Evening star., 1940-04-28

'dEnudl appropriations, WHICH, On
the basis of the $48,00O,000 budgets
of the past few years, would be
about SIG, 10000. This would give
Anem some s3,000,000 more to work
with than they now have.
Revenue limitations and the needs
of the other departments, however,
conspire TO limit the school appro-
priations to the point where many
items considered necessary by both
citizens and school authorities fail
of inclusion. 1t is indicated the
school officials often have the pain
full duty of operating on their own
estimates to make sure that, since
a cut must be made, the absolute
essentials would be left in.
Perhaps the most persistent cry
from .citizenry in these annual
meetings is the need for repairs
to the buildings and grounds which
serve their communities and this
particular item has been tortured
by the Commissioners, the Budget
Bureau and particularly the House
more than many others. For ex-
ample, in the 1910 estimates the
board asked for $6O2 ,525 and finally
received $490,525 only after strong
pleas to the Senate. The House
had cut it to $3.50, 1000. This year
the schools asked for S656,025 and
the item before the Senate Is about
s464 900.
Renovation Funds Cut.
In general the requests made
which would come under this item
and which will probably be bought
up tomorrow will be repainting of
buildings and resurfacing grounds.
Because of the annual cuts made
in this item despite the fact that
new buildings are being constantly
added to the system, school Of
ficials have been forced to abandon
regular repainting schedule.
Supt. Frank w. Ballou has compiled
figures which show that with some
s10,000,000 worth of new buildings
during the past decade, the repairs
and Improvements to buildings and
ground item has not only failed to
increase but in some instances is
less than it used to be.
Another familiar cry which will
probably be raised tomorrow night
will be for new schools. A new
Wilson Teachers College at Thir-
teenth and Upshur streets has been
sought by the Federation of Citizens
Associations and the Board of Trade
as an urgent building item for
several years. Bradbury Heights
has labored fruitlessly for ap-
preparation for an elementary
school site in the area and will
probably bring it up again. Ameri-
can University Park has been seek
ing an elementary school in its
area which is now served by the
Janney School at Wisconsin avenue
and Albemarle streets NV.
Oother schools sought in vain are
a junior high at Bladensburg Road
and Mount Olivet Road NE. and
a new Miner Teachers College and
10-room addition to Taft Junior
High.
Several Schools Unfinished.
Several schools have uncompleted
third floors or unfinished classrooms
for which funds are also generally
requested of the board.
On the basis of present indi-
cations, the outlook for many of
these items still appears hazy, For
example, the House has cut sharply
into appropriations for building the
new Anacostia Junior High School.
the new Abbot Vocational School
and an eight-room addition to the
Syphax School in the anticipation
that the remainder will be furnished
In the next and following budget.
Thus fairly large amount future
budgets is already obligated since
the schools cannot be left in semi
complete stage for several years.
Also a large scale replacement of
old eight-room buildings is sched-
uled to start in the 1912 fiscal wear
and continue thereafter for seven
years. If other new schools are to
be included in the budget the needed
requirements are apt to be DELAYED
and vice versa.
nvrH