Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-11

DuI DolIS DuIIuIuy
Money for Fuel Oil
And Coal Is Reduced
More Than Half
While funds to purchase eight
new school sites, including four in
the crowded Anacostia area, are
provided in the 1914 budget est.
mates for the public schools, no
funds are provided for building the
schools during the coming fiscal
year, presumably because Of wartime
construction difficulties.
Though, the increased operational
costs and purchase Of sites increase
the school budget $260,000 over ita
last years total Of SASS, S25, the
total proposed appropriation Is
$4,000 less than school ofIicers had
hoped to receive. Among the items
struck out was $12,500 Of the $2S,-
500 requested to pay the increased
cost Of fuel oil and coal. Ohicials
expect to have to reapply for the
$l2500 In a deficiency appropriation.
Also struck from the requests were
provisions for salaries Of half OF
the 20 teachers needed at the pro.
posed Merritt Junior High Element
AIRY School. and salaries for assistant
principals at the Mcfarland. Lang
ley and Browne Junior High Schools.
Physical Fitness Unaffected.
The plan to expand the physical
fitness program to five periods 4
week in the junior high vocational
schools. as was done last year in the
senior high schools. is not directly
affected by cuts In personnel re-
quests, because officials had already
planned to transfer salaries for
teachers In less crowded areas to
employ teachers for the new pro-
gram.
The main threat to the proposed
expansion, according to school Of
ficials, is the difficulty Of finding
male physical education instructors.
The actual personnel slashes in
clude salaries for two clerks for
each Of the eight elementary school
divisions and several more clerks
at the Franklin School.
The budget for the Recreation De-
partment shows the same cut in
requests for increased personnel,
mainly affecting the care Of playing
fields and supervising OF recrea-
tional facilities In the more crowded
population areas. The cut In the
request for playground supervisors
will not be felt as keenly by the
department II the War Production
Board continues to hold up 10 play
grounds which were to have been
built within the next two years.
Food Funds Cut Out.
Indirectly affecting the schools,
the dropping Of the $l55,o0o "spon-
sor's contribution" from the budget
Of the Board Of Public Welfare
means the death Of both the penny
milk" and hot lunch" programs In
the schools next year unless ofncials
can plead successfully for such funds
at the budget hearings later In the
week.
The school budget estimates con-
tinue all services for the deaf, dumb,
blind and crippled, however, and
add $1,000 for instruction Of the
blind and $3.50 to provide trans
portation Of hard-of-hearing chill
dren and Braille students to the
new special classes at the John
Quincy Adams School.
The 3 per cent increase in opera
tional costs, in spite Of a per cent
decrease In school enrolment, Is at
tributed by the Commissioners to the
influx Of new war workers into GER
tain sections Of the city. Providing
school facilities in areas not for
merry developed has already neces.
STATED erection Of eight new schools
during the past year and the Com
missioners look ahead to further de-
velopment with provision for the
new sites.
The assistant principals had been
requested at the Mcfarland, Lang
ley and Browne Junior High Schools
because enrollments there have been
increasing steadily since 1899. OF
the 10 teachers salaries provided
for the new Merritt School, eight
are elementary and two are Junior
high school teachers. Twice the
number In each category had been
requested.
Merritt School Fund.
The Merritt School itself may not
be constructed until we'll into the
next fiscal year. as priorities and
construction materials for 1t are
still being surveyed by officials. The
Federal Works Agency has allotted
about $780, 900 for its construction
from $l7,500, 900 allocated to the
District for war construction.
Purchase of land provided by the
budget message includes 4 $27 500
site for an elementary school in the
vicinity of Nichols avenue and Sum.
ner road Sc: 5000 for an elemen-
tary school near Kenilworth avenue
and Barnes lane NE; $4,000 for q
Junior high school near Thirty.
fourth street and Minnesota avenue
Sc: $4,000 for an elementary
school in the vicinity Of Stanton
road and Bruce place Sc; Sl75,ooo
for junior high school In the vi.
entity Of Ninth and G streets Sc;
81 500 for an addition to the Logan
School at Third and g streets NE;
$126,500 for an elementary school
near the Seaton School ut First and
6 streets NV, and $3S, 500 for an
addition to the Armstrong High
School.
The estimates for the Recreation
Department show . gain Of $s7,Se6
over last year but q cut of $780, 900
from the amount requested by the
department. About 90 per cent Of
this cut, the Commissioners esti.