Evening star., 1938-10-06
SCHOOL OFFICIALS
READY TO DEFEND
BUDGET REQUESTS
To Appear Tomorrow Before
C0mmiSSi0nerS-Buiiding
Hazard Given Attention.
BALLOU REPORTS az
so YEARS OR MORE OLD
Superintendent Complies Figures
on Loss to Education by
>P. w. A. Cancellations.

Hearings on the school budget fol
1910 will be held by the Commissioners
tomorrow at pm. when school Off
GERS will defend the $18.923,ll0 esti-
mates of the Board of Education.
Superintendent Frank w. Ballou
told board members at a meeting yes
terday he expects to have a figure
computed by that time on the loss
sustained by the schools by the recent
cancellation of eight school projects
on the Commissioners P. w. A. pro-
gram.
DR.. Ballou also informed the board
there are AZ school buildings in which
classes are now held that are SO years
old or more One building, the Wal
ZACH School, D street, between Seventh
and Eighth Sc, dates back to 1864.
Safety Under Scrutiny.
The superintendent's report was
made with view to inspection of
these buildings to determine if they
are safe. The Commissioners have
been asked for inspection because of
several cases of falling plaster in the
older buildings.
A plan suggested by the municipal
architect to replace the Briggs School
at TWenty-second and E streets NV
was put before the members. 1t in
wolves construction of an eight-room
addition and assembly gymnasium at
the Montgomery School, on Twenty
seventh street, between I and K NV
The Briggs is on the site of the new
War Department and must be aban-
doned School officers said if the
addition were provided for in the first
1889 deficiency bill and the 1910 school
budget, evacuation of the old building
could be accomplished by September,
1910.
Board members were told by DR.
Ballou that the schools have received
$13,523.15 from the Federal Govern
ment under the law to expand voca-
tional education. This represents the
first semi-annual allotment of the
Districts share for the year, all but
$500 of which will be used for ex-
pansion in trades and industries prep
aration.
An additional $4,000 will be forth
coming, DR.. Ballou said, for expan-
sion Of the program for distributive
occupations.
An experimental report card was ap-
proved for use in the Buchanan
School, E street between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth streets Sc. School
officers said the new card would make
it much easier for the teachers to pre-
pare the report on the pupils and
would contain all essential informa-
ton.
Members expressed considerable con-
cern over the lack of funds to provide
transportation for all the crippled
children to the Langdon School,
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, board
president, said the newly appointed
Special Committee on Physically Hand
icapped Children, of which she is
chairman, will take up the matter.
Hopes for Solution.
II hope we will be able to do some
thing so that it will not keep cropping
up year after year." she said.
Polls of school officers on the value
of essay contests in the schools showed
general antipathy toward the contests.
The opinions, compiled in a report
submitted to the board by Assistant
Supt. Thomas w. Gosling showed the
officers felt essay contests have little
educational value, tend to interfere
with the regular work of the school,
and unless pressed upon the students
by the teachers, get little pupil interest.
The teachers feel that if the con-
tests must be held, they should be
limited in number and that a commit
tee of officials should pass on all con-
tests before approval is given, the re-
port said.