Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-25
new SCHOOL ISSUE
|. RAISED BY CARUS|
IN HOUSE HEARING
Agreements Between Officers
and Congress Committees
Held Not Binding.
CRITICISM NOW SHIFTED
TO BOARD OF EDUCATION
Building Delays, Employment of
Clerks and NONRESIDENT Stu
dents Considered.

Contention by DR.. Charles F. Carus
that the Board Of Education, which h,
heads, is not bound by agreement,
reached between school officers and
committees of Congress in execrtiv.
hearings on school estimates has intro.
duced a brand-new issue into the Dis
trict school controversy, which viii
reVerberate on the floor of the House
itself. 'D>
This is revealed in the report on the
hearings held by the House subcorn.
mittee on appropriations January u
70 10 and made public by Representa-.
i've ROBERT G. Simmons of Nebraska
chairman, last night.
BallOu Agreement Cited.
Debate over the refusal by the Board
OF Education to eliminate the under
age kindergarten in the Webster Amer.
lcanlzation School in accordance with
an agreement made by DR.. Frank w
Ballou, superintendent, and his STAFF
during hearings on the 1891 bill a yea1
ago led to the major question Of
whether the School Board is to be
pound only by formal legislation OF
whether agreements reached in confer
ence are TO have any bearing on the
III.
Mr.. Simmons told The Star last night
that he will open this whole question
on the floor of the House when he
makes his formal report to that BODY
The Board OF Education, he said, is
the only department of the Govern
ment he knows which sends its respon.
sible agents to defend its budget es-
Inmates and then claims not to be
bound by the testimony which such
agents give.
The effect of this move in public
school circles Of the District is to
transfer the brunt of the criticism
which has been directed by member
OF Congress at school officers, headed
by DR.. Ballou, to the Board of Educa-
ton itself
Mr.. Simmons said last night, with
reference to what he called an outright
violation OF agreements made with
House and Senate conferees, that he
was convinced DR.. Ballou had made re-
peated efforts to carry out the terms OF
the agreement with respect to all Of
the under-age kindergartens He cited
DR.. Ballous specific recommendation
to the school board that the Webster
under-age kindergarten be closed alone
with the other four and referred to the
school superintendent second effort to
have the Board of Education eliminate
that class.
Other highlights of the recent school
budget hearings included discussions
centering about delays in school build
ing construction in the District. the
employment Of six additional clerks in
various departments of the system, and
the status of nonresident pupils at
tending local schools, with particular
reference to their responsibility for ex-
iSting congestion.
Simmons Questions HaycOck.
The issue of the school boards re-
sponslbiIty to agreements arrived at
oy school officers with the House ap-
preparations subcommittee was brought
TO the front when DIR. Carusi thrust
himself into testimony being presented
by Robert L. Haycock, assistant super
intendent of schools in charge of ele-
mentary buildings. Mr.. Haycock was
being questioned by Representative
Simmons about the school boards fail
ure to eliminate the so-called under
age kindergarten" at the Americaniza-
ton School
Addressing Mr.. Haycock, Mr.. Sim
mons said he had been told that you
still had some of the under-aee kim
dergartens in the District schools" Mr..
Haycock admitted that there was one
left in the Americanization School
which was not closed because the
Board OF Education, after considering
all the factors involved, voted that that
kindergarten remain Open"
May I ask" Mr.. Simmons queried,
did the Board of Education consider
the factor that there was an agreement
between the school officials and the
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