Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-13
BACK DR.. BALLOU
IN SCHOOL MOVE
Burroughs Association Is
Behind Junior High School
Proposal.

The Burroughs Citizens Association Is
squarely behind the Board of Education
and DR.. Frank w. Ballou, supedntend-
ent of schools, on the proposal for a new
Junior high school in the Burroughs Sec
ton, Kenneth p. Armstrong, president
of the association, declared today in q
statement explaining the criticism of Or.
Ballou by some members Of the associa-
ton at last Monday nights meeting.
Declaring that reports OF the criti-
cism have been misleading, Mr.. Arm
strong today outlined the Burroughs
Citizens Associations attitude on the
school situation in that neighborhood
Mr.. Armstrong; statement follows, in
part:
1.-THE Burroughs Citizens Association
is squarely behind the Board of Edu-
cation in its support Of the item which
was recommended for the 1892 budget
to begin the construction Of a junior
high school in the Burroughs neighbor-
hood. We realize that it does not solve
the problem of the shortage of ele-
mentary school rooms north of Rhode
Island avenue, but 1t does offer the
opportunity to get some space which
can for q time at least be used for the
overflow of elementary grades from the
John Burroughs School. The monu-
mental blunder of the school admins
tration in building the Langdon School
nearly twice as large as was necessary
to accommodate the pupils which use it
is an accomplished fact, and cannot be
undone. It Is still possible, however,
to provide adequate facilities for the
rapidly growing Burroughs territory,
and the junior high school offers q
temporary solution. II It is followed, as
It should be, by the construction of q
new elementary school building in the
newer part Of the Burroughs section,
our problems viii be solved.
IF some Of the members OF the Bur-
roughs Citizens Association are prone
to criticize DR.. Ballou and the school
authorities, 1t Is because Of these past
mistakes, and the secrecy and misrep-
resentation which accompanied the
original proposal to transfer the seventh
and eighth grades. For this neither DR..
Ballou nor his subordinates are wholly
to blame, except in their failure to make
proper estimates OF the future growth
of the community. The actions Of
few individuals in the Langdon and
Woodbridge sections who selflshly en-
deavored to secure maximum OF school
facilities for their own neighborhoods
at the expense Of the Burroughs sec
JtOl1 lld0 u BACNb 0CoA w w W%SAA
ent situation. 1t was not until the
Burroughs people organized citizens
association OF their own that they had
any effective voice with either the
school authorities or the District gov
eminent.
1.-THE Burroughs Citizens Association
strenuously opposed the transfer Of the
seventh and eighth grade pupils from
the John Burroughs to the Languon
School, even to the extent Of holding
a protest meeting which was at
tended by some 500 persons. Many OF
the parents favored a strike and en-
deavored to get the association to spon-
sor some such action. The association,
however, took no official action which
in any way led countenance to the acts
Of the few parents who did send their
children to the John Burroughs School
on the day when they were supposed to
go to Langdon."