Evening star., 1949-10-14
School Officials
|nMary|and Tell.
OF u. ). Burden
Federal Employees
Children Held 4O% of
Montgomery Rolls

IL was Maryland'S turn today tc
tell Congress what the overflow OF
Federal workers into nearby areas
has done to public school systems
Hot on the heels of their Vir-
ginia counterparts, the school su-
perintendents of four Maryland
counties appeared before a House
Education subcommittee to de-
scribe the overburdening of their
school facilities by the influx of
Government workers.
Montgomery County Supt. Ed
win w. Broome told the subcom-
mittee that 40 per cent of the
county's 240O0 pupils probably
are the children of Federal
workers.
He said the county loses about
s2,300.000 in taxes on Federally
owned property in the county.
Such property is tax exempt.
Shugart Statement Heard.
For Prince Georges County,
Supt. G. Gardner Shugart report
ed in a prepared statement that
he thought more than 80 per cent
of his county's school enrolment
was due to Federal Government
activities. He said the county was
270 classrooms short, and was
using a double-shift system. tenn
porary classrooms, diversified classes
and other devices in an effort to
relieve the squeeze.
Mr.. Shugart said Prince Georges,
which has $4,000 acres of tax
exempt Government land, has
f1oated $6,000,000 in bond issues
since the war to provide new
school buildings.
He recommended that the Fed
eral Government pay the per-
pupil cost of educating children
of its employees who live on tax
free Government reservations.
Broome Less Specific.
Mr.. Broome was less specific
In his recommendations, urging
only that the Government should
clearly recognize its obligations to
help out such situations on con-
tinuing basis.
Worse than the situation in the
nearby counties was that pictured
for Anne Arundel and Hartford
Counties. both of which contain
large Government reservations
which send many children to the
public schools-children whose
parents pay no. local taxes.
Of the four Virginia superin-
tendents heard yesterday. only
one - Irving Schmitt of Falls
Church-reported his community
has the situation well in hand.
Even Mr. Schmitt, however,
pointed out Falls Church loses
revenue in educating the children
of service personnel, who are
exempt from payment of personal
property and other local levies.
Seeks Reimbursement.
He said he thinks the Govern
ment should reimburse his COM
Runity for this loss.
The other witness, representing
Arlington and Fairfax Counties
and the city of Alexandria, had
broader complaints. Their testi-
mony added up to this picture:
l. All these communities have
received large population increases
in recent years, with corresponding
increases in the school populations.
These increases have been largely
owing to an influx of Govern
ment workers.
2. Hard-pressed to care for this
increased school population, the
communities are having acute
revenue raising troubles. This is
partly because the Government
owns large properties in all the
communities. on which no taxes
are paid
Payments Insufficient.
3. In addition, while the Gov
ernment does pay sums in lieu of
taxes on the many war housing
projects in the nearby Virginia
area, these sums are not sufficient
to compensate for the number of
school-age children living in the
developments.
4. Large building programs have
been launched, to relieve the pres
ent and future overcrowding of
the schools, and many nearby Vir-
ginia communities are approach
ing the legal limit for their bonded
Indebtedness.
Proposed solutions ranged all
the way from that of w. T. Wood
son of Fairfax County. who said he
thought the Government should
put up IS per cent of the cost of
needed new construction in that
county, to the suggestion of T. C.
Williams of Alexandria that the
Government should make pay
ments in lieu of taxes for all its
property in Alexandria.