Evening star., 1933-08-27
KEYSTONE STATE
FACES TROUBLES
NHUBLC SCHOOLS
Beset With Financial Difficult
ties Which May Interrupt
Education.
BY WALTER D. ROOS.
specisl Dispatch to The Star.

Specisl Dispatch to The Star
HARRISBURG, Pa, August 26-The
centennial year of Pennsylvania s public
school system finds 1t beset with finan-
cial difficulties which may interrupt the
education of some children before next
Spring.
More than 2,100,O 900 boys and girls
will respond to the first school bell in
the first week of September Each of
the 1887 school districts in the State
will open its schools with at least the
minimum educational requirements Of
fered, but it is anticipated some of the
financially distressed districts will be
unable to keep the schools open
throughout the Winter with the re-
sources now in sight.
Depression-born financial difficulties
and the Presidents Unemployment
agreement under the N. r. A. have COM
bined to multiply the problems of many
OF the districts. which barely staggered
through the school year which ended
last Spring.
Two Sources Of Finance.
Pennsylvania schools are financed
from two sources-local taxes levied on
real estate and State subsidy payments.
Dwindling tax receipts In hart-hit in
dustrial and agricultural districts have
handicapped school directors in increas-
ing numbers. The semi-annual pay
ment Of State aid due this Fall has
been drawn in advance by att districts.
most OF them IN the bituminous field.
In a number Of these districts, and
some others where the depression hit
latest, the available funds are expected
to be exhausted by January or Febru-
ary. unless emergency funds are pro-
vided to tide them over until the Spring
payment of State aid is due
Because Of the short budgets, most Of
the districts are cutting the school pro-
gram for this year to the bone. Not all
buildings will be opened in some dts
tricts; not all Of last years 81, 100 teach
ers will be employed.
With fewer teachers and less space
available, the curriculum viii be re-
strfcted. with many optional courses
dropped for The year. High school
classes Will not be available to students
h some districts which maintain no
high school of their own and have not
been able to pay the tuition for their
neighboring districts
But the real complication arises from
the expectation Of sharp increases IN
elrollments, despite the availability Of
fewer teachers and fewer buildings
The N. r. A. employment agreements
are contributing to this problem.
More Pupils Seen.
The codes prohibition against hiring
persons under Is years win force thou
sands Of children into full-time classes.
State laws permit children from II to
Is years TO work II they attend school
q minimum Of eight hours weekly, but
fall-time attendance Is required If they
are not employed. The continuation
schools for these part-time pupils will
be abandoned, except where girls in
domestic service and boys working on
farms are numerous enough b require
they remain open. approximately
20, 900 students from these schools will
be returned to full-time classes, already
overcrowded, and the thousands who
normally would enter the part-time
schools this Fall also will remain on
the time rolls
These former working children for
the most part will enter the high school
(junior or senior classes, which have
been larger than usual in recent years.
High school graduates Of 1882 and 1888,
unable to find employment and unable
to 60 to college, are expected to apply
for postgraduate work The high
school population is expected to be the
largest in history.