Evening star., 1950-05-18
School Board 10 Fight
PiIkerton Opposition
To Cafeteria Center
BY Colt Hendley, Jr.

BY Colt Hendley, Jr.
A fight between the Board of
Education and District Auditor A.
r. Pilkerton headed for the Com
missioners today. because of Mr..
Pilkerton's opposition to eStab-
liShment of a central cafeteria
system in the city's schools.
The differences of opinion were
revealed yesterday by School Supt.
Hobart NJ. Corning at the board S
regular meeting.
The school board long has cher
ished plans to set up q central
cafeteria department. At pres
ent, each school principal must
operate his school cafeteria as a
separate business and the board
has little to do with how it is
conducted. although 1t is respon-
Sible.
DR.. Corning said Mr.. Pilkerton
had recommended to the Commits
sioners that the city heads block
plans of the school board to get
congressional legislation to put the
centralized plan into effect. In
stead. the auditor recommended a
private conceSSionnaire take over
operation of the cafeterias.
View Hit by Lee.
After hearing Mr.. Pilkerton' S
recommendations to the Commits
sioners. Adelbert w. Lee, board
member, commented:
HE (Mr. Pilkerton) shows
ignorance of the whole problem. /"
Board members found nothing
wrong with Mr.. Lees summary
of the situation and voted
to have a meeting with the Com
missioners to urge the legislation.
The matter has been under study
by the school board for more than
two years.
Mr.. Pilkerton's report to the
Commissioners stated:
1T is my opinion that the re-
sponsibility of providing proper
food to pupils. with proper at
tention to dietetics. nutrition and
other related health habits, is pri-
marily the function that belongs
to the parents. Furthermore, I
cannot. under any circumstances,
see that the feeding of a pupil
is an integral part of the educa-
tional program"
DR.. Corning pointed out that
the food service department pro-
posed is identical to that found
in all large cities throughout the
country. He cited various author
tiles to show that cafeterias are
considered part of a school func-
ton.
Would Lose Grants.
AS for Mr.. Pilkertons sugges-
tion that concessionnaire take
over, DR.. Corning said that would
Immediately deprive the schools
of any benefits from the National
School Lunch Act, from which
the cafeterias receive large grants
of money" The act provides that
the cafeterias, to get aid, must be
non-profit, and the Board of Edu-
cation is named the responsible
agent-a responsibility that can
not be transferred.
DR.. Corning continued:
'The auditor is concerned lest
the educational aspects of the
food service program should in
clude experimental diets for chill
dren, which would perhaps en-
danger their health or cause mall
nutritious conditions to exist.
The exact opposite is the case.
Dieticians working in the cafete-
rias, with the assistance of a
competent director, will co-ordi-
nate the work so that the food
being served in the cafeteria is
selected to give the foods needed
Tor age level served"
Other Objections Cited.
Mr.. Pilkerton also raised the
objections that some children
might not want to eat in the
cafeterias, and it would be unfair
to support the cafeterias with
public funds; that cafeteria equip
ment should be financed from
earnings from the cafeterias. not
from appropriations: that CEN
tral buying of food would not
save any appreciable amount of
money.
DR.. Corning and the School
Board members agreed that Mr..
Pilkerton was overstepping his
authority in trying to tell the
board how to run the schools.
DR.. Corning stated:
ut would seem that many of
the observations Of the auditor
pertain directly to the planning
for an educational program for
the children of the District. which
function Congress vested in the
Board of Education in 1906"
Mr.. Pilkerton became involved
earlier this year. when the Com
asked for his comments
on the draft of the bill to be sub
mitted to Congress to authorize
the cnpfro1 nofetor;o ... -,