Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-31
Nobody Except Everybody at Fault

Nobody Except Everybody at Fault
Are school building delays to become,
like the weather, something that every
body talks about but nobody does any
thing about? The school officials have
generously exculpated from blame every
BODY concerned, especially Mr.. Simmons
of Nebraska Mr.. Simmons has re-
sponded Enthusiastically by blaming
everybody, except Congress. Now that
Ia over, it would be source OF great
satisfaction to the parents Of children
attending school under unsatisfactory
conditions If a determined effort were
made to remedy what is wrong.
It would be an interesting and a
noble experiment to try to fix response
bility, for one thing, in connection with
acquisition of school sites and school
buildings. Do the school officials have
this responsibility? Obviously not.
They merely recommend to the Com
rnissjoners their idea of what is right
and proper. Do the Commissioners
have the responsibility? Certainly not.
They merely recommend to the Bureau
of the Budget what they consider right
and proper. Does the Budget Bureau
have the responsibility? Under no con-
ditions. The Budget Bureau merely
recommends to Congress what 1T be-
heves is right and proper Do the COM
mittees of Congress have the response
bility? Certainly not. They must take
what the Budget Bureau suggests, the
Budget Bureau merely acts on what the
Commissioners recommend, the Com
missioners merely act on what the
school officials have presented. If the
Commissioners do not accept the school
oficials' recommendations the school
officials are of the opinion that their
hands are tied in the matter. If the
Budget Bureau does not accept the
Commissioners view, the Commissioners
believe that their hands and their
tongues are thereby tied by budget
practice.
After Congress appropriates the
money, what happens? The District
Building must purchase the sites. The
District Building cannot buy a site at
q price that exceeds an arbitrarily
fixed maximum in relation to the as
sessment figure Thus the matter Of
the purchase of the site may go into
the courts. If the courts decide the
price is higher than Congress thought
Il ought to be, the matter must be de-
layed until Congress agrees with the
courts. Once the site is bought, how
ever, and the money Is appropriated for
the building, there must ensue delay
until the beginning Of the fiscal year
when the municipal architect can draw
his plans. He cannot draw them all
at once. And in one particular in
stance of delay cited by Mr.. Simmons,
the architects plans were delayed while
the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission and the officials at
the District Building agreed between
them as to certain grades in the locality
Of the school building. Then the Fine
Arts Commission must approve the
plans before the bids for construction
are advertised or the contracts let. Oc-
casionally there will be some delay while
the Commissioners decide whether the
work on such local contracts must 60 to
an out-of-town low bidder, constituent
Of some influential Congressman on the
Hill, or whether 1t can 60 where it be-
longs, to a contractor employing local
labor.
The schools have business man
ager, or co-ordinator. But he is a
school ofhcial, not a District Building
ofhcial. He may endeavor to co-or-
dinate District Building activities and
school activities, but he has no authority
70 force coordination.
One Is uncertain whether to agree
with the school officials and blame no.
body, or with Mr.. Simmons and blame
everybody. Possibly both are right, and
everybody should be blamed although
no one is at fault The best thing
that may be hoped for is that the an
nual debates over what is wrong will
be suspended while the wrong is righted
and some person or committee given
direct responsibility in meeting the
building needs of the schools, and be
held duly accountable.