Evening star., 1949-04-21
Sharpe Orders
Study on High
School Sports
Boord Head Says
Athletic Program
Kicked Around

NiSkeO ATOuH0
A special committee Of the Board
Of Education to study high school
athletics with a view toward taking
sports out of the ..stepchild" cate
CORY in education has been ap-|
pointed by c. Melvin Sharpe.
board president.
Mr.. Sharpe set up the special
committee yesterday at the School
Boards regular meeting. appar-
emily taking other board members
by surprise.
In other actions, the board:
/. Received a report from
School Supt. Hobart M. Corning
in which he opposed an elected
school board as proposed by the
Kefauver home rule bill because
the present method of having the
District Court judges select board
has assured q board free
from political considerations.
2. Delayed its decision again on
whether to transfer the Webster
Americanization School into the
Adams Elementary School, after
parents Of the youngsters at Adams
made another plea to board mem
bers.
3. Voted to discontinue the spe-
cial training being given student
nurses at Wilson Teachers Col
lege, under an arrangement with
Garfield. Emergency and Sibley
Hospitals. at the end of this school
year. The hospitals had asked
that the program be continued
during the next academic year.
4. Swore in the new member of
the school board, Mrs. e. c. Mag
deburger. who was appointed by
the District Court judges to fill the
vacancy created when Mrs. Henry
Grattan Doyle resigned. Mrs. Mag
deburger also was named chair
man Of the school boards Legisla-
ton Committee.
Program "Kicked Around"
The naming Of the special COM
mittee on athletics is something
that should have been done long
ago, Mr.. Sharpe explained. He said
he wants the committee to take
up these questions. among others:
Should coaches get extra pay
for the hours they put in after
school? Who controls the athletic
policy-the high school principals
(as charged by DR.. George D.
Strayer in his survey of the public
schools) or the athletic depart
ments? Should contests be held
between white and colored schools? +?
What would be the best financial
set-up for the sports program? B
Mr.. Sharpe said the athletic
program Is a "stepchiid" and has
been Kicked around" for years.
He named Albert T. Steinesn
chairman Of the committee ia
serve with DR.. James A. Cannon
and George E. c. Hayes,
Corning Report Studied.
DR.. Corning's report on the
Kefauver home rule bill was sent
to the boards Legislation Com
mittee for study.
The report listed his major OBJ
jections to the bills proposals
for the Board of Education. Un-
der the proposals. the city coun-
Gil could change the authority
Of the board whenever it desired
and thus would rob the board Of
its powers, DR.. Corning said.
The school superintendent de-
Tended the present system of Sc
lecting board members. saying the
election Of board members would
deter many outstanding citizens
who did not want to submit to
the "throes Of a campaign" He
said the judges have been very
selective" in making appointments
and political factions have been
absent.
DR.. Corning also opposed the
proposals to transfer adninistra-
tion Of certain laws regulating
child labor to the Labor Depart
ment, transfer Of school classified
employees to civil service and ap-
pointment of a school superin-
tendent for less than the three
years now required by law.
Class Shift Plan Delayed.
School Supt. Hobart M. Corn
ing's recommendation that the
Americanization classes be shifted
to the half empty Adams Elemen-
tary School ran into a further de-
lay, after board members heard
three parents Of Adams children.
The parents were O. n. Flaherty.
Donald MacPhail and DR.. Darrell
C. Grain.
The plan calls for the Adams
building to be divided into two
units, half for the elementary
classes and half for the adult
Americanization classes. Some Sc
children In special classes al
Adams for sight and hearing de-
fects would be transferred to the
Bancroft and new Tyler Elemen-
tary Schools. The Webster School
now used for Americanization
classes, would be turned into Office
space for school officials.
The parents do not want grade
children In the same building with
adults, Mr.. McPhail explained.
They also feel the handicapped
children would suffer unneces-
|sarfly by being shifted to q strange
environment. he said.
Board Agrees ON Study.
The board agreed to study the
matter again and to give the
parents Of the handicapped chill
|dren q chance to inspect the Ban
croft Schol where special classes
would be started.
The dropping Of the nursing
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