Evening star., 1950-01-08
De|ayinBui|ding
Hume School 10
Shift Hundreds
Supt. EorIy's Proposal
Would Shuttle Many
Pupils Next Fall

Would Shuttle Many
Pupils Next Fall
Hundreds Of pupils in Airing.
ton would be shuf11ed next fall un.
der a proposal by Supt. William A
Early which calls for deferrine
construction Of a new Hume
School. +.-
Mr.. Early's far-reaching plan
submitted yesterday to the county
school board, also calls for the
conversion of Dolly Madison Jun
ior High School into an elemen-
tary school. Further, he recon-
mended that the board consider
finding a site south of Columbia
pike for a new "and complete
Junior high, for occupancy by the
fall Of 1851.
The superintendent's proposal
follows the inability Of the board
to obtain a site for the new Hume
School after more than a year OF
effort. The only tract considered
suitable was described as "too
expensive"
Alternative Suggested.
AS an alternative to construct
ing a replacement for the anti
quated Hume building. MIR. Early
suggested remodeling the TOO
pupil Madison School on Shirley
higway, for elementary use.
Enough students there would be
transferred to other junior high
schools to make room for the
younger children.
The board took the recommen-
dations under advisement and
asked the advisory committees
and parent-teacher associations
OF the schools involved to study
them. Mr.. Early emphasized that
no changes are contemplated be-
fore school ends in June.
Under the superintendent's plan
however, the present totally in
adequate" Hume School would not
be abandoned, at least for the
present. Two rooms of the Airing
ton Ridge road structure would be
used for the first three or four
grades" he said.
Would Use Gusts School.
Not all of the other children in
the Hume School area would be
sent to Dolly Madison, he added.
Pupils in the Arlington Ridge road
area attending grades 4, 5 and 6,
would 60 to Nellie Custis School,
712 South Twenty-third street.
Dolly Madison would take care
OF children living in the Arna VAL
ley. area and those from Shirley
Homes who cannot be accom-
modated in temporary classroom
quarters in that development.
Mr.. EARLY told the board the
school administration has faced
a difficult problem for more than
a year" in attempting to find q
site for Hume.
Since I cannot at this time
conscientiously recommend pur-
chase OF any Of the available sites
in the Hume area" he said, IT am
asking the board to defer plans for
new Hume elementary school this
year."
Mr.. Early said a large section of
the area now served by Hume is
occupied by the Shirley Homes, a
,row-house development. He said
the property on which Shirley
Homes is built is zoned for single
family dwellings and the HOUSING
which will replace the present COM
munity sis likely to be populated
by a considerably smaller number
of children than the 420 now
there"
Mr.. Early then discussed the
topography of four sites which
were considered for the proposed
school, and concluded that only
one-the Kunigonis. and Sickels
property on South Twenty-fourth
street at Nash streets suitable
However" he declared, "the
cost Of $88,500 for 8 acres is ex-
cessive." .
Regarding the Dolly Madison
conversion, Mr.. Early declared
that as a junior high school 1t is
mot a completed unit
ITO make it satisfactory
Junior high school at least 10
acres of level land should be
added to the site and additions
should be made to the building to
provide space for cafeteria, audi
torium, and for teaching home
economics and shop" Mr.. Early
said.
He said the plant could be con-
verted to elementary school use
at small expense. (Officials later
estimated the cost at 5000 OF
$10,000) So converted, the super
intendent declared, it would be
IAN economically sized unit" and
would accommodate 600 to zoe
pupils.
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