Evening star., 1941-02-11
Church
High School
HeId|nadequate
Board Sees Need Of
New Building and
Increase in Rolls
}, a Staff Correspondent of The Star.

BY Staff Correspondent of The Star.
FALLS CHURCH, Va, Feb. IA
report declaring that Jefferson High
School fails to meet three primary
requirements for an efficient, eco
nomical and comprehensive" high
school establishment in Falls Church
was presented to the Town Council
last night by the local School Board.
The report made no recommended
tions, but said it would be necessary
Tor three steps to be taken to pro-
vide an adequate high school in the
town. They are:
l. Increase in number Of students
to a minimum of 240. with a mini
mum of 300 desirable. The present
enrolment is l12.
2. Construction of a new high
school building, with auditorium.
gymnasium, adequate laboratories,
typing and classrooms.
8. An increase Of at least $4,000
per year for operating expenses. ex-
elusive OF interest on. or amortiza-
ton OF any Indebtedness incurred
In constructing new building.
Lack Of Facilities.
The report, which was signed bv
Chairman c. L. ShotwelI, Mrs. Al
bert r. Ware and Ralph c. Staebner.
said the School Board is well sat-
lsfled" with the principal and teach
ing staff. but believes they are Sc
riously handicapped by lack of "ade-
quate plant facilities, particularly
with respect to auditorium. labora-
tories, typing room and gymnasium"
The board also said the principal
should not be required to teach any
courses.
Citing the relationship of total
enrolment to instruction costs per
student, the report tabulated fig
ures for the five Fairfax County
high schools which showed that JEFF
ferson High Schools instruction cost
per student had increased from
s58.67 for al students in 1878. to
S85.75 for 104 students in 1e3e-4o,
Fairfax High costs were S43.6l for a
538 enrolment in 1878 and s42.12
for an 8l0 enrolment in 1939-4O.
s58.42 for 209 students in 1878. to
s5l.02 for 2l0 students in 1e39-4o.
The new Mount Vernon High School
had 34l pupils the last school year
and cost per student of s4231.
Difficulty Pointed Out.
The School Board report said the
consensus of educators is that it is
difficult to carry on a frst-class and
adequate school with less than 300
students; that the difficulties in.
crease as the enrolment diminishes,
and become serious with less than so
students per grade, and that with
less than 80 per grade it is prac-
tically impossible to operate a good
high school with reasonable cost
limits per student"
In connection with the need for a
greatly increased operating fund. the
report pointed out that outstanding
charges of Fairfax County against
the Falls Church school district, COW
ering administration. tuition for COL
ored children and overpayment Of
tuition by the county, amount to
S2.296l9 for the last two school
years. The report said there appears
to be no provision in the present
budget for payment of these bills,
nor is there any provision for the
payment of similar charges, which
will accrue this year. There is also
outstanding an Indebtedness incur
red in prior years. which now
amounts to s700, which should be
paid"
Investigation Asked.
After hearing the School Board re-
port, the Town Council authorized
Morton Wallerstein, executive secre-
tary Of the League of Virginia Mu-
inequalities, to ask the State Plan
ming Commission to investigate the
Falls Church school setup and re-
port to the Council.
Mr.. Wallerstein. who attended last
nights meeting. also was asked to
have his organization compile a de-
tailed report on procedure and costs
of annexing territory adjacent to a
town.
The possibility of increasing school
enrolment and revenues by annex
ing heavily populated areas adjacent
to Falls Church has long been dis
cussed by the Council.