
tinued use of the portables.
The board requested the inspection
and 1t was agreed that any
action which might lead to the total
disuse of portables here would be based
upon the resultant findings.
PART Time Glasses May Result.
II portables are Withdrawn from use
entirely, 1t will mean that until an
adequate number of permanent school,
houses is constructed the congestion in
The schools must be met with part-time
classes. Under present conditions and
because of the time required in obtain
ing appropriations and in actual con-
one or the other of. these
expedients must be followed,
and DR.. Baflou'S request for advice from
the board sought a decision in the
choice.
Had the five-year school building
program been carried out on schedule
Or. Ballou declares that most II not
ali of our portable schoolhouses might
have been abandoned by the end of'the
coming fiscal year." He points out also
that each Summer witnesses the trans
fer Of portables from one section OF
the city, where they are no longer
needed because of the opening Of per-
manent school buildings, to some other
section where congestion has become
acute. In this way none OF the 70
portables has been abandoned.
Most Of the portables now in use are
near adjoining permanent school build
ings; and, following the last windstorm,
the teachers in charge were instructed
to march their classes out OF the port
able to the main building If in their
judgment an approaching storm seemed
a serious menace. Fourteen portabies,
however. are on isolated Sites" which
are far from permanent schools.
Four to Be Withdrawn in February.
Four of these outpost" portables will
be withdrawn from duty in February,
1880, when the Ben w. Murch School,
now under construction, is opened. This
group is now at Thirty sixth and Eli
colt streets.
The others on isolated sites are: Two
at Tenth and Franklin streets north
east; two at Broad Branch road and
Oliver street; two at Kalmia road and
Fourteenth street, and four at Forty
fourth and Newark streets In Wesley
Heights. It was one of the Wesley
HEIGHTS portables that lost a section of
its wall boarding during the windstorm
in March, and it Is another of this
group in which DR.. Ballou's little daugh-
ter Elizabeth attends school. Besides
these isolated portables, all Of which are
for white pupils, there are two portables
for colored children In the Rosedale
section Of northeast washington.