Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-12-16
Lee CHALLENGES
Corning S Talks
To Committees
Issue of Permission
To Come Up at
Wednesday Session

Wednesday Session
The right of School Supt. Hobart
M. Corning to address a Board
of Education committee without
permission has been raised and
will be fought out at Wednesdays
regular meeting of the full board.
Adelbert w. Lee. board vice
president and chairman of the
Personnel Committee, yesterday
told DR.. Corning he had no right
to speak at committee meeting
unless invited to do so by the
committee. This came about as
the Personnel Committee was
holding a lengthy meeting con-
corning the food services in the
school system.
DR.. James A. Cannon, board
member. branded Mr.. Lees con-
tention as absurd. He said the
board rules give the superintend-
ent the right to a seat on the
board and the right to speak but
not the right to vote.
Mr.. Lee agreed as~ far as a
board meeting was concerned but
he said nothing in the rules gives
DR.. Corning the right to speak at
a committee meeting.
Divided Issue.
I'm going to introduce reSo-
luton stating that he can" DR..
Cannon retorted.
Albert E. Steniem, board men,
Der. said he feels it should be
understood that DR.. Corning
should have the right to speak. {"
But DR.. Phillip T. johnson, board
member. said he could see why the
superintendent should not attend
or speak at certain committee
meetings.
The matter was dropped at that
point for resumption on Wednes-
day.
This by-play came as the COM
mittee was taking up the compli-
Gated question of the penny milk
and school lunch programs, which
include the distribution of Gov
eminent surplus foods to schools
as well as charitable institutions.
Until last September, the Board
of Public Welfare administered
the school lunch and penny milk
programs. Then the $4,000 ap-
preparation was transferred to the
Board of Education with the re-
sponsibility for managing the
programs.
Top Post Vacant.
The top position in the food
Office has been vacant since the
death of Harry Gardner last fall.
This left the Office operation to
an administrative assistant, a
clerk-typist, a storekeeper and
custodian.
DR.. Corning, some time ago,
recommended that the School
Board delay filling the top vacancy
until the schools cafeteria system
was reorganized under a central
department. The school cafeterias
now are run as independent bust
nesses in each school. A bill, ap-
proved by the board but still in
the hands of the Commissioners,
would create a department of
cafeterias to handle all.
The Corporation Counsel has
recommended that the penny milk
and school lunch programs, both
financed by the Federal Govern
ment under subsidy grants. be
included in this central depart
ment.
Since the bill had been delayed
some 10 months ago it was sent
to the Commissioners and yester-
day came back with several sug-
gested changes-Dr. Corning de-
cided the vacancy should be filled.
,Yle Personnel Committee had OPP
posed this until yesterday. when
1t recommended:
l. That the vacancy be filled.
2. That a survey be made of the
penny milk, school lunch and sur
plus food programs to determine
the best method of operating the
programs.
3. That the direct responsibility
for the operation of the programs
come under the schools business
office, move which DR.. Corning
feels is circumventing his own au-
thority.
Up at Next Session.
All this will be up before the
full school board on Wednesday,
Mr.. Lee told the board members
he had serious doubts that the
Office had been handled properly.
He said the whole program needed
analysis from business stand
point. He described the distribu-
ton of the surplus foods as
"monstrosity," which had gotten
out of hand.
He listed among the surplus
1OOQ ld1lQ1Cu uu1 IllS 1lAOAAVAA'
1850 cases of cherries, 400 cases
of cranberries, 576 cases of orange
Juice, 327 cases of butter. 140 cases
of cheese, 1855 bags of potatoes
294 cases of plums and 1853 cases
of frozen turkeys.
DR.. Corning said the program
has been run very smoothly since
the Board of Education took over.
He said the people operating 1t
deserve credit.
Mr.. Lee also said he had in
vestigated reports that high
school had been selling cram
berries to teachers. He said the
school bulletin carried an ad, but
he told the board he could not
prove that surplus cranberries had
been sold. The school principal,
he continued, said a case of cram
berries bought before the surplus
shipment was offered to teachers.
1--WE don't know where the
commodities go or how they are
used" he declared. "We are going