Evening star., 1951-12-05
Madison School
Shift 10 Negro
Pupi|sDueToday
Board Action Slated
To Provide More
Space at Payne

10 PROVIDE More
Space at Poyne
The Board of Education today
was slated to transfer the Madi-
son Elementary School from white
to colored children to provide
more classroom space for the
crowded colored pupils at the
Payne Elementary School.
The boards buildings and
grounds committee yesterday ap-
proved the transfer of Madison,
located at Tenth and G streets
NE, as recommended by School
Supt. Hobart M. Corning. This
move was one of two solutions
previously presented to the board
by DR.. Corning. The full board
will act today.
The other solution was an inter-
change of students between the
Payne and the Bryan Elementary
School. Residents of the Bryan
area prepared a strong protest,
but DR.. Corning never recon-
mended that the Bryan pupils be
shifted. The residents were heard
yesterday before the action was
taken.
The meeting of board commit
tees yesterday also was marked
by:
/. A half-hour discussion that
ended in nothing. when it was
discovered DR.. Corning had rec
commended action on a matter ap-
proved by the school board in
1948, which neither he nor the
board members remembered.
Corning Criticized.
2. Criticism of DR.. Corning by
Adelbert w. Lee. vice president of
the school board, because the
school superintendent had adver-
tised for applicants for the top
jobs in the new central cafeteria
department before the school
board had approved rules and
regulations governing the new de-
partment End before funds were
available for the salaries.
In recommending the transfer
of Madison instead of Bryan to
colored children. DR.. Corning
asked that the transfer be made
effective at the close of the pres
ent semester on February /.
The Buildings and Grounds
Committee voted for the plan with
DR.. Phillip T. Johnson, colored
member. objecting. He advocated
transfer of the Bryan. Mrs. Ar
cadia Near Phillips and Mrs. E. c.
Magdeburger were in favor.
Speakers Are Heard.
Before voting, the committee
heard John Curran. president of
the" Southeast Washington Citi-
Zens' Association; Cecil C. Glen
of the Lincoln Park Citizens AS
sociation, and Mrs. Robert j. Col
son of the Bryan PTA. protest
any change in the status of the
Bryan School.
Mrs. Harry Tomlin of the Mad
ison School PTA spoke in opposi-
tion to the transfer of Madison.
Mrs. Catherine w. Jones Of the
Payne School PTA asked the
School Board to transfer the
Bryan School and, in addition.
to leave the colored children in
Payne. since all that space
is needed badly. She said a swap
with Bryan would not solve
Payne's problem.
DR.. Corning then recommended
that the committee approve the
exchange of two pieces OF land at
the Payne site to enable he pro-
posed $500,000 addition - be
placed in a better location.
A piece of land belonging to the
school board was to be traded for
a tract controlled by the recrea-
tion board. under the proposal.
Lee Objects.
Title to the recreation board
land is held by the Federal Gov
ernment and cannot be shifted.
Many schools in the District are
built either partly or wholly under
such land arrangements. But,
Mr.. Lee objected on the grounds
that the board should hold title
to the land it uses to build schools.
DR.. johnson declared:
you've just voted that the
Payne addition will relieve the
overcrowded situation but now you
don't have the land to put it on"
John M. Riecks. associate su-
perintendent in charge of build
ings and grounds, said the original
plans were to place the building
in another position but that had
been changed by the municipal
architect several years ago.
"We should have been con-
suited" Mr.. Lee declared. I'VE
are suddenly asked to accept a
change of two years ago."
Mr.. RieckS said it would be "ab-
solutely impossible" to change the
plans of the addition hV March 80,
the deadline for using the steel
allotment obtained just last week.
"You will lose the STEEL" he
said.
Reminded of 1948 Action.