Evening star., 1952-04-11
Shift Of Eliot
And Faiirbrother
Schools Studied
Use by CoIored
Pupils Proposed to
Board by Corning

The transfer Of Eliot Junior
High School and Fairbrother Ele-
mentary School from white to
colored students is being consid-
cred by the Board Of Education.
School Supt. Hobart M. Corning
recommended the shifts yesterday
to the School Boards Buildings
and Grounds Committee.
He also recommended that Ter
rell Junior High School be used by
|colored elementary students next
fall to relieve overcrowded condi-
tions in the central area Of WASH
lington. A new Terrell will be
completed before school opens in
the fall to handle the junior high
students now attending the old
building.
The committee took the whole
matter under study. Public hear
ings will be held later, and the
School Board will try to act on the
recommendations at the May
meeting.
Previously Discussed.
Eliot Junior High School was up
for discussion last summer. The
Board of Education eventually
transferred Langley Junior High
School from white to colored STU
dents, after a civic controversy.
DR.. Corning had recommended
Stuart Junior High be shifted, but
residents of the Stuart area
blocked the, move, after appearing
before the School Board.
Eliot is located at Eighteenth
and B streets NE. near Eastern
High School.
In justifying his recommended
ton that the school be shifted to
lcolored pupils. DR.. Corning pointed
out that the combined enrollments
of Eliot, Hine and Stuart Junior
Highs (all serving that general
area of the city, is 1,625. The
capacity of the three schools is
1865. leaving 1,040 vacant seats.
In contrast, DR.. Corning said,
three colored Junior highs, Browne,
Miller and Randall, have a COM
bined capacity of 1882, with 1858
enrolled.
BY next September, however, the
enrolment at the three will climb
to about 5000, giving the schools
l ,423 more pupils than seats, DR..
Corning said.
Others at Over Capacity.
The other seven colored junior
high schools in the city also will
be over capacity next fall by some
634 pupils, DR.. Corning continued.
They are Banneker, Douglass,
Francis, Garnet-Patterson, Lang
ley, Shaw and Terrell.
Unless relief is afforded Miller,
Browne and Randall Junior Highs
|by next September, part-time
classes will have to be started, DR..
Corning declared. He pointed out
that the enrolment increase in
the colored Junior high schools is
very rapid"
In recommending the shift of
Eliot to colored pupils, DR.. Corn
ing raised the proposed replace
ment for Hine Junior High from
near the bottom of the list of
some 10 projects to mo. /
priority"
He also suggested that the
School Board ask for funds to add
10 rooms and boys gymnasium
to Eliot, because once it is turned
over to colored pupils "it will be
filed to capacity Immediately"
The Fairbrother Elementary
School, at Tenth and E streets
IS.W., is one of three white ele-
mentary schools in the area. Their
total enrolment next September
will be 637 pupils.
Other Schools Nearby.
DR.. Corning said that, if Fair
brother is transferred to colored
pupils, the Fairbrother children
can be accommodated by trans
ferring some to the Amidon
School, three blocks away, and
the rest to four empty rooms in
the Jefferson Junior High School,
also nearby.
Fairbrother School then would
be used to relieve overcrowded
conditions in five colored elemen-
tary schools in the Southwest
Ambush, Bell, Anthony Bowen,
S. J. Bowen and Syphax.
The use of the present Terrell
Junior High School as an ele-
mentary school after the new
Junior high is completed would
give additional space in the CEN
trail part of the city. Terrell is
located at First and M streets NV.
Colored schools to be helped by
this move would be Bundy, Cook,
Langston, Scott Montgomery,
Simmons and Walker Jones.
These schools now have a total of
108 classrooms and will need 1872
next fall.