Evening star., 1934-05-03
DIFFER ON PUPILS
NOT RESIDENTS
Board of Education Men,
berS Discuss Issue of
Admitting Students.

Board of Education members diff
fer over the advisability of admit
ting nonresident pupils to the Dis
trict public schools, it developed at
the meeting of the school board late
yesterday.
DR.. Frank W. Ballou, superintend-
ent, called attention to the fact that
the boards Legislative Committee
headed by Henry Gilligan, had not
framed a bill designed to settle the
now moot question of non-residents
admission to the schools. Mr.. Gill;
gan declared frankly that his COM
mitee had not been called to con-
slider the question because he, per-
sonally, does not favor a nonresident
ban. He suggested, however, that If
the other members of his COM
mittee-Henry I. Quinn and Charles
Houston-desired to draw such a BILL
they were at liberty to do SO.
Meeting Called.
In brief informal discussion, it
was declined that the Legislative
Committee would meet either with
or without its chairman at pm.
next Wednesday.
Il will say frankly, Mr. Chairman" 3"
Mr.. Gilligan said, addressing Dr.
Hayden johnson, president of the
board, that I haven't called a
meeting of the Legislative Committee
because am not in favor of restrict
ing non-residents.
DR.. Ballou, who had cited the
failure of the legislative group to
oNf hot =,
want to frame a new law governing
non-residentS, it certainly ought to
ask the corporation counsel to draft
one"
The present law just cannot be
administered" DR.. Ballou asserted.
IF the present law cannot be ad-
miniStered," Mr.. Gilligan returned
1--WE ought to ask the corporation
counsel to give us ruling on its pro-
vision, For my part, l believe we
ought to educate every child that's
sent to us. OF course, if it's just
case of clarifying the law, then we
might accomplish something in that
direction, but you, doctor, want to go
beyond that, don't you?"
Ruling Difficult.
Dr. Ballou admitted that the main
issue surrounding the nonresident
pupils legal status "is more than
mere clarification." He said that
time and time again" the school
officials had called upon the cor
poration counsel to rule on questions
of residence and legality of admission
to schools of a child whose status
was not clearly defined, and that
just as many times the corporation
counsel's office had found it i'm
possible to rule because of the con-
fused language in the law.
However" Dr. Ballou continued,
"the fact remains that it costs the
District of Columbia something like
$350,0o0 a year to educate pupils
who are not District children at all.
AS I see it, there is absolutely no
obligation on the people of the Dis
trict to carry this burden and I
would like to see a new law enacted
which would go beyond Qualification
of the present law to real relief of
the District"
Other board members agreed that
something Of that sort should be
considered" and it was then that the
meeting of the Legislative Committee
was called tor next Wednesday.
Adhere to Former Stand.
Acting on a request from the Dis
trict Commissioners for an expression
of opinion on the House bill author
izing the sale of the old Tenley
School to st. AIMS parish for paro-
chial school use, the board voted
unanimously to adhere to its former
stand of objecting to the sale of the
property in view of the possibility of
further need for it for public school
use. In adopting the resolution Of
fered by Mr. Gilligan, the board men,
bers took the position that because
Of increasing enrolment in schools
adjacent to the old Tenley Building
it was likely that classes would have
to be established in the now aban-
doned building The members agreed,
however, that at the expiration of
the present lease which st. AIMS
parish has on the old school property
another lease be executed if desired
by the parish and if no actual need
for the building by the public school
exists
Summer schools this year will open
July and will close August 13, the
board decided in acting in the af-
firmative on DR.. Ballou's recommen-
dation of these dates.
Purchase Approved.
The School Board also voted to
notify the Engineer Commissioner of
its approval, of the purchase of
property adjoining the Corcoran and
the Dent Schools. The lot adjacent
to the Corcoran School can be pur-
chased at present for $4,000 and is
assessed at $3.50. The land ad-
joining the Dent, now assessed at
$2,753, can be purchased for $4,000.
Both tracts are needed for additional
recreational space.
Approving the recommendation Of
DR.. Ballou, the board agreed to hold
It's semi-annual conference with rep
resentatives of civic organizations on
the school budget las soon as the
Senate acts on the 1885 appropriation
bill" The conference is for the pur-
pose of receiving from the organized
citizenry requests and suggestions for
items in the 1886 budget.