Evening star., 1950-09-10
School Board
Backs Arlington
Bond Proposal
Unanimously Agrees
To Ask Referendum
On SIS Million Issue

A school construction bond is.
sue of nearly $75 million was
unanimously indorsed yesterday
by the Arlington County School,
Board.
The board, meeting in Thomas
Jefferson Junior High School
agreed to start circulating a Pc
tition asking the Circuit Court
to order a referendum on the
proposal. 1t hopes to obtain suf-
f1cient signatures before Novem-
ber SO that vote could be taken
on the date of the general elec-
ton.
Supt. William A. Early said
that the amount of the bond is
sue, $7.450,000. represents "a con-
Servative, two-year program.
He predicted that additional
funds will be required to take care
of a total enrolment in 1885,
56 expected to be more than dou-
BILE the 1s47-4S enrolment Of
11,492.
Would Answer Racial Order.
Arlington voters in November,
1948, approved a $4.5 million
school l-bond issue. The last OF
these bonds were issued in July.
A bond issue of $1,776,000 was
voted in 1947 and those bonds
were sold in October. 1948.
The bond proposal would not
solve questions raised by a Fed
eral Court order issued Friday in
Alexandria requiring the county
to provide equal facilities for
Negro senior high school students.
Mr.. Early said funds now avail
able will be used to build an addi-
tion to the present Hoffman-Bos-
ton High School for Negroes at a
cost of approximately 1920, 900.
The enlarged school, when it
opens in September of next year,
the superintendent said, Will be
able to offer any course now given
at Washington-Lee High School
for white students.
Enrolment is increasing at a
rate requiring one new classroom
a week, Mr.. Early said.
Cost of the program approved
by the board allows for a 40 to
Is per cent" increase in prices
since the Korean war began. Many
of the sites already have been ac-
quired or are being purchased
with money now available.
New Buildings and Additions.
The program includes a Junior
senior high school for 1000 stu
dents at a cost of $3.5 million. The
would be located so that
one auditorium and one cafeteria
could serve both.
Three elementary schools for
1850 pupils are planned. These
would be Claremont, at
Chesterfield road and South Bu-
chanan street; Nottingham, at
Little Falls road and North Not
tingham street, and Fillmore, near
North Fillmore and Seventh
streets.
Additions would be built at Bar
croft, Stonewall Jackson, Kemper,
John Langston, Charles A. Stewart
and Woodlawn Elementary schools.
New schools on larger sites would
be built to replace Thomas Nelson
Page and Woodrow Wilson. Both
have been offered for sale for
commercial development. Mr..
Early said the board already has
been offered $5O0,0OO for the two
schools.
Part of the bond proceeds would
be used to obtain sites for addi-
tional schools needed in 1953-60.
The program also includes
provision for facilities for 200
to 300 elementary pupils "at To-
cations to be determined by COM
munity growth"
No Estimate on Taxes.
Multi-purpose rooms and other
improvements could be provided
by alterations in some of the
older buildings. These would be
at Robert E. Lee, James Madison,
Johr Marshall, Woodmont, James
Monroe. Dolly Madison Junior
High. Patrick Henry, darlington.
Nellie Gusts, Cherrydale, Mat
thew F. Maury and Henry Clay.
Extensive repair or replacement
of heating facilities also is
planned for some.
The superintendent said that
no attempt has been made to esti-
mate how much taxes would have
to be increased to pay off the
bonds. The effect of a reassess-
ment of property, now underway,
will not be known until early next
year, he said.
State aid to the county's schools,
Mr.. Early estimated, will amount
to slightly more than 100000 a
year. If Federal aid is forthcom-
ing because of the number of Gov
ernment employees in the county
he said, these funds could be used
to expand the building program
into a third year.
Reed K. Pond and Paul Netzer,
of the Citizens Committee for
School Improvement, termed the
proposal extremely conservative. -
Howard Cannon, chairman of
the School Construction Commit
tee of the County Council of Par
Teacher Associations, said the
plan represents "the least we can
do to meet the need"
w. s. Harris, of 4001 North
Twenty-f1fth road, said he does
not believe that $7.5 million is
enough. He predicted that prices
will be higher than estimated in
the plan.
Mrs. Elizabeth Campbell, board
chairman, said the proposed con-
struction would bring the average
number of pupils per room to 81