Evening star., 1952-09-14

TIuIIy NCW JIlIVVN
Rising Over Virginia,
Aided by Battle Fund
BY the Assoc nied Press
RICHMOND, Va, Sept. 13.-All
over Virginia, you see shiny, new
school buildings standing or in
the process of going up. There are
few localities that haven't joined
in the parade toward more schools
in the last two or three years.
OF course, the tune has been
called by a tremendous postwar
growth in school population that
caused a critical shortage of class
rooms.
But, in many localities, the
rhythm in the parade has been
furnished by the school cQnstruc-
tion program of Gov. Battle. A
number of local school superin-
tendents say their school programs
would have had difficulty getting
started without this State aid.
Faced Worst Crisis.
Back in 1948, Federal education
officials were saying that Virginia,
like the rest of the Nation, was
confronted with the worst crisis
ever. Few schools had been built
since the 1930S and the wave of
World War II marriages with it's
heavy crop of babies was threaten
ing to unhinge an already over
crowded school system.
After Gov. Battle was elected
on a promise to press for heavy
school building aid from the State,
the 1850 General Assembly set
aside $45 million from the State
surplus for school grants. The
1852 session added $50 million
for a total of $75 million.
Eleven million dollars made
available in 1850 for literary fund
loans also helped the. school con-
struction cause.
OF the Battle fund total, $50
million has been made available to
localities, with over $35 million
approved for nearly 800 projects in
79 counties and % cities. At the
latest report, over $27 million
actually had been paid out.
Communities Match Funds.
The Battle program doesn't re-
quire local matching funds, though
some legislators fought to attach
this condition to the appropriation
In spite of this, localities have
been more than matching State
grants anyway. One survey, as of
February. 1852, showed the local.
tiles share Of their school build
ing programs as over 10 per cent.
There Is no way of accurately
gauging the entire school con-
Struction program in Virginia. The
State Department of Education
put its cost at upwards of $125
million.
Dowell J. Howard, State su-
perintendent of public instruction,
says the effect of the construction
program goes deeper than it's help
in improving the physical school
plant.
1T has a tremendous, whole
some effect-a morale-building ef-
feet on teachers and students
alike" he said.
"The Battle program has
stimulated school building pro-
grams throughout the State" said
Supt. Paul H. Gale of Albemarle
County, which is using $50O,OOO
In Battle funds to aid its So million
Seven-year program.
Some Areas Hard Pressed.
The problem of enrollments
outrunning available space was
particularly acute in the Northern
Virginia area across from Wash
ington, in Hampton Roads COM
munitieS and in and around
.Danville, Richmond, Lynchburg
and Roanoke.
Several Hampton Roads area
communities are getting special
Federal school aid because they
are considered defense areas.
The Northern Virginia counties
|of Fairfax and Arlington are
getting over So million in Federal
aid apiece for the same reason.
Each has used around a million
dollars in Battle funds for addi-
tionS to their schools. Fairfax is
engaged in a sos million school
program. financed by a bond
issue; the County Board thinks
another bond issue soon will be
required soon. Arlington has ap-
proved school bond issues totaling
$19 million since 1947.
Alexandria was able to, apply
some $250,000 in Battle money
to debt service. since it had
started school program in 1948
with bond loan money. The city
floated a new SIS million school
bond issue this year and has one
school under construction and
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