Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-20
SCHOOL PROBLEMS
BEFORE CHAMBER
Educational Committee Urges
Adoption of Fairfax General
Plan of Consolidation.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


FAIRFAX, Va, March 2O-The
education committee Of the Fairfax
County Chamber of Commerce will ask
the chamber at its next meeting to in
dorSe and call special attention to the
All Club rally and county health day
program, to be held on the fair grounds
May 3. 1t is hoped to focus county
wide attention on this program and in
sure large attendance of adults.
The countrywide educational prob
lens were presented to the committee
by Supt. Woodson and Trustees Will
liams and McCandlish of the school
board. The committee voted to ask the
chamber to indorse the general plan
of consolidation of both elementary and
high schools wherever feasible, no par
ticular schools or localities being cited
in the recommendation, although the
committee discussed at length the
situation existing in several districts
where consolidation Is of more than
theoretical interest at present. The
report of the State survey committee
was studied to some extent as well as
the comparative per capita cost of high
school instruction in the different
schools as outlined by Supt. Woodson.
Vocational High School.
The committee voted to ask the
chamber to study the need for county
vocational high school, located approx
mately in the center of the county. 1t
is hoped through the medium of the
Chamber of Commerce to focus public
attention on this problem.
The WarmeSt arguments OF the SeS-
sion came over the discussion OF the
need for additional school facilities in
the southern section of the county. A
resolution offered by Herbert Williams
was changed and amended 10 times
before finally carried in a form rad1-
cally different from its first introduce
ton This resolution provides that the
education committee OF the chamber
requests the county school board to in
proyement of school conditions in the
county, especially on the south side"
Opinions varied greatly among the
members as to the need or ACCESSIBILITY
of such a move, several stating that
funds are not now available and the
time Is not ripe to start definite
building program; others that the
Chamber of Commerce should not IN
terfere In what Is primarily a respon-
sibility of the county school board; stu
others maintained that school condl-
tons in the southern districts are not
as bad as pictured and that no improve
ment can be made until the number OF
children increase sufficiently to justify
units of not less than $50.
Taxes Now Levied.
George Smith argued that increased
school taxes are now levied on these
districts, but no steps have been taken
to provide improved facilities. Williams
pointed out that whatever action is
taken, 1t will take long time to get
the actual schools after the machinery
has been set In motion, and he felt
an immediate start should be made to-
ward the adoption of co-ordinated
plan.
williams emphasized that there wa
no thought In his mind that take
should be increased. He felt that wha
construction is found necessary imme
diately could be handled by means OF
temporary loans until arrangements car
be made to secure literary loans from
the State.