Evening star., 1948-05-07
Thirteen Million Bodies

Washington's public school problem is
shared In greater or less degree by every
city In the country. The national problem
Is the tremendously increased birth rate
and the provision Of educational facilities
ave years.
Some Of the dimensions of the local
problem were laid before the Board Of
Education on Wednesday. BY 1852 the
enrolment in white elementary schools
will have increased by go per cent; in the
colored schools by about 40 per cent. In
round numbers, our elementary schools
must be prepared for an additional $1,000
children within the next five years. Right
now there are 4,500 more children in grades
one to three than there are in grades four
to six. But the larger bulge Of school
population, rejecting the increased birth
rate, Is yet to come.
We are doing very little to provide for
this future jump in school population. All
we are doing, in fact, Is trying to catch up
In those city areas where school population
already exceeds existing facilities. We have
been conscious of overcrowding in the
colored schools. Within a few years we
shall have even worse overcrowding, and
part-time instruction, in the white schools.
The House Appropriations Committee
very wisely threw in two additional ele-
mentary schools for the Northeast section
this year, over and above budget estimates.
The situation in the two areas to be served
by the new schools is typical Of what may
be expected elsewhere. In one section
2S63 new housing units are under con-
sxuction, and those housing units will
represent $50 additional children Of ele-
mentary school age. In the other, recent
school survey indicated that there are three
times as many preschool children as there
are children in elementary grades-that Is,
three times as many children under Ave
years old as there are school children from
Ave to eleven years old.
Other communities throughout the
country are experiencing the same prob
lem. Superintendent OF Schools Corning
told the House Appropriations Committee
that in some of them there are twice as
many children under one year of age as
there are at the ive-year level; five times
as many one&year-olds as there are ten
year-olds. Estimates have been made for
some cities that within five years all school
facilities now available will be insufficient
for children in kindergarten and through
grades one, two and, three alone.
The census studies show very clearly
what the condition will be within few
years. But we are not using this advance
information very intelligently in Wash
ington. We should be ready to borrow the
money for extra facilities that eventually
must be built. But we are fooishly at
tempting to take care Of these needs out
OF current revenue, instead of spreading
the costs over the years.
The costs cannot be met from current
taxation without imposing too great a
load. The alternative is to arrange for
advances from the Federal Government
along the lines OF the Capper -Cramton
legislation for park purchases-whichc can
be repaid in annual installments. II we
did that to buy park lands, certainly we
should do it to meet the requirements in
public educational facilities that are about
to catch up with us. In failing, we store
up trouble for the future.