Evening star., 1942-02-15


ton. The agreement was signed
Friday between the Commissioners
and the Public Buildings Admins
tration, but is apparently effective
only If completion as q school is dis
allowed by the War Production
Board.
Hopeful signs that all is not lost
for the project as q relief to the
overcrowded Anacostia Junior-Se-
nior High School, now 622 pupils
over capacity and expecting sos
more from new construction IN the
area, are these: =.
/. The most recent application for
project rating on the school from
the War Production Board, the sue
cessor to o. p. NJ, states the build
ing will be used for school purposes,
not office purposes. This is consid-
cred significant in school circles be-
cause an earlier project rating re-
quest was said to have specified
office purposes as reason for priority.
2. The chief Of Governmental Re-
ouirements Branch Of w. p. B. has
asked United States Commissioner
Of Education John w. Studebaker
to give the matter his personal at
tention and he either has already or
will shortly issue q certificate OF
urgency for the project according to
the understanding Of school ofncials.
Kramer Would House LIE.
On the basis Of present excess en-
rollment and the future forecast,
the school omcias estimate 1,122
will use the Kramer Junior High
School If it is completed and still
leave 1900 pupils in the senior high
school. Located at Seventeenth and
@ streets Sc, the structure Is 23
per cent complete and. If priority
is given, may be ready by January,
l943.
Sources Of the estimated sos new
pupils for the school are given as
Bellevue Gardens, Nichols avenue
and Elmira street Sc; Fairfax
Village, Pennsylvania and Alabama
avenues s. E.; Highland Dwellings,
Condor Terrace and Atlantic street
Sc; Knox-Hill Dwellings, Alabama
avenue and Hartford street Sc;
River Terrace, East Capitol street,
Minnesota avenue and Benning
road NE, and Stoddert Dwellings,
Ridge and Anacostia roads Sc.
It Is believed unlikely the city
heads would insist on going through
with the proposal If through some
chance priority for completion as
q school is possible, since some school
facilities must be provided in Ana
costa.
There are q number of other
school projects in process Of being
built and some will not require
critical materials for completion,
according to DR.. Ballou.
The opinion Is still prevalent at
the District Building in some
authoritative quarters, however, that
no priorities will be given to any
permanent school construction and
that temporary buildings will be
about the only thing possible. out
side Of perhaps allowance to finish
some partially completed structures.
Southeast Is Aroused.
The entire southeast community
is aroused at the proposed transfer
of the building from its original
purpose and mass meetings are
being held in that area and in
northeast Citizens associations and
parent-teacher leaders are also act
ing, including the Federation OF
Citizens Associations and the execu-
tive board Of the District Congress
of Parents and Teachers. The Board
of Education at a special meeting
has asked completion for school
purposes.
District officials have felt that
unless the building is completed as
a Government Office, 1t won't be
completed at all until after the
emergency. o. P. M. and its sue
cessor. the War Production Board
simply have not been inclined to
give priority rating to permanent
school buildings.
Apparently, as far as community
facilities are concerned, w. P. B.
will allow priorities on a simple
two-story concrete structure with
out much steel and Of purely tenn
porary nature. Some Of these are
being put up around the country
as recreation halls, hospital addi-
tions and probably temporary
schools.
This sort of building, however,
would clearly not permit the high
school to be completed as 1t Is now
planned.
According to a study by School
Budget Omcer A. W. Heinmiller.
the January l status of school con-
struction on buildings for which
funds have been appropriated and
possible completion dates If mate
rails are allowed is as follows:
T.