Evening star., 1952-01-24
Cuf Building
Troubles
School Officials
Only $l.4 Million Of
$l2 Million Sought as
Minimum Is Allowed

vsS
Minimum Is Allowed
Although 10 school construction
projects are underway. or will be
school officials are con-
about the slash In budget
which would practically
eliminate the school building pro-
gram for next year.
In the budget sent to Congress
last Monday, school requests for
were cut from $l2
million to only $1.4 million. Funds
for the construction Of only one
elementary school were included.
I'VE had screened our budget
pretty carefully" School Supt.
Hobart NJ. Corning declared.
what we asked were the mimi
mum requirements. We never
have followed the practice Of pad.
ding the budget"
DR.. Corning said he feels the
budget slash would result in trou-
blesome situations for the Board
Of Education In the next few
years.
The only new school allowed
in the proposed budget was an ele-
mentary school In the vicinity Of
Ninth and Barnaby streets Sc.
This school. for white pupils, is
badly needed. The three schools
serving the Congress Heights area
Patterson. Simon and Congress-
Heights-are overcrowded,
Includes Plans For Another.
The budget proposals also al-
lowed money to draw plans for q
white junior high school In the
vicinity of Fourth street and Mis-
sissippi avenue Sc. This will re-
lieve the overcrowding at Kramer
Junior High School.
The other two projects allowed
were money to purchase the site
of a badly-needed colored ele-
mentary school at Fifty-sixth and
East Capitol streets and money to
draw the preliminary plans for Q
new administration building for
school officials.
Fortunately for the school con-
struction program, Congress ap-
propriated some 81 million last
year for school buildings. The
large figure was due in part to
"a change in budget procedure. Be.
fore last year, only part of the
money for a project was appropri-
Iated and school officials would
have to come back the next year
to get the rest of the money. But,
last year a system was inaugu-
rated under which the total sum
was appropriated.
Buildings Under Way.
The result was 10 projects.
Under way at present are the
following buildings: Spingarn
High School, for colored students
LOT Northeast Washington. due to
be completed in September; a re-
placement for Terrell Junior High
School for white students. to be
completed next February; and
Douglass Junior High School for
colored students. also to be com.
|pleted next February.
Under contract, but not yet
started, are an addition to Browne
Junior High School, for colored,
and Bunker Hill Elementary
School and. Keene Elementary
School. both white. Scheduled to
be put under contract soon are
the additions to Davis Elementary
School, white, and the Payne Ele-
|mentary School. colored.
Plans are being completed now
for additions to the Turner and
Richardson Elementary Schools.
both colored, and applications for
the necessary steel have been
made for the second quarter of
this year.
It is apparent that the building
program authorized by Congress
is well in hand. But, it is the
future that is disturbing school
officials.
DR.. Harold A. Haynes, first
assistant superintendent in charge
of colored schools, said ne re.
|garded the elimination of funds
to replace Armstrong High School
the biggest blow.
The present Armstrong Is not
equipped to do an adequate job"
he said. "The rooms are small, the
equipment is old. there is no room
for expansion, and the schools
enrolment is over capacity"
The slashed budget leaves the
colored schools with number Of
serious problems. DR.. Haynes said.
Eliminated were an addition to
the Syphax Elementary School,
definitely a trouble spot" where
space is needed; an addition to
Dunbar High School; funds for
plans for colored junior high
school In Southeast Washington
ito relieve overcrowding at Miller
Junior High School, and an addi.
tion to the jammed Randall Ju-
nior High School.
Other Rejected Projects. =
Other projects rejected by the
Commissioners, but considered
essential by the school officials.
included:
An addition to the RandIe
Highlands Elementary School. a
replacement for the Seaton Ele.
mentary School, an addition to
Anacostia High School (the only
white high school with a full en-.
rollmentl; a replacement for the
Shaw Junior High School, and
addition to the Slowe Elementary
School and an addition to the
Washington Vocational High
School.
DR.. Corning declared that the
budget cutbacks would undoubt-
edly lead to tense feelings" in the
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