Evening star., 1936-03-07
SCHOOL EXPANSION
PROGRAM DRAFTED
by FINANCE GROUP
8 New Junior High Schools
and Expansion of Six
Buildings Asked.
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
WINS PRAISE FOR BALLOU
Superintendent Shows White
Junior Units Now Have Excess
Enrolment of 1873 Pupils.

Eight new Junior high schools, ex-
pansion Of six present buildings and
the transfer Of eighth grade pupils into
junior high schools were voted yester-
day by the Finance Committee of the
Board of Education as part of the
proposed five-year building program
for the school system.
The action was taken at a special
session at the Franklin Administration
Building and will be reported to the
whole board at the next meeting. Three
members of the board, in addition to
the committee, agreed to the program.
After the presentation Of statistics
to show the needs of the schools at
present and the contemplated growth
to June 80, 1912, DR.. Frank w. Bal
lou, superintendent, was praised by
several members of the board for his
comprehensive and convincing sum-
nation of the needs of tho present
over-congested system.
George M. Whitwell, chairman of
the Finance Committee; John H. Will
son and Robert A. Maurer were lib
eral in their complimentary statements
to the superintendent.
1,73S High School Excess.
DR.. Ballou showed that the white
Junior high schools now are accom-
modating an excess in enrolment Of
1,738 pupils. BY 1912 that excess was
fixed at 1923, judged by present popu-
lation trends.
In the colored junior high schools
the existing over-capacity enrolment
is 684 and the anticipated excess is
1886 pupils.
To meet the need of this natural
expansion DR.. Ballou recommended the
following new schools:
A building in Southwest Washing
ton to accommodate CPS. Gan appro-
priation for $4,000 toward total ex-
penditure of S575,000 has already been
made available. but the purchase Of
the proper site has been baked in
spite of two court condemnation at
tempts.)
A new school for 1900 pupils in the
vicinity of the Wheatley School, Mon
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Another for 1900.
A school for 1900 near Massachu-
sets avenue and Macomb street.
A school for 600 on Sherman avenue
south of Columbia road
A school in Cleveland Park for 625.
A school near Nineteenth street and
Columbia road for 1900.
A school in the vicinity of Kansas
avenue and Gallatin street for 1900.
In addition to all these. DR.. Ballou
asked that another new school be con-
structed in Anacostia for from 600 to
800 pupils, to be used either as a Junior
or senior high school to augment the
present Anacostia school that Is now
being completed.
Whether it is to be a junior or senior
high school, he recommended, should
be determined by enrolment. The
present school will take care of one or
the other Of the two groups.
Other Land Sought.
Additional land for the development
of physical training facilities at Powell
and Terrell Junior High Schools also
was cited by Ballou as necessary. The
board approved both proposals.
Additions to the following present
buildings also were asked by the super
intendent:
Deal, 800 pupils; Eliot. 300: Browne,
291; Francis, 400; Randall, $50, and in
addition new facilities for recreation
and sanitation at Terrell and Shaw.
The plan also called for the transfer
of ninth grade pupils now in the COL
ored high schools to the proposed new
junior high schools.
Because some schools accommodate
elementary pupils, DR.. Ballou ex-
planned, other transfers will be asked
when the program for elementary
schools Is presented to the board.
When DR.. Ballou presented the
needs for the vocational schools, his
recommendations were approved, but
with the provision that notifications
may be made in case the boards spe-
cial committee on vocational education
wishes it. Henry Gilligan is chairman
of the special committee.
Bill Now Pending.
The District of Columbia Vocational
Education Association has made a Sc
ries of proposals to the board to i'm
prove the occupational education sys-
tenn and bill is pending in the Senate
to raise the classification of the
schools from elementary to Junior
high school level.
DR.. Ballou also pointed out that one
of the needed vocational provisions
a new Dennison schools being taken
care of in the pending House bill for
1887 appropriations.
DR.. Ballou at the next meeting will
take up the needs for the elementary
school system. At the same time he is
expected to present to the legislative
committee the language necessary to
authorize the improvements accepted
yesterday by the Finance Committee
and for which board approval is antic-
ipated.
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