Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-19
BALLOU OUTLINES
FOURIMPORTANT
SCHOOL PROJECTS
Final Section of Report Cites
Need of Developing Refer
ence Libraries.
FILLING OF BUILDINGS
WOULD END PORTABLES
Superintendent for Additional Cler-
ical Help and Broader
Principal Exams.

school system are mace Dy 1t. cIaLh
w. Ballou, superintendent OF schools,
In his discussion of new projects for
lo3O-31" in the final section OF his
annual report to the Board OF Educa-
ton.
other recommendations are made by
DR. Ballou in the chapters OF the same
section of the report devoted to prof.
ects which are pending following their
initiation prior to and during the last
school year.
The school superintendents recon-
mendations in the new project HELD
are:
/. That the Board of Education con-
slider and take appropriate action look
ing toward the development OF the
senior and junior high school reference
libraries;
3. That the School Board give sys-
tematic attention to the problems OF
keeping school buildings occupied IN
the face of shifting population and
consideration to the possibility OF pro-
yiding bus transportation to school
children, all to the end that the final
abandonment of all portable schools
may be haStened;
8. That the board consider the de-
STABILITY Of formulating a plan for
providing additional clerical help III the
offices Of the supervising principals
where they may render service 70 ele-
mentary school principals, either as
clerks for individual schools or Tor a
group of schools; and
4. That the School Board consider
the establishment of a procedure that
viii make 1t possible for well qualified
persons outside of the local school SEW
Ice to take examinations for admins
trative principalsl1ips in order to over
come the situation arising from an in
guflcient number of c. @iidates within
the system.
Visual Education Program.
In his comment upon pending prof.
ects DR.. Ballou urges furthering OF
the visual education program, consid-
Grafton Of the hiring Of woman labor
ers In the schools to meet the demand
for matrons, and the determination Of
the future policy on the education Of
with respect to his recommendation
concerning junior and senior high
school libraries, DR.. Ballou asserts in
his report that these reference libraries
shave never been adequately provided
with books" The annual approprta-
ton Of $4,000 for reference books was
not intended and could not be ex-
uected TO establish adequate reference
libraries for 8 senior high schools and
10 junior high schools" he adds.
''---a Importance Of the school libra
~, Or. Ballou asserts. "is fully recog-
nized The school library should be
the working library for all students.
It's stock Of books should be sufficient
to provide reference books and sup
Elementary books for the high and
junior high school pupils, who gradual
" are being taught to seek additional
information over and above that con-
tanned in the text books"
The recommendation concerning bus
transportation follows the superin-
tendent's reference to the transporta-
ton now being provided for health and
cripple school pupils Continuing, the
report says:
IF the policy of the board to aban-
don poTtables is to be successfully
carried out at an early date. 1t be-
comes necessary to consider ways and
means Of taking care Of pupils in
those sections where portables have
heretofore been assigned until the
number Of pupils TO be accommodated
would justify the erection Of q per-
manent building.
TN view Of the shifting Of school
population from one section of the city
to another, the enrolment in certain
buildings gradually Is being reduced.
It is believed that the transportation
Of pupils to such buildings would keep
such buildings more nearly occupied
would avoid building small elementary
school buildings which are uneconomi-
cal TO operate, and would be an essen
tial factor in the early abandonment
Of the portables now in use"
Clerical Help Need.
IN his report, DR.. Ballou cites the
growing sentiment in support of the
proposal to provide clerical help in the
elementary schools. The policy of not
providing clerks in these schools. Ballou
declares. was perhaps justifable when
elementary schools consisted of eight
rooms with a teaching principal"
Nov that the elementary school or
ganization has been increased In size
to 10 or more rooms. with an admins
trative principal, and the size of the
division supervised by a supervising
principal has been substantially IN
creased, the clerical work falling upon
each elementary school and on the
once Of the supervising principal has
yreatly increased
Or. Ballou added. however, that in
New OF the expense involved 1t prob
ably is not possible to provide full
time clerks for each elementary build
ing. He recommends, though. that the
board consider the "desirability of for
mulating q plan for providing addi-
tional clerical help in the Office of the
supervising principals, said clerks to
render service 10 individual schools,
either in performing additional work
for individual schools in the Office Of
the supervising principal or by being
regularly assigned to the individual
schools, or both" Such plan, he adds,
may make 1t possible to provide the
necessary clerical help at a minimum
cost
= The rules of the school board provide.
the report asserts, that since last July.
candidates for administrative prin-
cipalShips must possess a bachelor Of
arts degree from an accredited insti-
tuition. This plan. long recognized as
desirable and adopted after its con-
alteration by school officers and the
Teachers Council, was announced q
year before 1t was put into effect, the
report points out. With only i've per-
sons qualified for these positions in
the white schools ct the close Of the
last school year, and only one In the
cOlOred schools, DR.. Ballou asserts that
at Is apparent that the demand for adj
ulinistrattve principals Is greater than
the supply of well qualified persons
within the school system"
Preference TO Be Lifted.
In this same connection, the superin-
tendent points out that beginning in
1883 the preferential consideration Civ
en- graduates Of the local teacher
training institutions viii be lifted and
washington graduates win have to
aa&Dfnpete for their positions on an equal