Evening star., 1948-09-17
School Budget
Cut S1,356,00O;;
Building |s0ut
Totul D. 6. Estimate
OfS110,188,0 900 Hits
Educational Setup
By Jerry O'Leory, Jr.

A s23,756,25o austerity budget
has been submitted to the Com
missioners by the Board of Edu-
'cation for running the Washing
ton public school system in the
1850 fiscal year as part of the
estimated District budget of
S110,183,648, Budget Officer WAL
ter L. Fowler announced today.
1t was the first time since 1884
that city school budget estimate
has been lower than that of the pre-
vious year, budget officials said. The
school estimate represents about
Ione-fourth of the overall budget, and
| is sl,356,433 less than the 1949 ap-
preparation.
Reacting to the Commissioners
drastic economy order of July %.
school officials eliminated all re-
quests for new school construction
not already approved by Congress.
They also asked funds for additional
teachers only for newly completed
schools.
The public school estimates, as
approved by the finance committee
of the Board of Education, face cer-
tain reductions along the line before
the next Congress enacts the 1850
appropriation act. AS the estimates
stand, they add up to this:
Beginning of no new construc-
ton of schools. no pay increases for
teachers, overcrowded conditions in
classrooms already jammed with
children, completion of only few
schools already under construction
and only 16 additional teachers.
Savings effected in capital out
lay for schools are nullified to some
extent by $l,l27, 300 rise In gen.
eral school operating expenses from
s2O,037 900 to $21,164,800 Part Of
this increase is for withingrade
wage increases and the 16 new
teaching jobs.
Financial Plight of ID. c.
MIR. Fowler painted gloomy pic
ture of the Districts financial plight
after studying the estimates, point
ing out that the best revenue pre-
diction now on hand for fiscal 1850
indicates the city will have avail
able for general fund expenditure
only about SITS, ,235 900.
! This is more than $5,000,000 be-
low the revenue availability for
fiscal l949. The general fund esti-
mate in the 1850 budget is $94 ,394,-
83l, or $15,159,83l less than Mr..
Fowler estimates will be available
for expenditure. The separate
highway and water funds are self
sustaining through taxes and water
rents.
Asked for comment on the con-
templated budget, Commissioners
Guy Mason and Gordon r. Young
said today they planned to press
harder than ever for swift enact
ment by Congress of per cent
sales tax to help balance the bud
get.
Further complicating the fiscal pic
ture is the possibility that Con-
gress may grant to District Gov
ernment employees the $3.50 annual
pay raise given to other Federal
employees at the last session. MIR.
Fowler estimated blanket granting
of the pay raise to District employees
would add another S5.550,000 to
the already overloaded budget.
| Conferences Planned.
! The Commissioners plan to call
in their department heads beginning
/ September 27 for about 10 days Of
closed conferences on the budget
estimates. Mr. Fowler said pub
lie hearing, at which Washington
taxpayers can present their views
on the budget, will probably be
held sometime in the middle OF
next month.
! No alterations will be made by
the city heads in the budget as 1t
now stands, until after the public
has been heard at the public hear
ings. Mr.. Fowler said.
/ The sl10,188,643 estimate total is
broken down into S94, 1874 1881 gen.
eral fund estimate, S9,456,8l7 esti-
mate for the highway fund and a
Sc, ,337 900 water fund estimate. The
department heads turned in esti-
mates totaling sl44, ,186,908 for fiscal
1949 and the appropriation author
lied by Congress totaled 500, ,879, ,4S3.
/ District officials cut s43 900, 900
from the 1949 budget before they
ever sent the estimates to the White
House. Congress pared another
81 000, 900 from the bill before pass
ing the 1949 Appropriation Act.
Although the Board of Education
asked for less money in 1850 than
it received for 1949 the overall esti-
mate of $l10.1S8,648 is SIC, 1903, ,l65
more than the l949 appropriation.
Largest increase in this years
estimate is in the general fund
with s10,184,5 SAB. The highway fund
increase sought is s174,617, but the
water fund shows a decrease OF
s50.OG0.
Tie figures indicate District de-
partment heads paid some, but not
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