Evening star., 1937-06-02
COL0RED SCHOOLS
|. SLASH PROTESTED
Only 17.7 Per Cent of Appro.
prlation Allowed, Senate
Group Informed.
BY J. A. O'LFARY.

BY j. A. OLEARY.
A protest against the action OF the
House in reducing the colored portion
of the school building program for the
coming year was laid before the Sen
ate subcommittee today as hearings
on the 1888 District supply bill drew
to close.
Jesse Mccoy Hanson, president OF
the Douglass Simmons Parent-Teacher
Association, filed a statement pointing
out that, while the colored schools are
entitled to 36 per cent of the amount
appropriated, only 1T per cent of the
appropriation for buildings ard
grounds in the House bill is for tie
colored schools
Our colored school population ID
the District of Columbia represer Z
36,4 per cent of the total school pop,
latlon,' Hanson declared. This ca
causes us to face a serious conditi1
relative to housing for our school chill
dren"
Additions Requested
His association asked the Senate tc
add 100000 for a Banneker Junior
High School and $4,000 for land at
the Dennison School. These two
items, he said, will meet the needs
OF the colored schools and maintain
equity in the distribution of funds
for school buildings At this time, he
said, there are overcrowded conditions
at the Terrell, Garnet Patterson and
Shaw Junior High Schools. creating
need for the proposed new Junior
high. The statement showed that the
Budget Bureau had allowed the col
lored schools 49 per cent Of the build
ings and grounds fund.
DR.. Leon A Ransom. professor OF
law at Howard University, also urged
increases in the House fund for coll
ored school construction. and gave the
legal history Of laws dating back TO
l864-lS66 providing for pportionment
of school funds according TO the rela-
tive population of children in the
white and colored school divisions.
Conference Friday.
With hearings due 10 end today,
the subcommittee in charge of the
measure has called a conference
for Friday with the Commissioners to
go over a number of questions of pol
icy before voting on changes in House
provisions.
Senator Thomas Of Ok homa
chairman, expects to have the BIZ
ready for passage in the Senate early
next week. School and playground
questions predominated at the after.
noon session of the hearings yester-
day
Miss Selma Borchardt. legislative
chairman Of the Teachers Union
asked the subcommittee to reWrite the
House ban on the performance Of
clerical work by teachers and to elm.
mate the House proviSo to prevent
the average compensation of schoo,
librarians from exceeding tie average
for the same grade Of work in tn.
Free Public Library
Clerical-Work Rider Hit.
Other witnesses have asked for elm.
ination of the cler.cal-work rider. Th,
Teachers Union took the position tha'
the purpose of the amendmen is de.
sirable, but felt the objective sough
would not be accomplished under tn.
House language
Miss Borchardt said her organiza.
ton believes the clerical work pro,
viso was inserted to make sure tha
persons paid as teachers be assignee
to Classroom work, and that definit,
provision should be made for research
work the Srhnni ba
geSted the amendment be revised alon,
these lines. She urged Congress (,
recognize definitely and establish tn,
research department. with provision
for the necessary professional ant
clerical salaries, and allow teacher
now assigned to this work to decidI
for themselves whether they wish l.
return to Classroom teaching or b
appointed in the research depart
ment.
Points to Error Possible.
Miss BorChardt Contended that a.
long as research workers and other
rendering special technical servic,
are classed as teachers. the computa
ton Of the number of pupils pc
teacher will, on paper. appear to b,
very low, while actually it Is yer,
high"
The House proviSo, as 1t stands
declares that teachers shall not per.
form any clerical work except vher
it is necessary or incidental to claS
room assignments.