Evening star., 1937-03-30
PLAYCROUNDFUND
REDUCED $97,565
Bill Provides Transfer of
Many Activities to School
System.

funds Of the District Fairgrounds De-
partment and transfer OF major por-
ton of them to the public schools sys-
tenn is proposed In the 1888 District
budget reported to the House today.
BY action on an appropriation meas
ure. the Collins subcommittee Of the
House Appropriations Committee
seeks to achieve a partial uniflcation
Of the Districts recreation program,
which has been under study for more
than = year and a half by a co-ordi-
mating committee.
Having sharply interro9ated both
Miss Sibyl Baker, supervisor of the
District Playground Department, and
Lewis r. Barrett, co-ordinator of rec
reation, the Collins committee pro-
posed that 16 OF the municipal play
grounds and SO of the regular staff Of
the department be shifted to the Com
munity Center Department Of the
public schools system
Adoption of the change would mean
a great enlargement Of the Com
munity Center operations and that the
District Playground Department would
go under an eclipse
Salaries Of 397,565 Involved.
Salaries Of $s7,565 would be in
volved in the transfer of the fol-
lowing Fairgrounds from the Play
ground Department to the Community
Center unit Of the public schools:
Gallinger. Raymond, Twin Ooaks,
Logan, Monroe, Rose Park, Potomac
Avenue, Garfield, Hoover, Montrose,
Park View, Sherwood Barry Farms,
Banneker Recreation Center Howard
and the Randall.
During hearings on the BILL" said
the Collins report, the committee
gave much time and consideration
to the advisability of consolidating
all public playground activities. The
consensus was that the coordination
of playground activities on, and adja-
cent to, school buildings under a
single head in the Community Center
Department Of the public schools
would be a highly desirable con-
solidation.'
The shift OF the s97,565 item leaves
an appropriation of $112,0l5 for the
District Playground Department, or
little better than half Of the total
proposed of $2O9,580.
Protested Duplication.
During the hearing Collins told
Miss Baker pointedly: I'VE should
not have four agencies engaged in
the same work" He referred to the
Community Center Department, the
District Playground Department, the
National Capital Parks Once and the
Welfare and Recreation Association,
under the Interior Department.
Describing objections to the pro-
posed transfer, Miss Baker told the
committee: In a city Of the size of
Washington, recreation reaches prac-
tically all of the people with pro-
gram SO vast and varied that it
demands much specialized knowledge
and trained leadership
Such a program must use facilities
not belonging to the schools, such as
park facilities, swimming pools, golf
courses, nature trails and tennis
courts. To place all that under the
Board Of Education would be to add to
the functions of the board very
large field which is not to be con-
sidered as education
Barrett explained that he was di-
rector of a committee, representing
the Board of Education, the District
Government and the National Capital
Parks Office and that this committee
was seeking Co coordination" and not
"unification."
Urged Commissioner Power.
Barret suggested, under questioning,
that he thought that since the Com
missioners headed the District govern
ment they should be the responsible
agency In unification program,
though he agreed that school grounds
now had . dual use, for education and
recreation purposes.
Henry L. Quinn, member of the
Board Of Education and its represent
tative on the Co-ordinating Commit
tee, during an extended statement to
the committee, urged that the public
school system be given extended pow
ers over recreation facilities
Speaking particularly of the school
grounds, used for Fairgrounds, he
said: I'VE believe We should provide
and can provide better supervisors and
leaders. Our own physical education
teachers can be used, with the assist
ance OF some additional ones. Then,
by that program, We are assured Of
having these children on the play
ground continuing along the lines and
theories which they get when being
$a,,~I% l,,rin~ s,1oo1 Ao,,~.