Evening star., 1949-10-20
Board Rejects
Useof Busesto
Relieves Schools
Corning Says Parents
Object to Plan
For Overerowding
By Colt Hendley, Jr.

By Colt Hendley, Jr.
The Board of Education has
voted down a plan to use school
buses to transport children from
crowded areas of the city to other
sections where vacant classes are
Meeting yesterday, the board
decided not to try the bus plan
to relieve overcrowded schools,
after hearing School Supt. Ho-
bart M. Corning report strong OBJ
jections from the parents Of the
children who would be trans
ported.
The board also heard DR.. Corn
ing say he would bring in a rec
ommendation at the next meet
ing for solution to the over
crowded conditions that have
forced Cardozo High School on a
triple shift.
Cardoza Paper Received.
This announcement came as
board members received copies Of
a semi official paper of Cardozo
High School, which indicated that
not all colored citizens are in
terested in having Central High
School turned over to Cardozo
students as proposed by some
groups. Other solutions being
studied are the transfer of Wilson
Teachers College to Central or to
Roosevelt. making the Wilson
building available for the over
flow at Cardozo.
The. publication that board
members received in the mail is
the Cardozo News, "a digest for
parents and patrons of Cardozo."
1t is writteen and printed in the
high school.
In discussion of the future
of Cardozo, the publication said
all colored citizens should fight
to get new building and a new
site for the school. The school
board. in its 1851 budget requests,
asked for money to purchase q
site for the new Cardozo in the
vicinity of Barry place and Geor-
gia avenue NV.
Recalls 1888 Action.
The publication pointed out that
plans for a new Cardozo were
killed in 1888, when the school
was moved into its present build
ing. The building formerly was
Roosevelt High School and was
IS Years old then. The triple
shift, it stated, although it has
its disadvantages, has not hurt
the students much and, in fact,
has given a greater flexibility"
to the program.
Under the triple shift, one group
starts at 800 am, another at
9:15 am. and another at 10 am.
The result is full-time instruction
for all.
The board action in voting
down use of buses to transports
children to uncrowded schools
ended further consideration of
the proposal first made by Adel-
bert w. Lee, board member.
Parents Opposed Idea.
DR.. Corning reported he met
with parents from five schools
Congress Heights, Patterson.
Stanton. Kenilworth and Payne.
Strong opposition was expressed
to the idea, he said.
Main objections of the parents
listed by DR.. Corning were: Travel
distance would be excessive, it
would interfere with after-school
activities, traffic and bad weather
would cause serious problems and
the children would have too many
adjustments to make.
AS the meeting wound up, Mrs.
James Williams, colored board
member, who at the last meeting
spoke in favor Of closed sessions
of the board to avoid airing squab-
bles. made this statement for tho
public:
IF anything I said in the last
board meeting has been inter.
preted by the press or the public
to mean that T advocate closed
board meetings, I am sorry, be-
cause that is not the impression
I meant to convey"
II am well aware of the fact
that this is public board and
that we. as members, are. servants
Of the public.
I think my record as q mem
ber OF the board will show that T
believe in democratic procedure"
Other Actions Taken.
The board also:
Officially accepted the new
Montgomery Elementary School.
New Jersey avenue and P street
NV, and named Miss Effie p.
Simmons principal. Miss Sim
mons was principal of the Morse
Twining School which the new
building replaced.
Approved regulations to govern
the hew sick leave law for teach.
ers signed by President Truman
and set the pay of a substitute
teacher at $40 a day.
Advised the Manor Park Cit
izens' Association that work will
start in November on increased
lighting for the grounds at Cool
idge High School, as the associa-
ton had requested.
Chamber Executives Elect