Evening star., 1947-09-21
Question Of Deception Candidates for Board
Posed by Republicans In Arlington Critical
After Lanes Tax Talk After Visitinq Schools

Arlington school buildings were
criticized and the teachers and
pupils who endure" them were
praised yesterday by five candidates
for the county's first popularity
elected school board, following a
tour of five structures.
The candidates, nominated last
month by convention of 81 citizens
groups, are Mrs. Elizabeth P. Camp
bell, Barnard Joy, Colin c. Mac
Pherson. o. Glenn Stahl and Curtis
E. Tuthill. They visited Stonewall
Jackson, Glen Carlyn, the Four
teenth and South Quincy streets,
and Hume Elementary Schools and
the Dolly Madison Junior High
School. Arlington has a total Of
81 schools.
Summing up their views. the NOM
inees declared the buildings showed
evidence of lack of planning and
continuous study" on the part of
school officials.
Improvement Termed Slow.
Improvement of Arlington schools
has been, and is, "a slow and painful
process and the results show "too
much support for the status quo''
on the part Of officials responsible,
the nominees declared.
The attitude of the school de-
partment in leaving the furnishing
Of recreation equipment to parent
teacher associations indicates the
former looks upon play as "a neces-
sary evil" they said
Everywhere we found parents
very much interested and attempt
ing to improve conditions but ex-
periencing difficulty in obtaining
cooperation from school admins
tration authorities" the group as
serted.
They made clear, however, that
yesterdays tour was carried out
with the fullest cooperation of
school officials. and they believe
Arlington has teachers as good as
are to be found anywhere. It is
the conditions under which the
teachers must work that merit criti-
cisim, the group said.
Total of IL Candidates.
The five who made the tour are
among IL candidates for the school
board in the general election
November 4.
The groups comments on particu-
lar schools, included the following
Stonewall Jackson-Only one exit
is provided for 400 children because
construction of an addition to the
building has closed the other two
Lumber with protruding nails Is
lying in the school yard. The heat
ing system Is completely torn out
and will not be in operation until
late October.
Glen Carlyn-The building was
used for 80 years as town hall be-
fore it was converted into a school
Although it has been a school since
1923, there Is only one light in each
of the two classrooms; the windows
are inadequate and some are OBJ
scured by shrubbery. It has poor
sanitary facilities. Two teachers
! teach two grades each and each
grade has three sections. The result
Is that the first grade gets only
three hours of instruction daily and
the second grade two hours and a
half.
Fourteenth and South Quincy
streets new school which opened
this month)-Too little and too late
Already it is too small, with 242
pupils for six-room school, and
soon must have an addition. The
grounds are barren and must be a
sea of mud on rainy days. In the
structures favor are the good pro-
visions of lighting and desirable
recreation rooms.
Hume-Althoug It's sanitary facili-
ties were described as inadequate
this school was praised for neatness
and cleanliness of the grounds.
Dolly Madison-School grounds
lack adequate entry from main high
way. Although the building Is mod
ern it does not have an auditorium
or cafeteria. 1t also needs dressing
room and showers. 1t has adequate
space for recreation but no facili-
| ties BIS service Is had