Evening star., 1949-02-01
CoIored School
Planned in Shift
AtPark View
Enrolment Drops to
1872; Stroyer Report
Discussed by Corning
By Colt HendIey. Jr.

By Colt HendIey, Jr.
Plans to change the Park View
Elementary School, Warder and
Newton streets NV, to a colored
school and to shift the 1872 pupils
there to other schools in the neigh
borhood are being made by school
officials.
Also under consideration is a pro-
posal to shift the Americanization
School from the Webster School at
Tenth and H streets NV. to the
half-empty Adams Elementary
School at Nineteenth and Califor-
MIA streets NV The Webster
School will be used for admins
trative Offices under the plan.
These moves were revealed by
School Supt. Hobart M. Corning
yesterday at meeting of the Legis-
lative, Finances and Buildings and
Grounds Committees of the Board
of Education.
Strayer Report Discussed.
The meeting was called to hear
Or. Cornings opinion OF the Strayer
survey. This survey, made by DR..
George D. Strayer of Columbia Uni
versity at the request of Congress,
recommended nearly $4,000 900
worth of school construction i'm
mediately to bring the schools up
to par.
DR.. Corning's report was taken
under Amusement by board mem
berS because it made a number of
changes to the long-range school
building program previously adopt
ed by the board. In most instances,
however. the Strayer report par
alleled the boards program exactly
and, in general, received the bless
ings of local school officials.
The shift Of Park View from
white to a colored school, and the
transfer of the Americanization
School will be recommended to the
Board of Education in the near fu-
ture, DR.. Corning said. If approved.
the changes probably will go into
effect next September.
New School Needed.
DR.. Corning explained that new
elementary school for colored chill
dren is needed in the Park View
area. Such a new school was rec
commended by the Strayer report.
If the transfer is approved by the
School Board there will be no need
for constructing a new building,
DR.. Corning said.
Colored families have been mov-
ing into the area served by the
school in increasing numbers. En-
rollment of white children at Park
View has fallen to 1872. with So of
those in special occupational classes.
The rated capacity of the school
Is 936.
The Park View Playground has
been a colored playground-a
school hours-since last july. as
result of District Recreation Board
action. Colored children are not
allowed the use of the playground
while white children are in school.
Adams Enrolment Drops.
Enrolment at the Adams Elemen-
tary School also has been dropping
steadily in recent years. The school
has rated capacity of 72O, but
only 400 pupils attend.
The building, originally con-
structed to be junior high school,
is admirably suited for the Ameri-
caniZation School, DR.. Corning
stated. The grade children would
continue to go there, he added.
DR.. Corning reported his main
disagreement with the Strayer re-
port is over the proposals offered by
DR.. Strayer for the colored high
schools.
The Strayer report recommended
that plans for new Cardozo High
School be scrapped and the pres
ent Cardozo be abandoned. Instead,
1t recommended the capacity of
Armstrong be increased, as we'll as
the capacity of the proposed
Spingarn High School to handle
the difference.
DR.. Corning said this would not
f, provide conveniently located senior
! high school accommodations for the
colored youth of Northwest Wash
, ington, that it would wipe out the
only colored high school devoted
exclusively to business education
and would delay further the con-
struction Of the buildings because
plans have been completed.
Other Phases Studied.
He also said the school officers are
against closing Oyster, Military Road
and Reno Elementary Schools at
this time, as recommended by Dr.
Strayer. He said further study
would have to be given to these
strayer recommendations: Additions
to Kenilworth, Noyes and Ketcham
Elementary Schools and a new
school in the Shipley Terrace area
He agreed with DR.. Strayer that
Edmonds. Maury, Peabody. Hyde
and Bell Elementary Schools could
be renovated. rather than replaced
with new buildings. He also strong
ly approved Dr. Strayers proposal
for central administration build
ing so the school administration
could be centralized in one place
Although an eight-room addition
Is under construction at the Young
Elementary School, DR.. Corning said
he would go along with the Strayer
recommendation that a further ad-
dition is needed. Improvements to
the auditorium at Paul Junior High
School were advocated by DR.. Corn
ing-an item the Strayer report
. failed to mention.
Projects which were not advocated
by DR.. Strayer, but which DR.. Corn
ing said the school board should
continue to work for include: An
addition to the Keene Elementary
School, replacement or renovation
! Of Bruce Elementary School, re-
placement of the Merritt Elemen-
) tayr School and new elementary