Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-18
Board Adopts Emergency
Program to Care for
Schools Increase.
2,019 PUPILS TO ENROLL
WITH FACILITIES FOR $50
Third and Fourth Year Glasses to
Meet in Mornings, With Others
Coming in Afternoons.

order to accommodate an anticipated
enrolment of 2,019 students with IA
cilities originally meant to serve 1850.
Under a program adopted by the
Board of Education late yesterday the
school will be placed on q double shift
with third and fourth year classes re-
porting at $3.50 a. m. and the first and
second year classes reporting at 1890
or l p. m.
The same program will prohibit the
enrolment of any new Maryland or
Virginia pupils, with the exception of
the few which will be transferred from
the Gordon Junior High School, nearby.
In taking this action on the recon-
mendation of DR.. Frank w. BalIou, SUI,
perintendent. the school board also
agreed to request the District Com
missioners to seek a deficiency appro-
priation to provide for six additional
teachers for Western High School
In the face Of the enrolment stats
tics, the school board found itself yes
terday with no alternative but to adopt
the emergency program submitted to
1T by the superintendent, its members
declared in open meeting. At least four
board members orally deplored the ne
cessity of taking such drastic and
dreadful course"
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, one of
the most concerned members over the
proposed program, declared that the
only real answer to the conditions
which the emergency measures are in
tended to correct is new senior high
school. DR.. Ballou agreed, pointing out
that 1t was for the relief Of such con-
gestion as that at Western that the
school authorities requested funds for
the purchase of new high school site
north OF Brightwood. This item, he ex-
planned, was stricken from the budget
by the Commissioners before 1t was
presented to the Bureau of the Bud
get.
CurtaiIs Some Activities
In response to queries by board mem
bers, DR.. Ballou explained that the
double shift" schedule will result in
the curtailment of some ACTIVITIES"
including the elimination or shorten
ing of periods allotted to certain minor
subjects, the elimination of the So
called study hours, in which students
are given time to prepare their lessons.
and the elimination from the actual
school day of lunch periods. In the case
of the lunch periods, however, Dr.
Ballou pointed out that the cafeteria
will be operated SO that upon the COM
pletion of the day by the morning
shift" the students may get their
meals.
When the proposal first was made to
have the afternoon shift" go to school
at / p. m. Mrs. Philip Sidney Smith,
board member, pointed out that that
group of pupils will have q school day
which is full hour shorter than that
accorded the morning SHIFT" 1t was
explained by the superintendent that
this division was made because of the
more exacting need of the upper-class
students. o.
Mrs. Doyle, however, contended that
flrst-year pupils have a hard enough
time as it is acclimating themselves to
the new routine of high school life, and
she moved that in the approval of the
superintendent recommendation, the
board instruct him and Stephen E.
Kramer, first assistant superintendent
in charge of high schools, to under
take every means within their reach
under the enforced emergency plan
to afford the freshmen as complete a
school day as possible.
In his address to the board, DIR. Ballou
pointed out that $50 of the 300 chill
dren on Westerns rolls are non-resi-
dent children. Despite the hardship
which the presence of State pupils Is
working on District residents, the school
officials do not propose to eliminate
them from the severely crowded school.
Mr.. Kramer has explained that he
feels the District school system has
"a moral obligation" to provide school,
ing for those children whom it per-
mitted to enter the school, Hence these
$50 boys and girls will not be disturbed
A curb on nonresident children, how
ever, will be found in the order pro-
hibiting the enrolment of any strictly
new" Maryland or Virginia children
at Western.
Increase to Be zig.
The measures adopted by the board
late yesterday are based on the fact
that Westerns enrolment will receive
known net increase of 219 pupils
through promotions from elementary
and junior high schools in its terri
tory. Altogether, 269 children are
scheduled to enter Western February /,
but so already there are expected to
be graduated.
In the discussion which resulted from
DR.. Ballou'S proposal recommended
ton which had the wholehearted sup
port of both Mr.. Kramer and DR.. Elmer
s. Newton, principal of the affected
school-Dr. Charles F.. Carusi pointed
out that in it's efforts to provide new
school accommodations, the School
Board should resort to every means it
can to effect genuine economy. To this
emu, lie asked II IL were I1OG possible |
to erect additions to existing high |
schools more cheaply than new insti-
tutions could be erected.
DR. Ballou replied with an extended |
explanation in which he contended that |
1900 children in u single building |
represents approximately the maximum |
number which should be assembled in |
one school in Washington. The ne
cessity of long distance transportation |
for greater numbers of boys and girls |
makes problems of congestion that in |
volve safety of the children themselves. |
AS far as costs CO. the superintendent |
explained that school structure costs |
so much cubic foot and it doesn't |
make a great deal of difference whether |
the construction takes the form of a |
new institution or an addition to an /
old one"
Continuing he said that the problem |
of building additions to senior high |
schools is further complicated by the |
fact that laboratory equipment and |
rooms now in the buildings were de- |
signed for the use of the maximum /
number of children 1t was expected |
would be enrolled in those buildings. |
The addition of annexeS with the re- |
sultant increasing demand on the lab /
oratories and other special rooms either /
makes existing facilities completely OBJ
solete or makes 1t necessary to repeat |
these facilities in the annex
In response to the superintendent's |
explanation, DR.. Carusi declared
We are all trying to do all ne can