Evening star., 1936-09-13
TERM'SF|RST DAY
FINDS ONLY FEW
ADDED FACILITIES
1900 Estimated Increase.
Admission Tickets for New
Pupils Required.
ADVANCE APPLICATIONS
ARE NEEDED FOR SOME
Night Schools Also Open Week
From Tomorrow-New Admin
istrative Staff at Helm.

With school population growing
more rapidly than new physical 1acnl-
flies. washington will have its greatest
public school congestion when class
rooms open Monday, September
21. For the first time. enrolment
delayed a week more than usual is
expected to reach or exceed l0O,ooo
pupils.
Last year saw the city's overcrowded
class rooms house an increase that
Jumped from $4,000 in September,
1884. to better than $4,000 when the
1886 school year got under way. An
additional 1000, in round numbers,
asked for and were given enrolment
before the year ended last June.
Statisticians for the system esti-
mate that if normal increases are fol-
lowed at least 1000 more may be ex-
pected next week, and with the delay
of a week in opening even more may
come in.
This increase comes at the end OF
q fiscal year that has seen the least
new construction of physical facili-
ties for several years. Except for
new wing at the Anacostia Junior
Senior High School, only 26 class
rooms have been added to the system.
These represent 18 Junior high school
rooms and only 8 for elementary
pupils.
Wing to Be Ready.
The added wing at Anacostie will
be ready for use when the term opens.
The other additions are 10 rooms
and gymnasium at Eliot Junior High
School, 8 rooms at Randall Junior
High and the new Bundy School of
class Rooms and practical arts rooms,
on the site Of the former Cook School,
destroyed by fire.
At the same time only 55 new teach
ers were authorized for the coming
school year, some of whom cannot be
employed until after the midyear
graduation and promotion period.
Some progress, however, was seen
ahead, since the current appropriation
bill will take care of an expansion
and modernization of Eastern High
School and also authorizes additions
to Lafayette, Hardy, Truesdell, Grimke
and Young Elementary Schools; new
girls vocational school to replace the
Dennison School; additions at Paul
and Deal Junior High Schools, and
completion of the Anacostia School.
Administrative Staff Changed.
Except for DR.. Frank w. Ballou,
superintendent, the new school year
will be launched by an entirely new
administrative staff. That does not
mean that Robert L. Haycock is, by
any means, new to the system, but
this will be the first year of his long
service in which he will serve as
first" assistant superintendent.
Haycock, veteran head of the ele-
inentary schools, was given the pro-
motion upon the death of DR..
Stephen E. Kramer last Spring. DR..
Kramer had been first" assistant in
charge of junior and senior high
schools. the teachers colleges and the
vocational schools.
Haycock is the first man ever to
hold the position as first assistant and
head of the elementary schools. His
advancement was, in fact, an advance
ment for the elementary schools as
well as a recognition of his long serv-
ice to the children of the District.
DR.. Kramer's passing came just as
plans had been carried out to take
from his shoulders some of the heavy
responsibilities he carried SO valiantly
for so many years. Two men now
share the tasks he formerly met.
DR.. Harvey A. Smith, principal of
Central High School, was stepped up
to be an assistant to Dr. Ballou, in
charge Of the teachers college and
the senior high schools.
DR.. Chester w. Holmes, principal of
the new Anacostia Junior-Senior High
School and originator of the mo home
work" experiment, was advanced to be
assistant superintendent in charge of
Junior high and vocational schools.
Central Principalship Untitled.
The promotions left both principal
ships vacant and only that at Ana
costa has been filled. John Paul
Collins, who has served formerly as
principal of Langley Junior High, was
stepped up to the post. The Central
principalship, one of the most coveted
posts in the system, remains vacant,
but probably will be filled within the
next week.
Linked with the promotions was
the end, through the efforts of former
Representative Blanton, of the charac-
ter education experiment. The sue
cess of Blanton's efforts to end the
experiment left the schools without
funds to continue the work done
during the last two years.
It also meant the retirement of
Miss BERTHE Backus, who directed the
work, from the assistant superin-
tendency she held for two years. At
her own request, the Board of Edu-
cation returned her to the principal
ship Of the Alice Deal Junior High
School.
Miss Backus replaced Mrs. Margaret
Merritt, who was transferred to Taft
Junior High School. Mrs. Merritt, in
turn, replaced Harry Baker, jr,, who
was sent from Taft to Langley as
successor of Collins.
Other Places Open.
There remains open assistant
principalships at both Theodore
Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson High
Schools and some of those involved
In the series of transfers are believed
/. to be under consideration for these
Jobs.
When the schools open week from
1see SCHOOL OPENING, Page H-5)