Evening star., 1951-09-09
By jones G. Deone


The Districts 157 public schools
reopen their doors tomorrow toI
the tune of some good news, some
not so good.
The good news is that for theI
first time in many years there are
Ino part-time classes scheduled.
School Supt. Hobart M. Corning
expects about $1,000 enrollees-
I2, 200 above last year, and a new
Irecord-but unless the unforeseen
happens, classroom capacity will
be enough, he says.
This has been accomplished,
the superintendent reported, by
new school construction, CONVEX
version of some older building
space and transfer of some white
schools to colored pupils.
It's happy improvement over
last year, when 1900 youngsters
started school on half day basis.
And it's an even bigger improve
ment over five years ago. when the
half time scholars numbered T.
l150.
On the not-so-bright side of the
picture are several items. They are
a continuing teacher shortage, ris-
ling building costs. shifts in the
white and Negro populations, and
administrative tangles involving
the school board. Here is how
these problems stack up:
1. Teacher shortage. The teach
ling situation is different in the
white and colored schools. In the
white schools, while there is heavy
Ienrollment on the elementary lev
lei and fourth of the teachers
are only temporary employees,
there are enough instructors on
1.-THE secondary level. Thirty-nine
new teaching positions were ap-
propriated for the colored schools
this year, but the school board
requested 104, and the result is
that many of the colored classes
are over the size approved by the
board.
/ Last year the colored pupils
outnumbered white for the first
time. This year this margin is
Expected to increase to more than
5000.
2. Building costs. Last year,
lskyrocketing costs forced defer
lment of five major school con-
Istruction projects. All were addi-
Itions to existing buildings. Five
lothers went ahead-an addition
Ito the Bell Vocational School. now
complete, and the new River Ter
race Elementary School, planned
for white pupils; the new Spin
Igarn High School and Terrell and
Douglass Junior Highs, all for col
lored. Spingarn will be finished
next spring and Terrell and Doug
lass in 1853.
The extra money for the de-
ferred projects. along with funds
for three other new additions
lnow is available (the projects are
Iawaiting Government release OF
IsteeD. But the District Govern
lment and Congress are tightening
1.-THE belt drastically on future
projects.
| School officials asked funds
this year for six new buildings or
additions. One was rejected en-
Itirely, and Congress appropriated
only plan money for the other
five. OF II site purchases asked,
only one was provided for.
AS war babies come of age,
school population is climbing
steadily. Officials see a steady
increase until at least 1856. More
buildings will be eSsential-for
one thing, to prevent return to
part-time classes again. But, with
Imitation, building costs also are
Iclimbing alarmingly. SO every day
Iof postponement on needed prof.
Iects increases their cost. School
officials are wondering: "Where
will all this leave us in five years?"
i Space Expedients Used.
!, Only by extreme measures have
IDr. Corning and his aides man
|, aged to provide the space for the
!, 81, 900 youngsters they expect to
) >Itroop to school tomorrow. Here
lare some examples:
4 Simon Elementary School, at
; Fourth street and Mississippi ave-
; nue. Sc, the city's newest and
largest, was jammed as soon as
lit opened last winter. Tomorrow
it will install classes in the library,
I a practical arts room and two
shower rooms rebuilt into class
rooms.
Patterson Elementary School
3 will put one class in a room built
by combining a storeroom and a
: custodian's room.
). At Whittier School, a class will
OCCUPY space made by converting
1.-THE teachers and play rooms. At
Horace Mann. one class will be
located permanently in the assem-
Ibly hall. At Janney, pupils will
occupy a converted storage room.
3. Population Shifts. BY next
January, officials expect the new